RESPONSE TO HPSCI QUESTIONS ON NICARAGUAN MILITARY STRENGTH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91B00135R000500810041-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 31, 2008
• Sequence Number: 41
• Publication Date: April 15, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

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SECRET 25X1
15 April 1983
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Response to HPSCI Questions on Nicaraguan Military Strength
1. The intelligence community estimates the Nicaraguan armed forces
now-have over 25,000 men on active duty plus at least 50,000 more in
organized reserve and militia units.
2. The Army's weapons inventory includes about 45 Soviet T-55 tanks,
12 BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, and about 30 Soviet 122 mm and 152 mm
artillery pieces.
3. The Air Force is being increasingly equipped with Soviet Bloc
aircraft to replace older Western models. Within the last year, the
Sandinistas have received two AN-26 transports and four MI-8 helicopters.
The MI-8s reportedly are the armed version, equipped with rockets and
machineguns. They also have received three Soviet MI-2 helicopters from
Libya.
4. Recent reports indicate the Libyans are in the process of
delivering three more MI-2s, five Czech L-39 jet trainers, and other
military hardware. The L-39s would be useful in a counterinsurgency role,
and will supplement the two old US T-33 jet trainers which the Sandinistas
have used to bomb and strafe the insurgents. Furthermore, reliable sources
indicate the Nicaraguans already have MIG-21 aircraft in Cuba, but
delivery has been postponed because of US warnings.
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Fol?owing is a transcript of President Reagan's statement yesterday in
Washington on the confirmation of Kenneth L. Adelman as head of the Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency, followed by an exchange with reporters, as
recorded by The New York Times:
OPENING STATEMENT
I am deeply gratified by the United
States Senate's confirmation today of
Ambassador Kenneth Adelman to be
director of the Arms Control and Dis-
armament Agency. It's my earnest .
hope that this positive step will mark
the beginning of a new bipartisan con-
sensus on the vital issue of nuclear
arms reduction. I'm convinced that
Kenneth Adelman will prove that the
confidence which the Senate has ex-
pressed in him today is well-founded.
Under his leaders: in we can look for-
ward to a reinvigorated Arms Control
and Disarmament Agency that will
make an important contribution to our
arms reduction effors.
As we seek equitable and verifiable
agreements with the Soviet Union to
reduce the arsenals and the risks of
war, we will need the advice and sup-
port of the Congress. I'm confident
that with full consultation with Con-
gress and the development of our
arms reduction initiatives, the United
States can continue to be a force for
genuine peace and progress in the
world. And if we're met with recipro-
cal seriousness of purpose from the
Soviet Union, 1983 can be a year of his-
toric importance in securing a more
solid and stable peace through arms
reductions. Helen?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Insurgents in Nicaragua gene information, to Administration
fi
d
brie
ngs an
.. .
Q. Mr. President, are we directly or 'A. Yes, and of - I think Secretary
indirectly supplying, arming or train- Shultz and Security Adviser Judge
Q' lSoes that mean we -are not `arm latfng the:saw. any information about any impending
lug oor supplying any of _the dissidents Let me do what I promised the other possibility bf t3zis, -and if so, what
4n p h;kr4 n? a hand starttwithssome of the people . .would be the American response to
along the border- the Honduran bar- d
Soviet Aircraft
ing any insurgents - Nicaraguan in- Clark have both been talking to him,
Mr. President, this morning And if so, why?' and you have -seen the-statement by rniag your
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-
A. We are comply g with the law- Barry Goldwater of the Intelligence American Affairs, Mr. Enders, told
the Boland Amendment, which is the. Committee. that is absolutely positive the House Foreign Affairs Committee
law - we're complying : with. that that there is no violation of the law that there was a possibility Cuba or.
fully.. whatsoever. I think that when they.' the Soviet Uniom may Introduce high.
pay a :little .more attention to this
S O.S lies ';. .performance a ceaft or even Cuban-
p they're going to find out we -re not vio- ,troops into Nicaragua Do you have
A. I .am .not.going to, get into
ragua is ignoring some realities - engaging in anyactivihes that a rea- cause the Soviet Union, by way ' of. .
that the Nicaraguan Government is a sonable person could assume would be. Cuba, :has been engaged .already
mat muvee
A "Perspective .. - A. Well, no,. L think I'ni not going to
answer a hypothetical question with a I
about such things. But mayl point out Q. Mr. President, are you willing to' hypothetical answer. And I only know
that this whole controversy over Nica- say flatly that the United States is not that that passZility ? does -exist be-
by force, but with the promise
power
of democratic elections, none of which
have taken place, and all 'of .this. was
under the previous Administration. The previous'Administration,.bow..
ever. did recognize this Government
of Nicaragua, sought to.help it with,'
considerable ? financial :aid and with-
drew that aid .long. before we were
here when it became apparent that the,
.Government had become campletely.
