CONGRESS DOESN'T WANT TO WASH OUR DIRTY LITTLE WAR IN PUBLIC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100620053-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 53
• Publication Date: December 16, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RD
ARTICI LTI'
ON Pion;
WASHINGTON POST
16 DECEMBER 1982
Congress Doesri'tWa,iftoath
STAT
War in Public.
LLttle
Oar, DLrt
Rep. Edward P. Boland (D- - Unlike the Boland amendment, which The Somocistas boast to reporters of
Last week,
Mass.), chairman of the House Permanent only Prohibited the overthrow of the their imminent invasion of Nicaragua, and
Select Committee on Intelligence, promised Nicaraguan government, not all military the bloodbath that will follow. Does the
to give the "dirty little war" in Nicaragua activities, Harkin's amendment had little House Permanent Select Committee on
his personal attention. support It's dicey to be seen as defending a Intelligence ask the CIA about things like
"I can say that the committee certainly communist regime, even against illegal U.S. that?
does understand its obligations to rein in activity. . Possibly, we will learn something about
activities which can get out of control or What we are doing in and to Nicaragua what .is going on in court. Seven Ni-
which could threaten to involve this nation we learn from the press. caraguans who claim to be victims of U.S.
Newsweek had a cover story called policy have brought suit against the Rea-
or its allies in a war," he told his colleagues. "America's Secret War," in which our am-
That was enough for the House. It based c to Honduras, John Negroponte, is gan administration. Among them is Dr.
passed by 411 to 0 a Boland amendment Myrna Cunningham, a half-Indian Ni-
that prohibits the CIA or the Defense De- depicted as the generalissimo of the coun.
partment from using taxpayers' money "for terrevolution that keeps the government of caraguan health official who says she was
the purpose of overthrowing the govern- neighboring Nicaragua in a constant state, kidnaped and raped a year ago by Misldto
of nerves and military alertness. Negro- Indians, trained as counterrevolutionaries
meat of Nicaragua or provoking a military ponte, according to Newsweek, deals direct- by U.S.-backed Somocista guardsmen. -
exchange between Nicaragua and Hondu- ly with the commander of Honduras' Three British members of Parliament,
ras." armed forces, Gen. Gustavo Alvarez. - who recently concluded a tour of Central
But it is a year since The Washington The CIA, says Time magazine, now has America, came through Washington this
Post disclosed a $19 million administration 200 agents in Honduras organizing follow- week to tell the administration as "candid
plan to subvert the Marxist government of era of Nicaragua's despised former dictator, friends" what a mistake it is to write off the
Nicaragua. In all that time, Reagan offs- Anastasio Somoza, for border raids, bridge government in Nicaragua, which despite its
cials, including the president, never have bombings, kidnapings, village burnings and flaws is addressing the concerns of the
denied the plan or its purpose and have other exercises that the Reagan adminis- people.
kissed off all queries about it. tration condemns when other countries en When they called on J. William Midden-
If the House Permanent Select Commit- gage in them. dorf II, the U.S. representative to the Or-
tee on intelligence was exercising its watch.. Supposedly the Boland amendment was ganization of American States, Stanley
acceptable because it protects the CIA's, Clinton-Davis, a Labor MP, asked him di-
dog function, we have no evidence of it. cover story, which is that its goal is to in- rectly if U.S. policy is to overthrow the Ni-
Under the "reform" of the intelligence over- terdict the flow of arms from Nicaragua to caraguan regime. Middendorf replied, ac-
sight system on Capitol Hill, the CIA re- the rebels of El Salvador. That requires cording to the Englishmen, that "person-
ports only to two select committees, whose "military activity." :._. - ally" he would be delighted to see it hap-
theymembers have promise discovered not to teaboutll covert anyone what If Boland's intelligence committee in the pen-although, he added, it is not govern-
" "
tions. They can't even say that CIA Dirac- 'Pest year tried to rein in the operation, it meat policy. Middendorf, through a press
has failed. The press reports stepped-uv aide, denies the statement.
tor William J. Casey went before them to
. violence in the area. Did Boland ever won- Most policy. think that averthrotiv is the
testify on Nicaragua the other day. of con= Regan With a stonewalling admin-
It was for that reason that Rep. Tom der if the situation was getting istralion and a gagged oversight committee,
us his
Harkin (D-Iowa), a liberal leader in the trot--something he now promises it's hard to find out-and even harder to
House, introduced an amendment that for- committee will not permit-to ppen? atop.
bade the CIA and Defense from carrying We don't know. He and his fellow com-
out any "military activities in or against mittee members break their own rules if
Nicaragua." they telL-They are sworn to secrecy about
the secrets they hear. They cannot share McGrory i
nformation-and doubts-with their col-
leagues. If they succeed in shutting down
the dirty little war, we won't even know,
that. _
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100620053-6