LEGISLATORS SEEK TO BAR ANGOLA AID

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302630018-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2012
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: November 26, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/25: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302630018-2
ARTICLE APPElp
ON PAGE ri
NEW YORK TIMES
26 November 1985
LEGISLATORS SEEK
TO BAR ANGOLA AID
By BAELIA_SInfileaRD WE
Special to The New York Timm
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 ? A group
of 101 members of Congress urged
President Reagan today not to provide
covert aid to the rebels fighting against
the Marxist Government in Angola.
The members of Congress made the
request in a letter to the President. A
copy of the letter was made public by
Representative Howard Wolpe, Demo-
crat of Michigan and chairman of the,
Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Af-
rica.
Representative Wolpe also made
public copies of letters from the Organ-
ization of African Unity to Mr. Reagan
and leaders of Congress expressing
concern about reports of imminent
American aid to the rebel forces.
Mr. Wolpe has been in the forefront
of congressional efforts to prevent the
Provision of aid either openly through
congressional financing, or secretly
? the Central Infilligence Agen-
cy, to forces ol Jonas sAvimoi. me
leader of The rebel -group. which is
known as Unita.
On Friday Mr. Reagan said the Ad-
ministration favored providing covert
aid to the Savimbi forces and still op-
posed bills pending in Congress that
would give them open aid worth $27
million in humanitarian assistance and
$27 million in military -aid.
Today Larry Speakes, the White
House spokesman, said no final deci-
sions had been made on a specific cov-
ert plan, but he confirmed that Mr.
Reagan preferred covert aid.
The Angolan rebels have received
most of their support from the South
African Government. The Angolan
Government receives aid from the
Soviet Union, Cuba and other Soviet-
bloc nations. There are some 30,000
Cuban soldiers in Angola.
The letter signed by the members of
Congresssaid that any American in- ,
volvement in the Angolan conflict '
"whether direct or indirect, covert or
overt, would damage our relations with
governments throughout Africa and
undermine fundamental U.S. policy ob-
jectives in southern Africa."
The Representative also distributed
a letter from David Rockefeller, the re-
tired chairman of the Chase Manhattan
Bank. In the letter; Mr. Rockefeller
said American mediation efforts still
had a chance to produce a political set-
tlement in southern Africa, but that
any aid to the rebels before the talks
had run their course "would promote a
more confrontational and more direct
involvement by the United States in the
complex nexus of southern Africa."
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/25: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302630018-2