U.S. APPROVES COVERT PLAN IN NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410070-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 70
• Publication Date: March 10, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410070-1
THE WASHINGTON POST
10 March 1982
U.S. Approves
Covert Plan
In Nicaragua
By Patrick E. Tyler
and Bob Woodward
Washington Post Staftwrlters
President. Reagan has authorized
covert operations against the Central
American nation. - of Nicaragua,
which, administration officials have
charged, is serving as the military
command center and supply line to
guerrillas in El Salvador. According to informed adminis-
tration officials, the president has.
ruled out the use of U.S. militaiy._
forces in direct anti-Nicaraguari op-
erations. But the authorized, covert:,
plan directs the CIA to begin to
build and fund a paramilitary force
of up to 500 Latin Americans, who
are to operate out of commando
camps spread along the Nicaraguan-
Honduran border.
The officials stressed that it-will
take months for the paramilitary
force to be recruited, trained and
positioned to begin operations.. They
did not say precisely when. the cross
border operations; are scheduled to,
begin.
As part of this plan, the comman-:
dos eventually would attempt to, de-
stroy vital Nicaraguan targets; such
as power plants and bridges, -iii-Jan'
effort to disrupt the ? economy., and
divert the':attention =.and' the irs=
sources of the tgoveznment. CtA-
strategists believe these covert.-top'
erations inside-.Nicaragua will-slow-
the flow of arms.toEl Salvador and disrupt what.they claim. is a Soviet
and Cuban-controlled government m-.',
Nicaragua.
Operating '66r-i.1,161
under a. $19 million
CIA budget, the planned 500=main'
force could_.:be' increased _in size if
necessary, officials-. said. The. CIA
force would. be supplemented by an :
other Latirrr?American commando
force. of up to. 1,000? men-some?.og
whom currently --are . undergoing
training by Argentine: military-:offi
,cralp..?l,;,, z .JSld .art~~~~..iAy
This is the plan for CIA covert;
operations first reported in The;
Washington Post on Feb. 14 as part
of the Reagan administration's strat-i
egy in the region. At the time, it
could not been determined whether':
the president had authorized the:
.CIA's plan to build a paramilitaryforce against Nicaragua.
Several informed sources now say
that the president did formally au-
thorize the proposal, but the precise
timing of his authorization could not
be determined. It may have occurred
late last year.
The covert action proposal was
developed by the CIA and first
presented in detail to President Rea-
gan by CIA Director William J.
-Casey at the Nov. 16 meeting of the
National Security Council. It was'
supported by Secretary of State Al-
exander M. Haig Jr. and Defense.
Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, ac-
cording to knowledgeable officials.
Administration officials familiar
with the CIA covert- program
stressed that the decision to focus on
economic targets was based on a de=
sire to- disrupt the Nicaraguan. arms
supply line to El Salvador in a man-
ner that is relatively inexpensive and
least threatening to the civilian pop,
ulation.
"If you blow up a dam, you cause
a lot-of trouble, but you're not kil=
ling people," one high-level official
said.
Iii his' Feb. 18 press conference,
Reagan was. asked if the- Unite
States - was planning, covert, opera-
tions in Nicaragua, but he declin
to comment.
Nicaragua - currently is ruled. by
the Sandinista National. Liberation
Front, whose guerrilla: forces- over.
threw the. government of.. dictator
`Anastasia Somoza in July .19719.17'..
Honduras has a close military re=
'lationship :with the' United ,'States;.
-and Honduran officials=fear.. that the
`political upheaval in El .Salvador and,
Nicaragua will spill intaAheir.coun,
try. As a separate part "of 'the U.S'
,strategy in the region, ahe' U.S. mil=
itaryc.currently is`engaged-in twirop
erations in neighboring Honduras a
indirectly 1 support. anti. -Nicaraguarv
efforts,..informedadministration. of-
.firra>a_said.ii".
Accor
NSC rec
alinN
and con
military
Cuban
nista su
and els
The CI
thorizat
military
program
that fu
force de
Cove
propo
records,
? 4'B
tral A
opposition ront mat woutu uC Aloe.
tionalistic, anti-Cuban and : anti-
Somoza.
0 "Support.. the opposition front
through . formation and training of
-action. teams to collect intelligence
and engage in paramilitary and po=
litical operations in Nicaragua and
? "Work primarily through non
Americans" to achieve these covert
objectives, but in some cases the CIA
might "take unilateral, paramilitary
action-possibly using US. person-1
nel-against special Cuban targets."..
After the initial presentation, the
CIA proposal was turned over to they
national security planning group, a
subcommittee of. the NSC, as a draft
"presidential finding," which, states
the need for specific covert opera
tie us. Under national security stat-.,
utes, no funds can be expended for-
covert : actions "until the president
finds that each such operation is im-
portant to the national, security of
the United States."
Senior U.S. defense and intelli-
gence officials have said in. recent
weeks that without a slowdown in
the arms supply, to El Salvador by
air, land and sea routes from Nica-,
ragua, the . position of. government
`:forces in the-war-,torn country could
deteriorate , rapidly,' potentially
prompting an escalation of Salvador--
an requests for U.S. military assist-
ance. Such requests arklikely to run
into strong congressional and public
t .resistance. 1. L t 1, ~...;`:
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410070-1~iI