PRESIDENT'S NEWS CONFERENCE ON FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC ISSUES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390112-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 112
• Publication Date: May 23, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/09: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390112-7
ARTICLE AP ED NEW YORK TIMES
ON PAGE ZZ
23 May 1981+
President's News Conferees
foreign and Domestic Issues
Following is a transcript of President Reagan; news conference last night
"'in Washington, as recorded by The New York Times:
OPENING STATEMENT
We have an important visitor in
Washington. Jose Napoleon Duarte,
the President-elect of El Salvador.
The President-elect and I yesterday
Issued a joint statement in which we
agreed on three major objectives for
Central America: the strengthening
of democratic institutions, the im-
provement of living standards, and
increased levels of U.S. security
.'assistance to defend against violence
- treme right. -
The election of Jose Napoleon
Duarte is the latest chapter in a trend
toward democracy throughout Latin
America. In?Central America, El Sal-
vador now joins Costa Rica and Hon.
duras in having a democratically
elected Government.
Democracy in Central America is a
fundamental goal of our policy in that
4 region, but continued progress to-
ward that goal requires our assist-
' ance. Most of our aid, three-quarters
o-,of it, is economic assistance. But se-
curity assistance is essential to help
all those who must protect them-
" selves against the expanding export
rof subversion by the Soviet bloc, Cuba
and Nicaragua.
+' Also, as I said in my speech to the
'nation on May 9, we must support the
sdemocratic aspirations of the people
'of Nicaragua and oppose the Sandin.
tsta aggression against their neigh-
-bors, and who seek genuinely demo-
' cratic elections in Nicaragua as the
,'Sandinistas promised the O.A.S. in
:11979. Peace can only be achieved in
Central ? America if the forces of
'democracy are strong.
r. . - - - -
Including genuinely democratic elec-
tions in Nicaragua.
The freedom fighters in Nicaragua
have promised to lay down their arms
and to participate in genuinely demo-
cratic elections if the Sandinistas will
permit them. Our Congress faces
some historic decisions this week.
Those who struggle for freedom
everywhere are watching to see
whether America can still be counted
upon to support its own ideals. The
people of El Salvador are watching,
the freedom fighters of Nicaragua
are watching, Nicaragua's threat-
ened neighbors are watching and the
enemies of freedom are watching as
well.
Our balanced policy can succeed if
the Congress provides the resources
for all elements of that policy as out-
lined in the bipartisan recommenda-
tions of the Kissinger Commission.
But if the Congress offers too little
support it will be worse than doing
nothing at all. The success of Commu-
nism in Central America poses the
threat that 100 million people from
Panama to the open border on our
south could come under the control of
pro-Soviet regimes. We could face a
massive exodus of refugees to the
United States.
The Congress has the opportunity
to reaffirm our commitment to brave
people risking their lives for the
cause of liberty and democracy in
Central America. The Congress also
has the opportunity to reaffirm our bi-
partisan tradition, which will tell the
world that we're united when our
vital interests are at stake.
I'm asking the members of the Con-
gress to make that commitment.
And now, tonight's first question
will be from Maureen Santini - and,
incidentally, this is a double first for
Maureen. Her first first question in
her new role as the A.P.'s chief White
House correspondent. Maureen?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Saudi Response
Q. Mr. President, it's been reported
'that you are willing to provide U.S.
air power to keep oil tankers moving
through the Persian Gulf. Could you
Sell us what the Saudi response has
_ been to your proposals and under
-what circumstances the United
'States could become militarily in-
volved in that region.
A. Well, Maureen, I've seen all the
stories, and a lot are based on specu-
lation already. No, the - what we
have - we have kept in touch and are
keeping in touch with the Gulf states
and with our own allies. But we have
-fiot volunteered to intervene, nor
have we been asked to intervene.
And we've communicated with
"them regarding that, and so far it
',seems as if the Gulf states want to
take care of this themselves. They're
concerned - as I think we all should
be - about not enlarging the war.
Q. Do we have a contingency plan
for doing so if they can't take care of
14 themselves?
A. We'll - if they ask us for help,
'we have, obviously we've thought in
terms of what we might do. But I
'don't think that's something I should
stalk about. Helen.
U.S.-Soviet Relations
Q. Mr. President, Senator Byrd
says that our relations with the Soviet
,.:Union have reached the lowest point
3p .20 years. Did you misjudge the
Russians? Are your hard-line policies
?.aesponsible for the boycott of the
-Olympics, the breakup, the breakoff
?q7 the arms negotiations, the stepped-
lip offensive in Afghanistan, more
missiles off our coast?
~..~ A. No, Helen, I don't think I'm re-
t,aponsible for any of those things and
t,}!-these are the lowest, at the lowest
,state that we've had for 20 years -
,pot too long ago, a matter of days ago,
I_ gave to George Shultz one of our
very eminent national news maga-
,r:Ames for him to see an article on this
f,yery subject. And the article - it was
'an April issue - and the article cited
Continued
i, We strongly support multilateral
gpfforts towards peace, especially the
?Contadora process. However, no last.
