ENVOY ASSAILS REAGAN AIDES ON EL SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100060007-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: December 10, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/23: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100060007-8
A?
Envoy Assails
Reagan Aces
By Christopher Dicke}
_Waa *nSeonPostF *4gnSen$ce-.r~.'.
SAN SALVADOR; Dec- 9-. U.S.
Ambassador to El Salvador--Robert K
White today accused -President-elect
Ronald Reagan's advisers of ``weaken=
ing my,authority to carry out the pol.
icy of [the Carter] administration" in
the= midst of a crisis that threatens; to:
destroy. >the- US: backed Salvadoran
regime - and could lead to-expanding-
armed, conflict and-an extremist take-
...`When civil war break out in. this 1.
country; Ihope they -get their: chance -
to serve,". said White, Ius hands grip-
pig- the, arms of - the, chair-as.-.he
talked to- two American reporters this
mornings-
His anger was focussed-on the -leak
to the press last week of a so-called
"hit list," prepared by members_of the
Reagan transition - team, that- named
White as : one of several ambassadors
accused of improperly acting as. "social
reformers" and slated for removal
soorr after Reagan's inauguration Jan..
20.
White, 54, a career diplomat, is also
concerned about the unannounced
presence in El Salvador last week. of
Cleto Di Giovanni Jr, a.'conservative
Central American analyst with ties to
several members of the Reagao,transi-
tion team. White and other U.& o? '
cials ? here said Di Giovanni ; - had
presented himself as being on-an. offi-
cialy,mission for the adnzinis-
trabon....
The message :he ':cd, ' said an
embassy official who-met Di Giovanni
during his visit, was that the-Reagan
team's public denials-d support-for a
rightist military coup si=ld be ' chase
garded..
A spokesman for the Ekoed Nation=.
al Front, a leading rilg organ'
zation, implied Di GWvanni. wa3..here.i
to gather information for Reagan that
would--balance:- that provided by,-.
Carter administration.:,,s :,n;;.+-?rsz
. Reached.. in Washington, {,~teaga i
State Department . ,t hou -.tea=
head. Robert Ne. m"nn,; repeating; las4
week's 'denials, said . today-?.tbat .the
lanleml "h;+ fiat" woe .,lii.o , ..I
THE WASHINGTON POST
10 December 1980
individual papers"_ written by team
members ' and represented "the first
cut" of opinions that may be part of
the final recommendations sent to
Reagan.
Also contacted in Washington, Di
Giovanni said that he had gone to El
Salvador on personal business and
that he "did not represent Reagan nor
have I ever represented, Reagan" in'
this or any other mission.. A former
CIA official who served six years in'
erica, Di Movanni said he:
currently opera a "security consul-'
helps va Oran
businessmen, team protect em-:
selves against rrons attacks.
-
,Neumann also . said" ::that. Di
Giovanni "certainly wasn't sent by us".
on a trip to El Salvador or anywhere
else. Apparently referring to - similar
reports= that have plagued the Reaggan'
team over -the past several weeks, ?
Neumann said "we have half a dozen
pretend emissaries all over the world
who are complete hoaxes." -
Another transition team . member
said that Di Giovanni, who has pub-
lished a number of articles critical of ff
Carter's policy in Central America, in-.1
eluding one in the current edition of
The Washington Quarterly co-
authored with Reagan foreign policy;
advisor Roger Fontaine, informed the:
-team he was traveling to El Salvador
and asked if he could carry a message.
"Not only was he not authorized" to
speak for the incoming administration,
the team member - said, "he was
.stmagly discouraged" from making the.
trip because it was "thought perhaps
he would be misunderstood."
;The vehemence of White's charges
indicate both the extent of the tension-
here and'the depth'of policy disagree
`merits between the outgoing and in--
coming'administrations in this part of
the world. The situation also - . illus-.1
.trates. the strong belief of the right
here that Reagan will abruptly-change
U.S. policy in the region. -
After a year of widespread political
violence and uncertainty, the current'
Salvadoran crisis began with the mur-
IsC'poli ticai leaders It became ex=
tremely 'grave a week ago when four
American `women missionary .Workers
.
'.were-savagely, tortured, and-killed.
s U.S. aid-to the government was sus-
pended pending an investigation of
the murders, and a special- high-level '
`U.S. diplomatic mission was sent here',
to look into the question of institu-
tionalized violence and the govern-
ment's stability. The team left El Sal- I
vador today and is expected to report:f
to-Carter later,in the week.
The entire government of EI Sal-1
vador is in the process of restructuring
'itself, and its final composition could
.be decisive. not -only: in determining.
the immediate future`of.El Salvador,
but of the entire Central American re-]
gion, because of . the- danger of the'
conflict here spilling over-into. other
The ..:Carter administration` 'has.
sought to' "'establish'_:and 'nurture a
moderate coalition government of d-'
vilian and military men, which has in-
stituted, sweeping reforms in. the 14
months since the ouster of Gen. Car-
Ics- Humberto Romero's corrupt con-
servative regime:.
U.S.- backing of the government, -a
'five-member junta composed of two
Christian Democratic politicians, an
independent and two= military repre-
sentatives, has been largely,successful,
. White. believes, in undercutting what
was a growing threat of leftist insur-
rection.
'But both 'the left ` and : the right
have sought to undermine this policy.
The-orientation of the regime has be-
come increasingly conservative, 'and.
since early- November A he extreme
right has been marshalling forces both
inside and outside the government to
'launch a coup to take control
"Right now," White said, "in 'this4
critical juncture when- there is, dearly
a lot of pressure being placed on mili ,
tary officers to move this government'.
to the right, the various mixed and
contradictory signals -coming out o
.various people. who think they speak]
for the Reagan administration have;
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/23: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100060007-8