U.S. REPORTEDLY SENDING MILLIONS TO FOSTER MODERATES IN NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100040059-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 59
• Publication Date: March 11, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040059-3
ARTICLE A,PPECLR.ED
Ott PAGE
NEW YORK TIMES
11 MARCH 1982
U.S'. Repo e ridly en z ii ions ad you ma 3
Nicaragua
o os e o d crates in icar ~a 1979 by a ni
Ito vW FT TD ret -nxa a %r ers of the
Debayle. A
is aammic
WASHINGTON, March 10- The Rea- and-nm attacks against Government tersthecruntry.
ganAdministration is- providing mil- troops.and installations, theofficials The Reagan Administration has ac-
lions of dollars in covert financial aid to said:- .' r . Bused Nicaragua of promoting Soviet
individuals and private organisations in . The Reagan Administration }is aware and Cuban interests in Central America,
;-Nicaragua in hopes of bolstering - oder- of the formation of the units,, according including providing military and Einar:-
ate elements there, according.tb senior to the officials, but has declined to pro- vial help to guerrillas in El Salvador.
Administrationoftlcfals videfulancialormilitarysupport.-. Sandinist leaders, who describe them=
The effort, which isbeing'raanaged by ' ' The President and the National Se- selves as 'Marxist reformers have i
the Central Intelligerice:Agency,.began curity.Council looked over proposals to denied the charges. '
late,last;year after?ftwas approved by create our own paramilitary force, but, . On Tuesday, the Reagan Administra-il
President Reagan, the officialssaid. . once,the idea of using former Nicara- ticn made public aerial photographs;
They said Mr. Reagan and his top an. guan National Guard commanders was that intelligence officials said proved
tional security advisers rejected a pro. rejected, there didn't seem to be a feasi- Nicaragua, with Soviet and Cuban
assistance, was creating the largest'l
posal to finance and support the crew- ble way to do it " recalled a senior Ad middtary force in Central merica
tion of a paramilitary force in Central ministration official familiar with the .: Nicaragua protested today against
America. Several South American na- deliberations, which took place last the reconnaissance flights, calling them
tions
however includin
entina and November
Ar
,
g
g
Venezuela, are working together to as-
Uss gis3cyChoice Approved
s
r
t
.
e
nble paramili
ary: units ;that : they
Mr. Reagan decided, officials said, to
plan toinfiltrate into Nicaragua for hit-
approve the less risky course of secretly
financing . individuals ? and private or-
ganizations. in - Nicaragua that the
United States believes, could help pre-
serve moderate, economicand;politicai
institutions, ,:
In a briefing for reporter on TLesday,
Adm. Bobby R. iniaan, DeputyDirector
' of the Central, Intelligence Agency, was
aske r'abo it reports that the United
States had approved a budget of $19 mil-
Ion to support Covert action projects in
Nicaragua. -One, such report was pub-
lished Feb.14 inTde Washington Post. A
'report, in The Post today quoted Admin--
istration? officials as -saying that the
President had approved a? $0 million
'plan.to create a Latin American para
military force to operate against Nica-
Admiral an replied to the question
at, the briefing; ?'I would suggest to you
law" and said its military organization
was strictly for defense.
The Administration's review last fall
of alternatives for covert action was
Prompted Partly by the reconnaissance
photos and by a-growing belief within
the Administration that Nicaragua was
becoming a surrogate for Cuba and the
Soviet Union, senior American.oficials
The choices presented to the National
Security Council on Nov. 19 were wide
ranging, according to the officials, and .
included the creation of an American
.sponsored paramilitary force.
That and several other alternatives
were sent back to intelligence agencies
for further study, they said. When the ?
ideas were submitted again for discus-
sion at a National Security Council
meeting later that month, the paramfli-
taryoption was rejected because forma-
,Lion of such a group appeared to require
the use of former' Nicaraguan National
Guard officers who had supported Gen-
eral Somoza. --
"We realized that the surest way to
have this kind of project backfire would
be if Somoza's military men were in-
valved,"owe official recalled. < '.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040059-3
STAT