NICARAGUA CONCEDES IT IS ARMING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000707170003-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 6, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: March 11, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/06 :CIA-RDP90-005528000707170003-8
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'.WASHINGTON-Two ~ high.~~
;ranking Nicaraguan officials 'con'',?
'.ceded, Wednesda}~ that: the':1~fLi$t.
Sandinista. regime' is'engaged in:?a;;
s military build-up but _ insisted ~ the:.
,the effort:is, a defensive response tq;,:
threats by the United States.;:; ~' =':'.?::;
?~ =And the officials,:Francisca 1aI` '
j,'los=Navarro,'.ambassador':'to ~tlie
rUnitectStates,and Jaime Wheeloc's~.,.
:ra'member of the nine=man~Sandin-.~:'
s ista`- ruling` directorate; "refuse;; .tra ~:.:
}'address the:issite of Cuban-and?So ~-
'? viet irivolvenent inthe arms build=~:
up;?`saying this issue "is=really-the:
'affaii~of the government:of Nicara ;';:
~~ ~gTheelock; a=former. Sanduusta
~~gaerrilla'commander=who is'noR*~
~`? niinisterof agriculttu=e'said Nicara~,?~ ?
' gua: is -building new-:military'out=:-
~;posts; arming and training. civilians
? and: improving- and;;expauding;'air~;,~i
-~.portfacilities ~ : ;,: ~,~--~;_? ~ ~ ;l,'~"~~1
~`A'Doztn'Cubaria , ,~? ~rr?~,,
,,, .. . -.
~'~'`Navarro, appearing on ABC=TV,.'s:.:
.,"Good Morning America" ~shaw;ite-
;_.,,
~~ Hied that there are any Soviet'advi ': ,
:; sera in.Nicaragiia and?said.there-are
` :'na more than`about: a .dozen'+Ci{?~.:.
. 3
?,ban. military.' advisers: U.S.:,inte)i: ?~
'ligence`.officials said Titesday.tIiaL ?.
I'there~are' about'?0 Sovietmilitary ~'
,~ advisers; 2,004 Cuban militarj%advi,:
ears ~aiid`4,000 Cuban: civilian advi=
~?sers in Nicara$ua::iu =~. ~ :.?3 i ~ .~': ~; t 4 ~?t
~ Navarro also ~~eniedl that~Nicai?~ ;~
?gua-is se`n'ding troops or egtupmerit
-to the leftist'guerrillas tII neagttbof,.,~
''ing Tt Salvador ; .:' ~" ~:x~-~,'~-
'~?Both;:officials'.. said'.:t~ie`~IIaitecf
~'States,'shoizld "adopta'mati>ie`and~
=responsible ?attitvde^ :terovard~Ceit
LOS ANGELES TIP9ES
11 March 1982
,r.The: appea'rance~of-Lh'e two`Sari~
=:dinisf and officials on U.S: television
shows'?at ~ press .conferenaes'Weil- ~:
nesday-came just a d2y'aftert the:
opening'.of ~ a' major Administration
.efiort,.~;1ed~ by Secretary-af State,
:Alexaride~M.'-Haig.Jr..~i8 present;
_~evidence.tq back up'bdmimst;atian
-charges that-Nicaragua'~isbecomitig:
=`a: Soviet.:bastion".~from~vhich,~- .
wlenr revolution??~:can-=.be }waged
sagainstthe rest of Cential America. .
~''r:)cisi~,Itepei+b Clsazges .,~.';~,:-..,,;r, ?,
' `:On;Tiiesilay,`'t1ie;Aa*nini~~tiori-
.made public a series of aerial photos
graphs, .Laken fiom manned U.S:rp
connaissance'aircraft, showing~l'
~~itary.facilities including ?bases and:
ai~elds that, ;U.S: officaals.said, axe
modeled oriSovieL-andUuban facili-
.ties and are capable of handling ad=
vented Soviet Mig fighter aircraft.
?; HHaig repeated these charges- be- ~
fore: a Senate'Appropriatians sub=
committee ~ Wednesday; ? sad ~ the
State Department presented a aeries
of briefings on the photographs and
other inielligence material for off;- I
cials ? of ? .previous administrations .
and other~opinion-makers. --
"There is nothing new in;this in- ;
formation,"~. Wheelock .said ~T~ed-
nesday,,-?"except that the.? United
-States is in fact spying on Nics3.ra='
-gaa.r. The .Sandinista. government;
protested what _it:~ called the-~.'?fla
grant ==:violatioiY?-of; Nicaraguat
sovereignty". in a_ note to the State
~~ ~ ..
