LATIN COUNCIL CALLED BACKER OF LEFTISTS, NOT HUMAN RIGHTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100210064-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 64
• Publication Date: April 9, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000100210064-7
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of leftists, not human rights
WASHINGTON TIMES
9 April 1985
Latin council called backer
By John Holmes
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
In the spiderweb that comprises
"The Network" of left-wing organi-
zations opposed to administration
policies, the Council on Hemisphe-
i ric Affairs (COHA) stands out as one
of the better known. ?
COHA literature describes the
organization as "a non-profit, tax-
exempt independent research and
information organization" founded
"to promote the common interests of
the hemisphere; raise, the visibility
and increase the importance of -the
Part two of a series,:'t~=T
inter-American _relationship; and,
'encourage thq'formulation of
rational?'dnd? ntistruc jve.U.S.- po71
cies toward Latin America '.:::?a
COHA,is ':run, by Larryy Biro a;
riceless'one=man army who serves as'.
the council's 'founder, directorFnen=
ager, press secretary, congressional'
liaison, researcher and chief fund-
raiser. Mr. Birns, extremely visible
in liberal circles,' calls COHA- "a
human rights organizati on.
But some of those who have dealt
with' COHA don't see it quite that
way
"COHA is not a human rights
group. It is a 'left-wing foreign policy
group that often masquerades as a
human rights group says Elliott
Abrams, assistant 'secretary of state
for human rights and humanitarian
affairs. , rt", :-e . f >?
say through the `year's about human
[Abrams YOtI read 'what theyve had to
righ ts.' violations in i Surinam, or
Bishop's Grenada, or Cuba=:worst
of all, Cuba - you will see thatthey
don't` care'.'about- human'rights in
leftist.br'communist regimes;' _Mr
told The Times., :
Mr. Abrams' duties bring him into
contact with count1ess humannghts
organizations. He says there is a sig-
nificant difference between COHA
and such groups as the Washington
Office on Latin America (WOLA), a
group that shares COHA's political
orientation and is an integral part of
The Network. "WOLA has political
INET WORK
TARGET:
Reagan's Central
American Policy
prejudices just as we all do, but it
makes a real effort to promote
human rights progress:' Mr. Abrams
continued.
"So, while I disagree with WOLA,
I work with them," he says. "But I
will not have any contact with COHA
and I do not permit members of the
Bureau [of Human Rights and
Humanitarian Affairs] to cooperate
with them.
"COHA is not genuine in its stated
beliefs in human rights. What it is in
fact doing is promoting leftist
regimes in Latin America; he said.
Bosco Matamoros, a representa-
tive of Nicaragua's anti-Sandinista
FDN, agrees.
"They have no concern for human
rights, just concern for foreign
policy. If they did, they would have
asked how many people are jailed by
the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, but
they haven't:' he says.
"They know completely the
situation down there, but they don't
take into account the voices or opin-
ion of the Nicaraguan people. They
take as fact whatever is stated by the
i Sandinistas," Mr. Matamoros said in
an interview.
These criticisms are 'supported
by a 1984 Heritage Foundation
paper, entitled "The Left's Latin
American Lobby."
"An analysis of [COHAs] publica-
tions reveals a pattern exaggerating
the abuses of . right-wing govern-
ments or movements, while under-
stating the abuses of leftist regimes
or guerrilla groups. This calls into
question the integrity of COHA's
sources and data that it marshals
against the Reagan administration's
policies in Central America:' the
Heritage report states.
"What [COHA's critics are] upset
about is that we do a' great deal of.
accurate research," Mr. Birns
counters.
lb be sure, there are many who
believe COHA's materials are accu-
rate and well-presented. But critics
contend that his publications are
sometimes biased and have
reflected Marxist Sandinista propa-
ganda and disinformation themes.
A COHA press release dated Feb.
13, 1984, declared, "U.S. Helicopter
Parts Sale to Guatemala Sure to Kill
Indians and Worsen Refugee Flow to
United States:' And a headline on a
release dated May 30, 1984, blared,
"Guatemalan Military Dictatorship
-Set to Rig July Elections:' '
Two aspects of COHAs operations
involve Capitol Hill and the press.
Mr. Birns calls COHA "a publish-
ing mill:" His council, he says, pro-
duces two to three press releases per
week and numerous opinion pieces
and reports. Some of these are incor-
porated by congressmen and their
staff members into their own
reports, speeches and letters, he
"We are a powerful force in the
wings" of Congress, Mr. Birns
admits. -
Several liberal legislators, includ-
ing Reps. Don Bonker, D-Wash., Rob-
ert Garcia, D-N.Y., and Sen. Tom
Harkin, D-Ia., are listed as being on
COHA's board of directors.
Last year COHA submitted
numerous articles to these con-
gressmen and others. As many as
100 of the articles to these con-
gressmen were inserted in the Con-
gressional Record, according to Mr.
Birns.
But he denies that COHA engages
in lobbying.
"We have no legislative people
who go and chat up people on the
Hill:' he said. "It's pointless to try
because many of the people up there
know more than we do."
Indeed, aides to several senators
and congressmen such
important committees asrign
Relations and Intelligence renort
that they don't read COHA's releases
and have never met with ob-
i Some say they've never even
heard of COHA or Mr. Birns.
Still. says one intelligence analyst,
-"T ere are between 40 and 55 con-
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000100210064-7