A BLANK CHECK FOR SALVADOR?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505400074-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2011
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: April 24, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505400074-8
RR-CLE AP= D "' LOS ANGELES TIDES
24 APR 1953
Blank
Check for
Salvador?
Tlie President
Gets Tougher
By Tad Szuk
WASHINGTON-On Wednesday, Pres-
ident Reagan will deliver the most dra-
matic speech of his presidency before a
special joint session of Congress. He wants
Congress to grant him a virtual blank
check to neutralize Nicaragua and prevent
a guerrilla victory in El Salvador.
White House advisers privately warn
that unless approval is forthcoming, the
President may have no alternative but to
dispatch American combat troops to El
Salvador by the end of the year, despite his
past assurances that he would not do so.
These officials believe the President may
turn away from such assurances if the
Salvadoran army continues to crumble.
Indeed, it is anear-certainty, they believe,
unless American military and economic
assistance is markedly increased.
Reagan seeks the authorization of .$110
million in fresh money during this fiscal
year in military aid to El Salvador (thus
far only $26 million has been approved),
His decision to go to the country over the
Salvador issue was made in principle two
weeks ago when he realized that if the
Congress were to allow the Administration
to shift $60 million in military funds from
appropriations for other nations as part of
the $110-million total, it would insist as a
precondition that negotiations be started
between warring Salvadoran parties-a
concept the Administration rejects on the
grounds it would lead to "power-sharing"
with the rebels. When, last Tuesday, the
House Foreign Affairs Committee denied
Reagan the other $50 million, the Presi-
dent resolved to stage the grand drama of
appearing before a joint session of Con-
gress.
STAT
It is also believed in official circles that In
the President wants to lay the groundwork -up us ran
in his address for requesting a co military capability, the White House was
ngres- encouraged by last week's resignation of
sional waiver of the War Powers Act the controversial defense minister. Gen.
should he determine at a later date that Jose Guillermo Garcia, and his replace-
there is need for direct U.S. military ment by National Guard commander Gen.
intervention in El Salvador. Under the act, Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova. Garcia
the Congress has 90 days to order the had lost the trust of his commanders as
President, if it so wishes, to withdraw well as of American advisers, and Wash-
American forces from a foreign country. ington hopes that Vides Casanova will do
Presumably, the Administration fears better.
armed involvement under such limita- Al. the
lions. Mme time, the guerrillas may be
in serious :disarray after the suicide in
Finally, the President seeks to prevail Managua on April 12 (bUt announced by
over congressional watchdog intelligence the Nicaraguans only last Why) of
committees, which threaten to forbid cov- 63-year-old Salvador Cayetano Claw,
ert operations against Nicaragua because
the their scope may violate the law. On~~ =M=Dder of the
Thursday, CIA Director William J. Casey ~ Salvadoran an a rebel ~ee 4 Fbrses, the principal
p. Carpoio is said to
invited members of the House Permanent have ..killed bkmwlf in
Select -Committee on Intelligence to fly
Lion oo'Ap~S Managua,_
adown this weekend to the Nicaraguan- of his - sindepu , also in of . uty, Melida A nayo Monte&
Honduran border abroad CIA planes. They .Another Salvadoran rebel leader, Rogelio
are not scheduled to return to Washington , Bay g lia Reciaos, was arrested by the
until late Tuesday, thus delaying any Nicaraguans for allegedly murderin her,
congressional action against the Admirals- suggesting the existence of g
split tration until after Reagan's speech on ! guerrilla factions.
Wednesday. ' Reagan's dramatic decision to go before
The Administration has charged that a joint session of Congress signals an
arms for Salvadoran guerrillas have been unprecedented commitment by the White
largely flowing through Nicaragua from House to a military solution in El Salvador.
Cuba, the Soviet Union and Libya, and it it rules out the ki
d f
n
justifies the Central Intelligence y o pouUCal aemmmo-
Agency s dation before the December elections
support for armed foes of the Sandinista advocated by some Latin American coun-
regime as an attempt to stop this flow. tries. The extent of U.S. diplomatic isola -
? Last week, the Administration's conten- tion was underlined by the inability of
tion was confirmed in part when Brazil Secretary of State George P. Shultz to find
seized four Libyan transport aircraft filled a common ground during his conversations
with Soviet arms for Nicaragua when they in Mexico last week. landed to refuel in Recife, claiming that The Administration finds itself at odds,
they were carrying hospital equipment- too, with recommendations in favor of
There was no proof that these arms were 'negotiations made earlier this month by a
destined for Salvadoran guerrillas, but the distinguished commission of U.S. and Latin
incident helped to corroborate the build- American figures in a report titled "The
u
of the S
di
i
p
an
n
sta army. On Friday,
Reagan stressed in a press conference that
this incident was "further evidence" that
"outside forces," mainly from the commu-
nist bloc, are "interfering" in Central
America. He also confirmed reports that 50
Palestine Liberation Organization pilots
are currently stationed in Nicaragua.
The ultimate goal of the Administration
is to stabilize the Salvadoran situation in
the government's favor before the onset of
the dry season in the autumn and a new
rebel offensive, one that could deal a fatal
blow to the Washington-backed regime.
Such an offensive could at least render
difficult the holding of Salvadoran presi-
dential elections scheduled for December._
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505400074-8