CIA SEEKS MORE COVERT AID; HOUSE WEIGHS CUT-OFF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090036-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 36
• Publication Date: July 28, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/24: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090036-4
r l I CLE APPEARED NaPMI HERALD
C'; PACE28 July 1983
CIA seeks more covert aid;
House weighs cut-off
By ALFONSO CHARDY amendments to weaken or preserve the
Herald Washington Bureau bill, as well as on the main legislation
WASHINGTON - The Reagan Admin- known as the Boland-Zablocki bill.
istration is seeking to increase covert CIA "This CIA-sponsored not-so-secret war
aid to rebels fighting Nicaragua's leftist against the government of Nicaragua is
government, even as the House debates a bad United States policy, it is illegal and it
bill intended to cut off all funding for that doesn't work and is counter-productive to
purpose, congressional sources said Wed- , United States interests," charged Rep. Ed-
nesday.
The sources said President Reagan will
soon submit a report to the Senate Intelli-
gence Committee seeking to justify the ex-
pansion of U.S. help for the anti-Sandinista
ward Boland (D., Mass.), chairman of the
House Intelligence Committee and co-au-
thor of the legislation with Rep. Clement
Zablocki (D., Wis.), chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee.
rebels. Boland is also the author of the Boland
The same sources said CIA director Wil- Amendment, passed by the full House
liam Casey told the Senate Appropriations 411-0 last December, which prohibits the
Committee's defense subcommittee in a use of federal funds to overthrow the San-
classified briefing Wednesday that the CIA dinista government in Nicaragua.
will need more money - $30 million in Under the original guidelines governing
fiscal 1984 compared to this year's $19.5 the Nicaragua covert operation, the CIA
million - to finance the larger program. was authorized to finance the anti-Sandi-
The House failed to reach a vote Wed- nista guerrillas simply to intercept arms
nesday after 51/Z hours of debate on shipments from Nicaragua to the leftist
amendments to a Democratic-sponsored guerrillas in El Salvador.
bill that would end covert aid to the Nicar- Rep. C.W.'(Bill) Young (R., Fla.), anoth-
aguan rebels and authorize $80 million in er member of the intelligence panel,
above-board funds to help friendly Central offered an amendment that would allow
American governments halt arms smug- the covert aid to continue until the United
gling to leftist insurgents. States and its allies in Central America ob-
Voting was scheduled today on rival Lain agreement from the Nicaraguan gov-
ernment that it will stop aiding the leftist
guerrillas in El Salvador.
"This covert operation is working," said
Young. "Because of it, the Sandinistas now
appear more willing to negotiate with the
United States, and the leftist insurgency in
El Salvador seems to be winding down
considerably.
Rep. Michael Barnes (D., Md.) chairman
of the House Western Hemisphere Affairs
Subcommittee and a leading critic of Rea-
gan's policies in Central America, offered a
substitute amendment under which the end
of aid would not be conditioned by any
agreement with Nicaragua.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/24: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090036-4