CISPES' STRATEGY IS LIES, DECEPTION FOR SALVADORAN LEFT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100210027-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: April 11, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
/'-
WASHINGTON TIMES
11 April 1985
pie." - April 1985 edition of "Alert" CISPES' monthly publication.
CISPES' strategy
eception
d
~s lies, for left
Salvadoran.
tee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador
"The Commit
(CISPES) seeks to educate and mobilize public opinion against, U.S.
intervention in El Salvador and Central America and in solidarity with
the FMLN-FDR, the legitimate representative of the Salvadoran peo-
m By Bill Outlaw
wu-.*+OTON TIMES
In "The Network" of organiza-
tions that are engaged in a massive
effort to turn opinion against U.S.
policies toward Central America,
. CISPES is one of the more active and.
visible.
"CISPES has launched a national
grass-roots canvassing effort to
reach hundreds of thousands of peo-
ple in their communities and bring,
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CI
that
more than 300 local chapters and
affiliates, with seven regional
offices.
Each local chapter "includes a
series of outreach groups oriented
toward the religious community,
organized labor, schools, and other
community groups and organiza-
tions;' a CISPES brochure distrib-
uted in 1984 states.
CISPES literature further states
that it "lobbies Congress, coordi-
nates protest efforts, and conducts
humanitarian aid campaigns"
,CISPES activities include fund-
raising and legislative campaigns,
educational and outreach programs,
and mass mobilizations, conducted
on national, regional and local grass-
roots levels;' according to Alert.
CISPES has taken part in or has
? helped organize many of the major
protest demonstrations in the
United States over the past few
years. Its most recent efforts will be
seen in the upcoming "Four Days In
.April" 'protest in Washington
scheduled for April 19-22. ? -
According toe CISPES document
,,entitled, "CISPES Structure and'
:Funding" other major activities in
:which the group has organized or
participated in include:.. ? A "massive demonstration" in
i Washington on March 27, 198Z that
,,;was timed to coincide with "the US. -torchestrated elections" in El Salva
dor.
i? ? A ..people-to-people" aid drive to .
provide medical: assistance-" to
Salvadorans "living in the FMLN
FDR zones of control. Through hun-
dreds of grass-roots fund-raising
activities, CISPES committees
raised more than 5150,000, surpass.
ing the goal of the campaign."
? "Highly visible protest actions
including civil disobedience" at Fort
Berating, Ga., and Fort Bragg, N.C.,
where Salvadoran troops were being
trained by U Ssoldiers.
rally State Department
toprotesttlte'"presidential c ertifica-
tion amid growing human rights vio-
lations in El' Salvador"..
? A 4, protest'-at the . Honduran
embassy'-and' consulates in major
Cities to oppose"Honduran interven
tion in El Salvador and the growing
use of Honduras as a base of US.
directed military operations in the
region" :r. ,.
CISPES and some other solidarity
many new people into active opposi-
tion" according to a CISPES report..
But CISPES appears to .be much'
more than just another "grass-
roots" organization disagreeing
with specific administration poll- .
cias. :~ , .. R
Documents obtained by - The
TARGET:
Reagan's Central.
American Policy;
"STOP U.S. MILITARY INTER-
VENTION IN. CENTRAL
AMERICA," reads a headline on the
front page of CISPES' April issue of
Alert. "Support human freedom and
dignity by also ending intervention
in the Caribbean, Middle East, Asia,
the-Pacific and Europe."
Administration officials' and
observers of the group say CISPES
is the largest and most effective of
the solidarity organizations, which
Network in Solidarity with the Peo-
ple of Central America.. - .
Solidarity groups exist for other
.regions as well, such as for the peo-
ple of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
CISPES offices in Washington are
located on the seventh floor at 930 F.
St. NW, next to the office for the Gua-
temalan solidarity group. The Nica-
raguan solidarity group used to be
located there, but they have moved
to a nearby location on I Street NW-
Observers of the ' organizations
report that they often appear
together at protests and demonstra-
CISPES 'officials havi~ denied the d tions. However, there is no specific
' allegations: .: ~? .. evidence to link these groups.
,= :Ati'intC jral coniponeit4 of CISPES
activity is to counter Reagan admin-
i's`tratiori policies' in.. Central
America' ~. _ .::.:
in El Salvador and elsewhere in Cen-;
tral America. "`.
Moreover, documents indicat.8=
that CISPES was itself a creation of:
the FMLN-FDR and was, . among
other things, designed to generate
support for guerrilla activity in El
Salvador among members of the
.US.* Congress and the American
public:'. .
ashington
CISPES organizers in..
-did not return several. telephone
calla from. The Times for cx mmment.
n... ~....L~.::.,......Me that
Washington Times and CISPES' own " include the National. Network in
- i - . Solidarity with the People of Nicara-
publications reveal that the organ-- . gua, the Network in Solidarity with
ization openly supports the Marxist the People of Guatemala and the
groups have also promoted letter'.
writing campaigns about U.S. policy
to members of Congress and toUS.
officials in other parts of the world,
according to CISPES literature and
other sources. .
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