- Iri. characterizuig: the. U.S.. Ad=
.ministration's case as:"lies and~dis=
tortions; ,'. Wheelock said that Nita
ragua's ?;regional:aiiport'.expansior!
program is far fronr:being a,Cuban-
or Soviet inilitaigeffortr,He said it
was designed byrarl'~American firm ~
and :.financed by an mternaUonal .l
developmentbanl~:K `fn . -?.' -' -
-The program to which Wheelock
referred was a study_of Nicaragua's
civilian transportation needs, .done
inr:1976-three ?.jre~rs:.,.hefore~ the:.
Sandinistas overthrew. Nicaraguan
President`' `Anastasio aSomoza-by,
Wilbur:Smith &-Associates under a;
contract paid for bj*?theU.S: Agen:
cy fors International`Development'
an arm of the 5tate?Department. ,-:.
'However, a~ spokesman for AID
said the" 1976 ai~eld study did- not,'.
call' for the construction of revet:-~'
merits; ~ the -
;;craftguns ortae training of Nicara?
4 goon pilots in Romania to fly MIGs
'as the Sandinista_shavedone: '?,??'~=.
'.~,~irther, AID publicaffairs direc=~
:;tor Rich Mille; said;~the U.S. study;
-=recommended=that one of the air
?$trips; at Puerto Cabezas, be ex:;'
~Yended to 6,OC0 feeE; while the San=;
::%dinistas: areYer2ending. it to .8,OG4
^#eet:.Tlie Iongei==runway provides
~;~...
sufficient takeoff distance for a'yflG
~fu11y loaded with bombs; while a 6;=:
~' C00-foot strip'-vroutd not: he said.. ~ ~.
:^%?~ -Wheelock said there are no So-'
~,.-
~viet MIGg_in Nicaragua and that
"we don'G erect: at: this. time- .to
'have any,'.' He added;-however,.thaC;
_ the kinds of planes that will use_the
' ~ newly ,.expanded: airfields : "are no
~~business of the-goverruaen_t~ of.the-'
~Unit~d States.' y, ~. ~ ~;; ~ , Y;:
~~ "we're not saying that we won'ta
R6accept arms from:'any counL-y;'=he:1
said. "But this is the business of our^~
*government." ~. ,.- ;~=-
~,;~;Iii =`'response? -to =?Administrationf'
??c~iarges that tlie_Sandinista govern-~~
went has built 36 new military gar-
=risons since it Look over. in ~1979,~
:Wheelock said there were perhaps'
that many "remote outposts;' built;
?for "external defense." _=:- ~:.1.
.. ?,.;.,
Wheelock repeated charges made
?previously ~ by .the Sandinista
government that the United Stases;
311 conjunction with the rightist:re,_~
-girlies of Argentina and Chile, ~.s un;
~dertaking.:a~ covert operation ?.to
achieve the economic, political and'
militar3*.des~tabilization of Nicara-;
gun. ~Vheelock'dict not offer any`
;evidence,. buti; "said ~ the planning; of;
~ahaf operation`aa the'pmpose:of_:a
;:visit by ;Assistant Secretary. of State
;Thomas 0: Enders 1:o Argentina ands
:Chile this week.- ~ s ` ~` ~,
- 'AskedJWednesday abaut~ repor,,s;
Hof such a covert operation, Haig said;
it would be "inappropriate_for me to
? comment :.~ .:but I. would .certainly,
;hope that poiicy~position ': do~.,s
~'not:suggesL~'a confirmation of~,tha
,~ .~: N x
.: =-' And while the~two ~ Nicaragua.~%
officials denied any involvement in.
the war ;:'iri= EI -Salvador; ;Haig
:charged again ~ednesday.that ;-`the
'essential command. and control.(of
'the guerrilla activity) is emanatin
.from blanagua'~~I3e_also: said the'
:Ievelof arms shipments tQFd Salvo
`cion: "has= dramatically' increased'
during?~the;.past=montlc. ~'~`t'?E$c~.L.~
~f;~ai~ An,a Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/06 :CIA-RDP90-005528000707170003-8