HAIG DENIES ADMINISTRATION WOULD SUPPORT COUP IN EL SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302450050-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: March 5, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302450050-6 STAT
Aiqq.AiNk
J3 PAGA412.1_
al enies
?
uppor
e
? B5',- John M. Goshko
Washington Post Staff Writer
Secretary 'of ; State, Alexander.lvL
Haig Jr.yesterday denied vehemently
that the Reagan administration would'
support a right-wing military coup in
El Salvador, and warned that such a.
' move Could have serious -consequences'
? for continued U.S.- support of the, gov-
ernment there.
Haige comments were part of a'
strong and concerted administration:
effort to deny statements made Tues-
day in El Salvador by a former Salva-,
dorin intelligence officer, Maj. Robert,
D'Aubisson, who s' said his contacts
with Reagan administration officials,
had convinced him that they wouldi.
not object to a coup. ,
, After a foreign policy briefing for!
the Senate, Haig told reporters: ?
, "I want to emphasize that this does
not represent U.S. policy hr any way.
It is counter to the policy we have
been implementing and pursuing in El
Salvador, and such an outcome would
have serious consequences for our
ability to continue to , pursue those
policies." '
Among Reagan-administration Offi-
ciak with whom D"Aubisson said he
had unspecified meetings was Rogerr
Fontaine, now Latin American affairs
specialist on the National Security+
Council staff. Haig said Fontaine's last
,ineeting with 'D'Aubisson took -place
more than ayear before Presideritl
'Reagan assumed office
At the White House;press secretary:,
'James S. Brady said, "Roger Fontaine.'
;has . authorized us: to say the- state,-
ments made . by the 'major regarding!,
his views on the Salvadoran govem-r,t;
rnent are pure fiction. He said that he'
never stated or. -iinplied anything ,4
the sort to anyone, anywhere, at any
time, categorically,:, denying the major'S
_claim." 7C:r
. Net anotlier'ileniarcaMS frnin State
Department r. spokesman :;
Dyess, who said, 'There is nothing the! ,
president has 'said, the secretary ofj
.0tritc hoc said, publicly or privately, or+,
any official .of, this government has
`said that would-Warrant reaching thatj';
[17. Aubisson's]
nakili *WA., ke ? m
THE WASHINGTON POST
5 March 1981
?
ministrati?nWouJ
in I Salva or
Dyess did raise eyebrows emong re-i
porters at the State Department daily'
briefing when he refused to reply
rectly to questions about whether- thep:
United States would oppose a coup.i.
While saying that the United States is.;
opposed in principle to military take4,
overs he insisted that his answert:
'should not be applied to "any particu-1
lar situation.'
?-.'?The administration has become in.J
? ,creashigly sensitive to suggestions thati,
vi6Ws. the Salvadoran civil way pri-i
=wily in terms of the East-West con
-
filet, and that its zeal in combating
coranninist-bloc support for Salvador-
an leftist insurgents is greater than ite
concerniabout the excesses of the ex-
treme rightist _factions in that conflict
During.recent days, the administra-
tion has increased significantly its ef-
forts to assure Congress, the American
public and foreign governments that it
supports democratic reform in El Sal-
vador: ? '
The administration also has de-
fended ihe civilian-military govern-
ment headed by President Jose Napo-
leon Duarte, a Christian Democrat,
against charges that it is a captive of,
the right, contending that Washington
considers the' government to be cen-
trist and reformist ' .
Despite these assurances; an un-
dertone:of skepticism and nervousness
has been evident in Congress, espe-
cially since Monday, when the admin-
istietion, annotmced that it is sending
20 additional U.S. military advisers
and $25 million in new military aid to
help the Salvadoran government com-
bat the guerrillas. , ?
However, the concern on -
Hill centered on comparisons with
the US.. involvement in Vietnam and
perceptions that Washington is back-
ing, a government with no popular,
? support does not seem to be trans._
latmg into any senous moveto oppose'
-administration policy. ?
? :Congressional sources' said yesterday -
? that ,most members of Congress ap-T1
pear reluctant to challenge the admin..
istration too vocally. inhibiting them,
the sources. said, are such factors as
the administration's success in por-
traying the- Salvadoran guerrilla move-
ment asCommtmist-supported and
? ,
the desire of Republicans, who CiOyitrOl
the Senate; to maintain a loya1ist,posk:,1
? *.i??= : ?
As one.,source rioted,,,Evezi the_
Democratic "side,. .there's a cleer.
dency to, be tigers when they have ,
Haig or -Sortie ., other officials - hi a-:
closed committee' hearing and:. then!,
turn into pussycats when theY'rt ;
in public." ,,.: . ?
In the Democratic-controlled :Houser"
those members who could be Called" a:
hard-core' bloc .-of opposition tol the
Salvadoran policy _number only abct
One, Rep. Richard- L Ottinger (1-s. -
N.Y.), yesterday 'challenged th&
ministration's contention that the .;War
Powers Act does not apply to its; dis;
patch of .advisers to El Salvador -by
introducing' a -resolution calling' on
Reagan to comply with the act by re-.
porting formally, to Congress on hi.
actions. - :?1 ?
: '.." ?
In the the Senate,' criticism of the ad::
ministration has been even more mut:'
ed, although two Democratic merriheff-
of the Foreign Relations Coniznittee,,
John Glenn (Ohio) and Alan Cianstmf?
(Calif.), have shown signs of becori4k,
potential point' menfor i possibleop,
feneive against the Peht-Y.,
So tar,' the sources said,- their: ana:,
other Senate, critics are relatively
late& But, the sources added,
'U.S. military' involvement in El-
vador should increase, Glenn..caridi,.
Cranston could be the nucleui Of
movement that could bring the -airci,-;?
mitt,ee's other Democrats into Ari)ex.c,
support of their position.,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302450050-6