EX-AGENT DENIES CIA COULD TIE ARMS TO MANAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000200740041-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 25, 2010
• Sequence Number: 41
• Publication Date: September 17, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/29: CIA-RDP91-00587R000200740041-6
1 ARTICLE APR
ON PAGE ms's.
BALTIMORE SUN
17 September 1985
WORLD
Ex-agent denies CIA could tie arms to Managua
By Robert Ruby
Sun staff Carraspondent
THE HAGUE. Netherlands - A
former Central Intelligence
analyst yesterday told they Wo ld
Court he believed that the agency
had not found strong evidence since
early 1981 of Nicaraguan anus ship-
ments to rebel groups in El Salvador.
Such alleged arms shipments
have been a major part of the
Reagan administration's arguments
to the U.S. Congress in support of
aid to Nicaraguan "Contra" guerrillas
and of its portrait of other Central
American governments as feeling
ndlnistas.
Tedtllylrrg an behalf of Nicaragua.
he saw evidence of arms ship-
ments taking place from 1980 to
early 1981. But he said neither aei-
alphotography nor other Intelli-
-gsthe means had turned
up any signs elute shipments.
"I don't believe that such a traffic
goes on now, nor has It gone on for
the past four years," Mr. Macmichael
said. "No credible, substantial evi-
dence of such an arms flow existed
while I was examining L
As for the information that was
supplied to Congress to persuade it
to give money to the contras, Mr.
Macmlchad said that it included
stories from Central American
newspapers about atrocities In arms
supplies. but that the stories had
been planted by the CIA.
Mr. MacmIchael. 57. was speak-
ing during a third day of hearings at
the International Court of Justice on
Nicaraguan charges that the United
States is conducting paramilitary ae-
tivltles against Nicaragua In viola-
tion of International law as well as of
the charters of the United Nations
and the Organization of American
States.
The United States last year faded
to convince the court that it did not
have authority to hear the case. In
January. the Reagan admirds ration
announced a boycott of the proceed-
ings, but that has not prevented the
14-Judge panel from hearing evi-
dence from Nicaragua
STAT
David Macmichael gives testimony before the International Court at Justice in The Hague.
Mr. Macmichael was a star wit-
ness because his . testim=V=-
is a victim of aggression central by
the Unit-
ed States rather than an i of
It against El Salvador. Costa Rica
and Honduras.
Mr. Maamlchael testified that he
worked for the CIA from March
policy an an analyst
reporting to to April the 1983
rr panel
on Latin American affairs. He said
that he had knowledge of U.S. Intel-
ligence methods in the region and
that he had access to day-to-day dis-
coveries.
Mr. Macmichael said no docu-
mentation proving a link during that
period between Nicaragua and arms
supplies for rebels in FI Salvador ex-
isted. The studies and analysis
about the supplies to counterinsur-
gency forces weren't there; he said.
V they had been commissioned, "1
believe I would have known about
IL'
Evidence of arms shipments, he
said, was 'very scant. I would say
much of it is unreliable. Some of it is
suspect, and I think some it has
been presented in a misleading
way."
Judge Stephen N. Schwebel. the
only American among the Judges,
questioned Mr. Macmichael for 40
minutes about accounts in U.S.
newspapers reporting evidence of
Nicaraguan Involvement in El Salva-
dor.
In answering, Mr. Macmichael
said that he would "rule in rather
than rule our the likelihood of Nica-
ragua's having shipped arms to reb-
els In El Salvador during parts of
1980 and 1981, but he added that
the United States continued to say
that shipments were taking place
when there was no evidence of
them.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/29: CIA-RDP91-00587R000200740041-6