BRIEFING OF REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT TORRICELLI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R001601990068-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 24, 2008
• Sequence Number: 68
• Publication Date: November 26, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

CONFIDENTIALI
Approved For Release 2008/10/24: CIA-RDP90B01370R001601990068-2
26 November 1984
SUBJECT: Briefing of Representative Robert Torricelli
1. ALA/SAD/E analyst) land I, accompanied by lof
the Office of Legislative L'aison, briefed Representative Torrice i in his
Capitol Hill office at 1400 hours on 21 November. Mr. Torricelli, a member of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was preparing to travel to Uruguay to
observe the national elections there on 25 November. He was the lone
Congressional member of an observer team sponsored by the Washington Office on
Latin America (WOLA), a private human rights organization.
2. At the outset of tl?e briefing, a member of Mr. Torricelli's staff
sought to join us. We gently informed him that under the ground rules for
classified briefings, no onE' other than the Congressman could be present. Mr.
Torricelli supported us on this point and the staffer departed.
3. Our briefing and c r responses to Mr. Torricelli's questions ranged
over Uruguayan political and economic history, the background behind the
military regime's decision to restore democratic civilian rule, the election
process, the parties, the candidates, prospects for the future, and
implications for United States interests. Among other things, we indicated
that the apparent front-runrer in the presidential race was Julio Sanguinetti
of the centrist Colorado Party, and that Sanguinetti appeared to be friendly
to the West. The discussion did not touch on any particularly sensitive
4. Just as we were wirding up, a WOLA official, Joe Eldridge, entered
the room and proceeded to give Mr. Torricelli a briefing of his own on
Uruguay. It did not seem either necessary or diplomatic for us to depart at
that point--Mr. Torricelli clearly wanted us to remain--so we sat through Mr.
Eldridge's briefing. We said nothing during this portion of the meeting other
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than to give innocuous (a sified) responses to a couple of questions
that were directed at us.
5. Mr. Torricelli seemed sincerely pleased with and grateful for our
ie ou America East Branch
Office of African and Latin American Analysis
Distribution:
Original - C/SAD/E
1 - D/ALA
1 - C/SAD
1-OLL
1 - SAD/E
25X1 CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2008/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO137OR001601990068-2