CAPTIVE REPORTED TO SAY HE FLEW FROM SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403790023-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: October 8, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403790023-7
ARTICLE APPEMM
ON PAGE NEW YORK TIMES
8 October 1986
!Captive Reported to Say He
Flew From Salvador
By JAMES L.MOYNE But rebel supply planes have been
SpecWl to TM Now Yak Tma based in El Salvador over the last three,
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Oct. 7 - An years, according to rebel and Amer
American captured by the Nicaraguan scan officials. At least one rebel plane
Army is said to have told reporters to- crashed in El Salvador late last year
day that he was flying aboard a Nicara- and another nearly crashed, according
guan rebel supply plane that took off to these officials.
from El Salvador. The downing of the plane is being
The American, identified as Eugene treated as a major political event here,
Hasenfus, spoke to reporters who covering the front pages of the Govern-
reached the remote jungle site in mentcontrolled press and cited by offi-
southern Nicaragua where the plane cials as proof of the American threat to
crashed. Nicaragua.
Despite American denials, Nicara- Heavy rain and cloud cover pre-
guan officials continued to charge to- vented journalists from traveling to
day that the plane, identified as a C-123, the crash site for most of the day. But
was operated by the Central Intelli- television teams reached the site late
gene Agency to supply Nicaraguan this afternoon on a helicopter provided
rebels. They said Mr. Hasenfus had by the Government and filmed the
identified himself as an American mils- wreckage. The Government showed
tary adviser in El Salvador. them military supplies reportedly car-
"This is part of an aggressive escala- 1 Tied on the plane.
lion of the United states against Nica-
ragua," Angela Saballos, a Foreign
Ministry spokesman, said.
C.I.A. Promises Reported
American officials said the plane
was in fact operated by a private group
of American supporters of the Nicara-
guan rebels. A spokesman for the
United States Embassy in El Salvador,
said there was no American military
adviser there called Hasenfus.
Nicaraguan rebel officials said re-
cently that the C.I.A. had promised sup-
plies to their forces in the region where
the plane crashed and that they had
been delivered, though they did not
specify who actually made the de-
livery.
The plane crash comes at a sensitive
moment as Congress is expected to re-
lease $100 million in new aid to the
rebels after months of emotional de-
bate.
The Nicaraguan Government said it
captured Mr. Hasenfus and killed three
people when its troops shot down a
military supply plans dropping bullets,
boots and rifles on Sunday.
The Associated Press said Mr. Ha-
senfus had told reporters at the crash
site, near the Costa Rican border, that
two Americans and a Nicaraguan on
board were killed in the crash. Nicara-
guan Army officers accompanying Mr.
Hasenfus Identified the Americans as
Wallace Blaine Sawger Jr. and Bill
Cooper, the agency said.
American Embassy officials in
Managua have not commented on the
Nicaraguan claims but say they asked
twice today to on the prisoner and to
view the bodies of the three crew mem-
.bers reportedly killed.
Salvadoran Government officials
have refused to comment publicly an
reports that the plane may have been
operating from the llopango military
airport outside San Salvador.
U.S. Backs Two-Front War
The location of the crash, about 30
miles north of the Costa Rican border
in Rio San Juan Department, supports
Nicaraguan charges that the plane was
dropping supplies to guerrillas.
Such supply flights, usually originat-
ing in Honduras or El Salvador, ac-
cording to rebel officials, have recently
taken on added importance as the Rea-
gan Administration has begun again to
support a two-front rebel war against
Nicaragua.
According to rebel officials, supply
flights have been stepped up to guer-
rilla units based near the Costa Rican
border as well as to the Honduras-
based rebel patrols farther to the
north.
Because the new Costa Rican Gov-
ernment has closed several rebel air-
strips in Costa Rica and cracked down
on rebel operations there, supplies
must be flown from more distant air-
fields in Honduras and El Salvador, the
rebel sources said.
The Central Intelligence Agency has
been working especially hard in recent
months to supply the guerrilla units,
estimated at perhaps 1,000 men, that
operate near the Costa Rican border,
according to three senior rebel offi-
cials'
These units used to support Eden
Pastora Gdmez, a rebel leader who has
retired from the battle. But they Joined
the American-backed United Nicara-
guan Opposition rebel organization
after the C.I.A. reportedly promised at
least two planeloads of supplies five .
months ago, senior rebel officials say.
The supplies were ddlvered, the offi-
cials say.
It is not clear if the C.I.A. itself de-
livered them or only promised that
they would be delivered, allowing other
groups to make the supply drop.
But it seems unlikely that the Salva-
doran or Honduran Governments
would allow private American sympa-
thizers of the Nicaraguan rebels to
warehouse and ship thousands of
pounds of rifles, bullets and other
equipment to the Nicaraguan guerril-
las without at least the tacit support of
American officials.
The NN Yak TnwS/Oct S. HM
Nicaragua said rebel supply plane
crashed north of San Carlos.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403790023-7