Marxist; had turned away and thrown
out some of the democratic groups
that had supported them and fought
with them in the revolution '.to bring
democracy to Nicaragua, and were.
then'no longer a part of the Govern-
ment.* But also the cutoff of funds was
because the Nicaraguan Government
had pledged to the United States that
It would not attempt to overthrow any
other governments in Central Amer-
ica, particularly El Salvador,.byhelp-.
ing the insurgents there -the guerril-
las - and they violated that promise.
And they are still violating it.
And anything that we are doing in.
that area is simply trying to interdict
the supply lines,. which are supplying
the guerrillas in'El Salvador. But the
picture today is. that Nicaragua, with
its protests that somehow someone is .
trying to overthrow them - it, as a
revolutionary Government, is trying
to overthrow the Government of a
neighboring country, El Salvador,
which was a duly-elected Govern-
ment, and which is going to hold an-,
other election before this year is out.
Boland Statement
Q. But Mr. President, what is the
American public to think if Congress.
man Boland, who as you know is
chairman of the House Intelligence
Con.:r4ittee, says there's very strong
evidence that we are violating the
law? How do we clear this with the
American people? Don't they have a
reason, if a Congressman is saying
that we're violating the law. . .
A. Well, maybe some of you people
misled him.
Access to Intelligence
may I remind you that the inaugura-
tion of the 'revolutionary government,
= present and a representative of the
Soviet Union and both of them openly
hailed Nicaragua as the first Commu-
nist country on the' mainland of the
Western Hemisphere. .:. - .
No Justification in Wishes
_Q. Mr. President, considering what
you've just said about Nicaragua and
your past statements. about how it is a
staging area there - doesn't the
United States want that Government
replaced? And 'is there anything that
you feel that we should be doing within
the law to have that Government in
Nicaragua replaced : with 'a demo-
cratic one?
A. We, of course, as I said - any-
thing that we are doing is aimed at in-
terdicting these supply lines and stop.
ping this effort to overthrow the El
Salvador Government. But what I
might personally wish, or what our
Government might wish, still would
not justify us violating the law of the
land.
Q. You're not doing anything to
.overthrow the Government there?
A. No, because that would be violat-
ing the law.
Jobs in Pittsburgh
Q. Mr. President, you were success-
ful in your efforts to get a job for Ron
Bricker, the bold young man from
Pittsburgh who gave you his resume
- I understand a lot of other unem-
ployed steel workers are now flooding
the White House with requests for
help. Are you planning to help get jobs
for these other people, too?
A. I haven't seen any of those
for the purpose of overthrowing the
Nicaraguan Government?
A. We are not doing anything to try
and overthrow the Nicaraguan Gov-
ernment. As a matter of fact, let's put
that in perspective for a moment.
Nicaragua. today : has created the
biggest military force in all of Central
America and large parts of South
America an army of some 25,000
backed by a militia of 50,000 armed
with Soviet weapons that consist of
heavy-duty tanks, an air force, heli-
copter gunships, fighter planes,
bombers and so forth, heavy artillery
and a few'thousand Moskito Indians
and guerrillas. I don't think it's rea-
sonable to asszrme that that kind of a
force coulc :'t nurse any ambitions
that they can overthrow that Govern-
ment with thaw great military force.
And I think that people should under-
stand some of these things and ask
themselves what is the need for them
having the biggest army in all of the
region.
We are cooperating with the other
Central American countries in the re-
gion to try and bring democracy and
peace to Central. America.
accosted me and handed me . his
resume and asked me would I show it
to anyone if I had the opportunity -
that be-was seeking work. And I said,
yes, I would. I did. He's got a job. Now
I didn't e:tpect that all of the unem-
ployed were suddenly going to ask me
to be the-employment agency, individ-
ually, forthem - I think that would be
impossible.
But at. any time that I can be in any
way of help in lining someone up with .
an employer who's looking for an em-
ployee, of course I'd do it, because I
think It's a problem on all our minds,
and I think-this digresses from your
question - but I think we ought to
recognize that throughout this coun-
try, radio and TV stations that have
held job-a-thons have been successful
in getting thousands of people put
back to work. There are local groups
and committees, including, right
there in Pittsburgh, that are doing the
same thing in an effort to help stimu-
late and move faster, and they have to
do It on the basis of individuals, and
we, of course, in our own legislation
with the so-called jobs bill, are doing
our part here at the government level.
But the main way they're going to go
back to work is going to be with the
recovery of the economy. Now, Bill? I
just recognized Bill.
Legislative Restrictions
Q. Thank you so much. Let me ask
you this, sir- do the War Powers Act
and the Boland Amendment unduly
restrict your authority as the Chief
Executive and would you like to see
something done about it?
A. Helen, I should have listened to
you. I think any legislation which re-
stricts the relation or is - confines it-
self to the relationship of a single
STAT
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