CIA DID NOT SUPPORT DEATH SQUADS IN SALVADOR, HOUSE REPORT CONCLUDES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000200880118-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 14, 2010
• Sequence Number: 118
• Publication Date: January 14, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/14: CIA
ARTICLE APPEAR.D
ON PAGE
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
14 January 1Y85
CIt~ clad not support deain squatls
valor, House report concludes
By Robert Parry -+ 't4 impression to Salvadorans that the
30"d ~"' CIA "condoned, because it was aware
':.WASHINGTON A House intQlII- i of (some death-squad activities.,! r,-
.1
nce . committee investigation - :has f T I tail lch ddmatCs,Wet'e
concluded that the CIA. did .not."di- - "regrettable ' but perhaps unavoid-
rectly 'encourage or support'death- able. If US. intelligence is to collect
squad killings in El;Salvador, but It information about. death-squads, it
criticizes the agency's,,Jack of early must do so by obtaining information
Information about the .problem. from individuals associated with or
Responding to allegations that the .'knowledgeable of such activities."
CIA had ties to'Salvadoran security _ But the report criticized US. Intel.
'forces implicated iii the slayings, a ligence agencies for paying little at-
committee staff report released last tention to death-squad killings until
week said that U.S. intelligence offi- two years ago and then tightly re-
cials have sought to halt death-squad stricting US. government circula-
killings. tion of the information it had collect.
"U.S. intelligence agencies have - ednot conducted any of their activities "Death-squad activity could have
in such a way as to directly encour- .. been and should have been the focus
age or support death-squad activi- of US. intelligence collection earlier
ties," the report said. "To the con- than it was and a topic of U.S. intelli-
trafy, U.S. intelligence activities gence analysis available to a more
have been directed, sometimes suc. widespread group of policy-level con-
cessfully, at countering death-squad sumers," the report said. - -
activity, reducing the power of indi- Asked about the report issued by
viduals connected with death the Democraticcontrolled commit.
squads, and 'seeking their removal "tee, former Democratic Rep. James
from positions of authority.".. Shannon of Massachusetts; who re-
The report added.. however, , that quested` The ' , death-squad investiga.
"some U.S. intelligence relationships tion in March, questioned the panel's
with individuals connected with ? conclusion clearing the CIA. -
death squads" may have given the The information was "certainly
not as concliisive'as the committee
makes it sound" Shannon..Ssid:.fle
erintAn'ded -hM-I
t i _ _
1t
tors 'haven't looked' at ft
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.
Human-rights groups estimate that
more than 50,000 civilians have been
killed during five years of civil war
in El Salvador. Many of the victims
are believed to have been murdered!
by death squads that reportedly in-
cluded members of the government's
security forces.
The Reagan administration says
that while such political slayings.
continue, the Salvadoran govern-
ment has succeeded in sharply re-
ducing their number, and has re-
moved some officials implicated In
the violence. The United States backs
the Salvadoran government in its
war against leftist guerrillas.-'
CIA spokeswoman' Kathy Pherson 1
declined comment 'on the House re-
port.
The House committee report, like
an earlier one by the Senate intelli-
gence committee, said death squads 1
include members of Salvadoran secu-
rity and military forces as well as
private individuals.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/14: CIA-RDP91-00587ROO0200880118-6