-ing peace settlement through the Con-
tadora process can be achieved un-
less there is simultaneous implemen-
tation of all the Contadora objectives,
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;;tat we had the lowest relations we'd '
ever had, and the President was to Central America
flame for that in his vacillations and
,.,And I have to say that today, no, we have to do if the Congress does deny
didn't walk away from the negotiat-
eing table. We made every effort to
n ove that we were ready to be flex-
in trying to negotiate a reduction
weapo% And as for the Olympics,
only thing as a Government that
we did in the Olympics was assure
them and meet virtually every re-
quest they made in regard to their
people there of, into, up to allowing
'Their cruise ship to anchor, and we
-:were going to spend about a half a
t,=Ulion dollars on protection for that
r gyp.
Will you admit there's a height-
ened belligerency and six eminent
'world leaders today said that we're
l?lteaded for global suicide? What are
'you going to do about it with this arms
-trace?
n '.A. I don't think we are and I don't
bt lnk we're any closer, or as close as
?.*e might have been in the past to a
possible conflict or confrontation that
-ooould lead to a nuclear conflagration.
ni..-think the very fact that we're
rstsonger-yes the Soviet Union is un-
bappy. They're unhappy because for
Abe first time in a couple of decades
.we are preserving our security abil-
ity. We're building up our military
.and we're not unilaterally disarming
s*hile they continue their massive
rirms buildup. And I'm sure this
makes them a little unhappy about
that, that things aren't as easy as
.'they once were. But when they're
seedy to come back to the table it
probably - or might not be until after
the election, I don't know, but I think
that the world maybe is a little safer
than it has been in the past.
Middle East Conflict
Q. Mr. President, on the Persian
Gulf again, is it true that you have
written to the Saudis saying that
should they ask the United States for
aid, that we are willing to supply air
cover to protect the oil fields?
A. We didn't specify what we would
do, but we have told them, because I
made a statement earlier that neither
we nor the Western world as such
would stand by and see the Straits of
the Persian Gulf closed to interna-
tional traffic.
Q. Mr. President, then in your judg-
ment, what is the likelihood of Amer-
ican servicemen being involved in
some kind of shooting war, shortly or
in the near future in the Middle East?
A. I think very slight. I can't fore-
see that happening.
Q. You cannot foresee that happen-
ing?
A. As things stand now, no, I don't
think so.
that security assistance to stop this
threat, the threat of Soviet-sponsored
regimes taking over all of the com-
tries right up to our Southern bor-
ders?
A. What do we have to do, to -
Q. Well suppose the Congress does
not vote the money that you need for
the freedom fighters, as you call
them, what then would we be re-
quired to do to prevent this scenario
from developing?
A. We'd be in a very difficult posi-
tion and so would they. But, I have
great hopes that after President
Diuarte's visit here, and meeting with
as many of the Congress as be did,
that there's some reason for opti-
mism.
A. Yes, Andrea.
Bypassing Congress
Q. Mr. President, there were re-
ports that the Administration had
,gone around Congress and continued
to increase military and intelligence
activities in Central America by
channeling money through account-
ing tactics - tricks of accounting -
through the Pentagon to the C.I.A.
While you can't discuss covert activi-
ties, can you at least assure the
American people that you have not
had this Administration go beyond
the will of Congress in increasing the
spending for military activities in
Central America.
A. Andrea, we've thought of no
procedures that are any different
from what has been done in past Ad-
ministrations, nor have we done any-
thing without the knowledge of the
Congress.
Q. But can you explain then, sir, we
were told Congress was told about a
month ago that if Congress didn't ap-
propriate the money the C.I.A.-sup-
ported Contras would run out of
money by now. Now Congress has
been told that the C.I.A. has enough
money to get through the rest of the
summer. How is that possible without
their getting secret funds?
A. Well, unless they guessed wrong
on the first date, but I thought that
they were closer to being out of
money than they apparently are, but 1
don't think any - well, nothing of that
kind could take place that - without
the knowledge of Congress.
Troops to El Salvador
Q. Mr. President, you've said in the
past that you have no intention of
sending U.S. troops into the combat in
El Salvador and President-elect
Duarte said yesterday that he has no
intention of asking for U.S. troops to
go there. But despite these denials,
the doubts linger. Walter Mondale in-
sists that your policy will lead to U.S.
involvement down there. Can you say
unequivocally tonight that you would
not send troops down to El Salvador
even if it appears that without them,
El Salvador might fall to the Commu-
nists?
A. First of all, President Duarte
made it very plain that they would
never request American troops. We
have never had any consideration of
doing that or any thought of doing
that at all. I don't know how I can con-
vince anyone, but all you'd have to do
is look at all our friends and neigh-
bors in Latin America and probably
as a holdover from the past, we'd lose
all those friends and neighbors, if we
did that. They want our help. They
know they have to have our help eco-
nomically and in the manner in which
we're giving it, in military support,
by training and supplies and equip-
ment and so forth. But they don't
want American manpower there.
Sarah.
Q. Excuse me. If I may follow up
with this, if El Salvador clearly were
going to fall to the Communists,
would you feel it's in the U.S. interest
to send our troops in there and stop
that, or would you allow the country
to go Communist?
A. Well, you're asking me for a hy-
pothetical question and one in which I
think that I would be very foolish to
try and answer.
EXCERPTED
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