HOUSE UNIT VOTES AGAINST MORE AID FOR EL SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000202230066-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 66
• Publication Date: April 13, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/12/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000202230066-2
!~' ? I C' RR .. . q
ROUSE UNIT VOTES
AGAINST MORE AID
I;E 10Rx TIMES
13 ARIL 1983
Meanwhile, Senator Barry Goldwa-
ter, Republican of Arizona, chairman of
the Senate Intelligence Committee,
said today, after his committee was
briefed by William J. Casey, Director of
Central Intelligence, that he was con-
FOR EL SALVADOR vinced the C.I.A. was not violating "the
letter or the spirit" of legislation n bar-
ring the agency from trying to over-
throw the Sandinist Government in
Nicaragua.
A SETBACK FOR PRESIDENT Operating Within the Law
Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
Also Sets Limit on Help to
Anti-Sandinist Rebels
Br MARTIN TOLCHIN
Special to TDe New York Times
WASHINGTON, April 12 - A House
Foreign Affairs subcommittee dealt a
blow to Administration policies on Latin
Amen-ca today, voting to reject a re-
quest for additional military funds for
El Salvador and to prohibit United
States aid to Nicaraguan rebels in the
1 absence of a joint resolution of Con-
1 gress.
In a spirited session punctuated by a
series of voice votes along party lines,
the group rejected President Reagan's
supplemental request for S50 million in
military aid for El Salvador; reduced
from ?85.3 million to S50 million the
military aid request for fiscal 1984 and
1985, and voted to make United States
aid conditional on further assurances
,that American advisers be limited to 55
and that Salvadoran democratic proce-
dures be strengthened.
The subcommittee also adopted a
proposal to prohibit any United States
aid to Nicaraguan rebels "directly or
indirectly" unless specifically re-
quested by the President and approved
by both houses of Congress. The meas.
ures now go to the full committee.
Majority Said to Approve
Representative Michael D. Barnes,
Democrat of Maryland and chairman of
the Western Hemisphere Affairs sub.
committee, said repeatedly that the as
tions reflected the views of a majority
of the Congress. ,
But Representative Benry.,J Hyde,
Republican of.Illinois, said that in a sin-
gle day "we have rendered vulnerable
the democratically elected Government
of El Salvador and protected the Marx-
ist Government of Nicaragua,"
"There has been a good deal of confu-
sion and misinterpretation in the press
recently regarding the issue of whether
the C.I.A. is operating within the con-
strains of the law," Mr. Goldwater said
in a statement. "I am convinced that no
such activities are being undertaken by
the United States Government for the
purpose of overthrowing the Govern-
ment of Nicaragua or for provoking a
military exchange between Nicaragua
and Honduras."
In other developments, Thomas 0.
Enders, Assistant Secretary of State for
Inter-American Affairs, told the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee that the
United States had warned the Soviet
Irian and Cuba against sending ad-
fighter aircraft to Nicaragua.
ie said the Administration had notified
-'Teow and Havana that "a serious
1c -tion" would develop if they in-
i eased their military assistance to
Nicaragua with the introduction of the
fighter aircraft or Cuban combat
^rps.
.attending the House subcommittee
n, James H. Michel, Deputy:
1;.sistant Secretary of State for Inter-
n can Affairs, declined to give as-
u_ralnces that the Administration was
.Fading by the charter of the Organza-
of American States, which prohib-
intervention to undermine the gov-
erruent of a member state.
PMM-. Michel insisted that "the inteI.,
gence committees are the appropria
f arum" for a discussion of the United
States role in Nicaragua. But he added
ought to be freedom. It ought to provide
a glimmer of hope to people in prisons
n Cuba and Poland, to the Vietnam
at people, to the people fighting with'
?icks and stones in Afghanistan."
tMeanwhile. addressing the Senate
ammittee, Mr. Enders said that "it is
--nceivable that Cuba or the Soviet
:pion could be tempted to escalate the
c:.r~lict" in Nicaragua by "introducing
-r.dern fighter aircraft or even Cuban
combat troops."
"Clearly a dengerous situation would
tlrcn develop," he said, "unacceptable,
not only to Central America but to the
American nations as a whole. We have
communicated to Moscow and Havana
how dangerous sucba move would be."
Sandinists Are Criticized
In the past the Reagan Administra-
tion has reported that Nicaragua, with
Soviet and Cuban assistance, was im-
roving and extending airfields to ac-
commodate advanced Soviet fighter
planes. The Administration has also
raid that Nicaraguan pilots were re-
ceiving advanced training in Bulgaria
rld Cuba.
his testimony, which focused on
i caragua, Mr. Enders sharply criti-
z~ i the Sandinist Government for
-: i:at he said was its failure to pursue
negotiating proposals: made by the
United States and other Central Ameri.
can nations.
Charging that Nicaragua has re-
jected four different attempts to ar-
range negotiations about regional con-
flicts, Mr. Enders said, "The Sandinis-
tas have made their contempt for genu-
ine dialogue - for real negotiations -
quite clear."
Mr. Enders also defended anti-Gov.
? ernment forces in Nicaragua, saying
they enjoyed broad-based support
within Nicaragua. While refusing to
comment on whether the United states
had provided covert support to the
rebels, Mr. Enders said the anti-Gov-
ernment forces "are Nicaraguans to
the core."
Mr. Enders also provided the com-
mittee with new information about
arms shipmentst that the Administ a.
ilat "the United States is not acting in
voiation of U.S. law, to the best of my
knowledge.
Operations Called Illegal
T Representative Gerry E. Studds,
Democrat of Massachusetts, replied,
"The O.A.S. charter is a .treaty and is
the law of the land.
"The covert operations are about as
covert as this markup session," he said,
adding, "In addition to being illegal,
inept and unnecessary, it's doomed to
failure."
Mr. Studds said that such operations
were doomed "because they were out of
character for the American people."
But Mr. Hyde countered;
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/12/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000202230066-2