U.S.-SALVADORAN TIES CALLED STRAINED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201830034-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2012
• Sequence Number: 34
• Publication Date: October 21, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/29: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201830034-4
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CN F GE _- 21 October 1986
U.S.-Salvadoran Ties Called Strained
By STEPHEN ENGELBERG
Specf*I to The New York Time
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 - Public dis-
closures about El Salvador's involve-
ment in supplying arms to the Nicara-
guan rebels have strained relations be-
tween the United States and the Salva-
doran Government and jeopardized fu-
ture efforts to aid the rebels, according
to officials of both countries.
El Salvador is one of several coun-
tries in Central America that have
been helping the rebels. American offi-
cials said that effort had been expected
to continue as the Administration
gears up to deliver $100 million in mili-
tary and nonlethal aid to the rebels.
But Salvadoran and American offi-
cials said El Salvador's help to the
rebels was likely to be curtailed, at
least temporarily. Several officials
said, however, that El Salvador's
hea de ndence on American eco-
nomic and military aid would eventu-
ally force it to resume covert support
of the contras.
e Issue s significant because the
contras, as the rebels are known, have
depended on third countries such as El
Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras to
provide bases, supply lines and air-
fields. Recently, Costa Rica has said it
is unwilling to provide support, and the
contras have relied largely on Hon-
duras.
The extent of El Salvador's role in
helping the rebels became public sev-
eral weeks ago when a C-123 cargo
plane was shot down over Nicaragua.
Its surviving crew member, Eugene
Hasenfus, was brought before report-
ers in Managua and said the flight was
part of a major operation out of El Sal-
vador's Ilopango air base. Mr. Hasen-
fus said a Cuban-American he knew as
Max Gomez coordinated the eff rt.
After Mr. Gomez was reported be
linked to Vice President Bush's o fice,
the Vice President's staff told report-
ers that Mr. Gomez worked for the Sal-
vadoran Air Force on counterinsur-
gency matters.
El Salvador's President, Jose
Napoleon Duarte, had previously said
that he did not know of the operation at
llopango or of Mr. Gomez. He has con-
tinued to deny any connection between
the supply network and his Govern-
ment. A senior Salvadoran official said
that Mr. Bush's statements had put Mr.
Duarte in an awkward position.
"Obviously, it's a credibility problem
for Duarte, to say the least," an Admin-
istraton official said. "He's saying one
thing, we're saying another."
'They Up the Ante'
This official said that El Salvador
would eventually resume its covert
support, although it might demand
more aid or concessions from the
United States in return. "The usual
thing in situations like this is they up
the ante," this official said. He noted
that El Salvador receives a great deal
of American aid and would need even
more to repair damage from recent
earthquake.
"Salvador has got too much riding on.
this," the official said.
The issue of Salvadoran support for
the Nicaraguan rebels is particularly
sensitive because Mr. Duarte has been
pushing hard for several years to end
what he says is Nicaraguan support for
rebels trying to topple his Government.
A high-ranking Salvadoran military
official said recently: "It isn't conven-
ient for our country to be helping the
contras. We have already said our
country is not intervening in the affairs
of Nicaragua."
'Duarte will stop this," the official
predicted.
An Administration official contended
that the Congressional decision to re-
sume aid to the contras would dispel
doubts among the Salvadorans. Reti-'
cence to support the contras, he said,
was caused in part by uncertainty over
whether the United States was really
committed to supporting the Nicara-
guan rebels. "Once the program gets
rolling," he said, "I really doubt that
this will be a lingering problem."
The publicized link between the sup-
ply operation and the Salvadoran mili-
tary has encouraged some Salvadoran
officials who oppose the aid to provide
embarrassing information to news or-
ganizations. For example, Salvadoran
officials gave United Press Interna-
tional the phone records of three of the
"safe houses" used by the rebel supply
network in El Salvador.
The records, U.P.I. said, showed tele-,
phone calls to the home and office of
Maj. Gen. Richard. V. Secord, retired.
General Secord has been described by
some sources familiar with contra ac-
tivities as an intermediary between
American Government officials and
the contras.
Elliott Abrams, the Assistant Secre-
tary for Inter-American Affairs, would
not comment on allegations of third-
country involvement. But he said gen-
erally in a recent interview that Nica-
raguan accusations against El Salva-
dor, Honduras and Costa Rica had em-
barrassed those countries.
Mr. Hasenfus. the survivin crew
member o the downed car o y ane,
sat he believed Mr. Gomez was
working for the Central Intelligence
Agency. American officials have. em-
haticall denied and
mem rs of the House and Senate in
telli ence comma have said the
are satisfied with that assertion.
Hasenfus went on trial toda in
Nicaragua, and the proceedings were
immediately assailed by senior Amer-
ican spokesmen.
"The so-called People's Tribunal is
nothing more than a show trial, Soviet-
style, and the conviction rates of these
tribunals has been virtually 100 per-
cent," Larry Speakes, the chief White
House spokesman, said.
Mr. Speakes said American Em-
bassy officials had been allowed only
brief access to Mr. Hasenfus
In a news conference and a television
interview broadcast Sunday nig- t, r.
Hasenfus contended that he believed he
was working for the C.I.A.
Secretary of State George P. Shultz,
appearing on the NBC News program
"Today," denied that charge and said,
"Don't forget that this man is under ar-
rest and is saying things under those
conditions."
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/29: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201830034-4