TRANSCRIPT OF PRESIDENT REAGAN'S REMARKS TO NEWS REPORTERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100620041-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 13, 2010
• Sequence Number: 41
• Publication Date: April 15, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100620041-9
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AE' YORK TIl?S
15 APRIL 1983
Transcript of President Reagan-'s
Following is a transcript of President Reagan's statement yesterday in
Washington on the confirmation of Kenneth L. Adelman as head of the Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency, followed by an exchange with reporters, as
recorded by The New York Times: -
OPENING STATEMENT
ward to a reinvigorated Arms Control power by force, but with the promise
and Disarmament Agency that will of democratic elections, none of which
make an important contribution to our have taken place, and all of this was
arm reduction efforts. , under the previous Administration.
I am deeply gratified by the United
States Senate's confirmation today of
Ambassador Kenneth Adelman to be
director of the Arms Control and Dis-
armament Agency. It's my earnest
hope that this positive step will mark
the beginning of a new bipartisan con-
sensus on the vital issue of nuclear
arms reduction. I'm convinced that
Kenneth Adelman will prove that the
confidence which the Senate has ex-
pressed in him today is well-founded.
Under his leadership we can look for-
agreements with the Soviet Union to
reduce the arsenals and the risks of i
war, we will need the advice and sup.
port of the Congress. I'm confident
that with full consultation with Con-
gress and the development of our
arras reduction initiatives, the United
States can continue to be a force for
gen?: ne peace and progress in the
world. And if we're me: with recipro-
cal seriousness of purpose from the
Soviet Union, 1953 can be a year of his-
,or-.c importance in securing a more
solid and stable peace through arms
recuctions, Helen?
Insurgents in Nicaragua
Q. Mr. President, are we directly or
indirectly supplying, arming or train-
ing any insurgents - Nicaraguan in-
surgents? And if so, why?
A. We are complying with the law -
the Boland Amendment, which is the
law - we're complying with that
fully.
Q. Does that mean we are not arm. or supplying any of the dissidents reason paeoCon Don't they have e
ing
saying
along the border - the Honduran bor- that we're viola
tirtg the law. ,
der? A. Well, maybe some of you people
A. I am not going to get into - I misled him.
could not and would not possibly talk
about such things. But may I point out Access to Intelligence
that this whole controversy over Nica?
ragua is ignoring some realities - ; Q. No, but he has aces
that the Nicaraguan Government is a gence information, to Administration
revolutionary Government that took briefings and. .
The previous Administration, how.
ever, did recognise this Government
of Nicaragua, sought to help it with
considerable financial aid and with.
drew that aid long before we were
here when it became apparent that the
Government had become completely
Marxist, had turned away and thrown
out some of the democratic groups
that had supported them and fought
with them in the revolution to bring
democracy to Nicaragua, and were
then no longer a part of the Govern-
ment. But also the cutoff of funds was
because the Nicaraguan Government
had pledged to the United States that
it would not attempt to overthrow any
other governments in Central Amer.
- ica, particularly El Salvador, by help.
QUESTIONS AND ANSkVR5 ing the insurgents there -theguerril-
las - and they violated that promise.
And they are still violating it.
And anything that we are doing in
that area is simply trying to interdict
the supply lines, which are supplying
the guerrillas in El Salvador. But the
picture today is that Nicaragua, with
its protests that somehow someone is
trying to overthrow them - It, as a
revolutionary Government, is trying
to overthrow the Government of a
neighboring country, El Salvador,
which was a duly-elected Govern-
ment, and which is going to hold an-
other election before this year is out.
Boland Statement
Q. But Mr. President, what is the
American public to think if Congress.
man Boland, who as you know is
chairman of the House Intelligence
Committee, says there's very strong
evidence that we are violating the
A. Yes, and of - I think Secretary
Shultz and Security Adviser Judge
Clark have both been talking to him,
and you have seen the statement by
Barry Goldwater of the Intelligence
Committee that is Mutely positive
that there is no violation of the law
whatsoever. I think that when they
pay a little more attention to this
they're going to find out we're not vio-.
lating the law.
Let me do what I promised the other
day and start with some of the people
in the back of the room here.
A Perspective
Q. Mr. President, are you willing to
say flatly that the United States is n6t
engaging in any activities that a rea-
sonable person could assume would be
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100620041-9
Remarks. to News Reporters