COVERT UNITA AID OPPOSED ON HILL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00443R000502200003-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 10, 2011
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 28, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/01/10: CIA-RDP88B00443R000502200003-3
Office of Current Production and Analytic Support
CIA Operations Center
News Bulletin : The Washington Post, Front Page
28 January 1986
Item No. 1
Covert UNITA Aid Opposed -on HiR
Intelligence Panel Chairmen Say Any Such Help Should Be Open
By David B. Ottaway
w I rn tm Past staff writer
the Total Independence of Angola
(UNITA) beaded by Jonas Savimbi,
who arrives in Washington today
for an intensive two-week lobbying
campaign for U.S. support.
Durenberger said in an interview
yesterday that he felt "fairly strong-
ly" that any U.S. aid to UNITA
"ought to be overt" and approved by
Congress. He said he is pressing
the administration "to go' that
route.*
That sentiment was echoed by
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), rank-
ing minority member of the Senate
intelligence committee, who said,
"If we're going to get involved in
these kinds of activities, then we
ought to do it overtly, not covertly."
Hamilton concurred, saying that
such "a major policy decision" re-
quires full congressional debate and
approval.
That resistance from senior con-
gressional leadership is likely to
make the administration's pursuit of
covert aid for UNITA more diffi-
cult. The administration has sub-
mitted to the intelligence commit-
tees a proposal for an initial $10
million to $15 million in covert mil-
itary and other assistance to
Savimbi.'Yesterday, White House
deputy press spokesman Edward P.
Djerejian suggested that the admin-
istration still favofs the covert ap-
proach.
Although the administration
would welcome an expression of
public support from Congress for
The chairmen of the Senate and
House intelligence committees have
decided to oppose covert military
assistance to noncommunist forces
fighting in Angola and are urging
the Reagan administration instead
to seek to convince Congress of the
need for an open assistance pro-
gram.
The bipartisan advice from Sen.
David F. Durenberger (R-Minn.),
chairman of the Senate Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence, and his
counterpart in the House, Rep. Lee
H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), came as the
administration indicated yesterday
that it still prefers a new covert-aid
program to the National Union for
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Savimbi; he said, "what we in the
administration have in mind clearly
is more than just moral support for
UNITA.!
'rhe administration is seeking all
appropriate support for UNITA
.which will be effective. We are
working with Congress toward this
end," be said.
State. Department spokesman
Bernard Kalb, signaling White
House opposition to congressional
proposals for up to $50 million in
open U.S. aid to Savimbi in his dec-
ade-long fight against the Marxist
regime in Angola, said the admin-
istriplion "does not belie v that leg-
islation mandating aid to UNITA
would be an effective way to pro-
reed."
A senior White House official said
yesterday that Reagan. intends to
publicly embrace' the goals of
Savimbi during his visit. "Then
you've created a measure of public
pressure on yourself not to stand
aside and let things go undee" when
Savimbi may be involved in more
intense fighting later this year, the
official said.
Underlying opposition to covert
aid is congressional unease over the
expanding role of the Central Intel-
ligence Agency in open-ended guer-
rilla wars against Soviet- and
Cuban-backed regimes. Many mem-
bers of Congress question-whether
such activities are appro#iate for
the CIA. They also voice concern
that resources and energy will be'
diverted from the agency's primary
task of gathering and evaluating
intelligence.
. Reflecting on the congressional
concern, Hamilton said, "If you
want to provide money to Savimbi,
you ought to make the request to
Congress and have an open debate.
It's an important significant depar-
ture with great ramifications [for
the United States] beyond Savimbi
and Angola.
"That kind of decision ought not
to be submitted to a few members
of Congress who do not have the
power to disapprove," he added,
referring to his committee's legal
inability to stop CIA operations. .
Leahy and Hamilton limited their
comments to their feelings about
how Congress should deal with the
issue in general and avoided discus.
sion of the administration's proposal
now before their committees. Leahy
said he had no position yet on
whether the United States should
'give any aid to Savimbi. -
Some Republican members of the
Senate intelligence committee now
appear to favor the approach
spelled out in a resolution sub-
mitted Dec. 10 by Senate Majority
'Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) and
five cosponsors, including. Duren-
berger, that would make U.S. aid
for UNITA and possible
sanctions against Angola later- this
year dependent upon the Angolan -
government's policies.
If Angola's Marxist leadership
refuses to engage in "good-faith
negotiations". with UNITA and con-
tinues preparations for a new mil-
itary offensive against Savimbi, the
resolution said, "tbm the Senate
would support the provision early in
1986 ,of material assistance. to..
UNITA and would impose economic
sanctions against those sectors of
the Angolan economy which pro-
vide resources to support the
Cuban troop presence:"
The latter refers to Angolan oil
exports, which mostly go the Unit-
ed States. The United States, with
$1.1 billion in 1984, was Angola's
largest trading partner.
REP. LEE H. HiMA.TON
...'you ought to ba`i open debate"
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