PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: CENTRAL AMERICA WEDNESDAY MAY 9 1984

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86M00886R001900170007-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 21
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2008
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 9, 1984
• Content Type: REPORT

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THE W;-HITE H OUSE
WASHINGTON
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 3648
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-- 5 . (RR, et ai)
2-1 May 9, 1984
.te 9 a!9' U 9:00 a.m.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: CENTRAL AMERICA
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1984
.My fellow Americans, last week I was in Beijing and
Shanghai -- 3 weeks from now I will be preparing to leave for
Dublin, Normandy, and the annual economic summit in London.
I am pleased that our trip to China was a success. I had
long. and thoughtful meetings with the Chinese leadership. Though
our two countries- -are very different, we are building a strong
relationship in a genuine spirit of cooperation, and that is good
for the cause of peace.
This was our second trip to Asia in the last 6 months. .It
demonstrates our awareness of America's responsibility for
leadership in the Pacific Basin -- an area of tremendous economic
vitality. I believe our relations.with our Asian allies and
friends have never been better.
But that isn't what I want to talk to you about.
I asked for this time to tell you of some basic decisions
which are yours to make. I believe it is my constitutional
responsibility to place these matters before you. They have to
do with your national security and that security is the single
most important function of the Federal Government. In that
context, it is my duty to anticipate problems, warn of dangers,
and act so as to keep harm away from our shores.
Our diplomatic objectives will not be attained by goodwill
and noble aspirations alone. In the last 15 years the growth of
Soviet military power has meant a radical change in the nature of
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 believe, that we are; in imminent danger of nuclear war. We are
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As long as we maintain the strategic balance and make it
more stable by reducing the.level.of-such weapons on both sides,
on,-the basic prudence of the Soviet leaders
avoid that kind of challenge to us..-.They are presently*
then we can count
challenging. us with different kind of weapon, subversion
the use. of-- =surrogate forces,... Cubans , ' for example.... We have
it intensifying during the last 10 years as the Soviet Union and
its surrogates moved to establish control over . Vietnam,:. Laos,
Cambodia, Angola,.Ethiopia, South Yemen,, Afghanistan,- and
.recently, closer to homein.Nicaragua and now El-Salvador. It is
the.fate of.this region, Central-America, that I want to-talk to
you about tonight.
It is definitely not about plans to send American troops
into combat.in Central America.
The issue is our efforts to promote democracy and economic.-
well-being in the face of Cuban and Nicaraguan aggression, aided
.and abetted by the Soviet Union. Each year, the Soviet Union
provides Cuba with $4.billion in assistance; and it sends tons of
weapons to foment revolution in our hemisphere.
The defense policy of the United States is based on a simple
premise:. We do not start wars.. We will-never be the aggressor.
We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against
aggression'-- to preserve freedom and peace.
We help our friends
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Central America is, a region of great importance to the
United States. And it is so close -- San Salvador is closer to
Houston than Houston is to Washington, D.C. Central America is
America, it is at our doorstep. And it has become the stage for
a .bold attempt by the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Nicaragua to
install communise-by force throughout the hemisphere.
When half of our shipping tonnage and imported oil passes
through Caribbean shipping lanes, when two-thirds of all our
foreign trade. passes through the Panama Canal and Caribbean
waters, America's economy and well-being are at stake.
Right now in El Salvador, Cuban-supported aggression has
forced more than 400,000 men, women, and children to flee their
homes. And in all of Central America, more than 800,000 have
fled, many if not most living in unbelievable hardship. Concerns
about hundreds of.thousands of refugees fleeing communist
oppression to seek entry into our country are well-founded.
What we see in El Salvador is an attempt to destabilize the
entire region, ana eventually move chaos and anarchy toward the
American border.
If we do nothing or if we continue to provide too little
help, our choice will-be a communist Central America with
communist military bases on the North American mainland, and
communist subversion spreading southward and northward. As the
National Bipartisan Commission on Central America, chaired by
Henry Kissinger, agreed, this communist subversion 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.
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if we come to our senses too late, when our vital interests
are even more -directly threatened, and after a lack of American
support causes our friends to lose the ability to defend
themselves, then the risks to our security and our way of life
will be infinitely greater.
.But there is a way to avoid these risks, recommended by the
National Bipartisan Commission on Central America. It.requires
long-term American support-for democratic *development, economic
and security assistance, and strong-willed diplomacy.
There. have been a number of high level bilateral meetings
with the Nicaraguan government where we have presented specific
proposals for peace. I.have appointed two special Ambassadors
who have made more than ten trips to the region in pursuit of
peace during the last year. And we continue to support the
-objectives of the regional countries working through what is
called the Contadora process.
We can and must help Central America. It's in our national
interest to do so, and, morally, it's the only right thing to do.
But, helping means doing enough -- enough to protect our security
and enough to protect the lives of our neighbors so that they may
,live in peace and democracy without the threat of communist
aggression and subversion. This has been the policy of our
Administration for more than 3 years.
But making this choice requires a commitment from all of us,
our Administration, the American people, and the Congress. So
far, we have not yet made that commitment. We have provided just
enough aid to avoid outright disaster, but not enough to resolve
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 the crisis, so, El 'Salvador is being left to slowly bleed to
death.
Part of the problem, I suspect, is.not that Central America
isn't?important, but that some people think.our Administration
may. be.,, exaggerating the threat we face.
let me put that issue to rest.
Well, if that's true,
I want.to.tell"You a few things tonight about the real
.nature of the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.
The Sandinistas?who
rule Nicaragua are communists-whose
relationship and'ties to'Fidel Castro of.Cuba go back a quarter
of a century. A number of the Sandinista commanders were trained
in terrorist camps supported by Cuba, the Soviet bloc, and the
PLO. It is important to note that. Cuba, the Sandinistas, the
Salvadoran communist guerrillas, and the PLO have all worked-
together for many years. And in 1978, the-Sandinistas joined. the
.PLO in a "declaration of war" against Israel.
The Cuban-backed Sandinistas made a major-attempt to topple
the Somoza regime in.Nicaragua in the fall of 1978. They failed.
They were then called to Havana,'where Castro cynically
instructed them in the ways of successful communist insurrection..
He told them to tell the world they were fighting for political
democracy, not communism. But most important, he instructed them
to form -a broad alliance with the genuinely democratic opposition
to the Somoza regime.' Castro explained this would deceive
Western public opinion, confuse potential critics and make it
difficult for Western democracies to oppose the Nicaraguan
rrevolution without .:c;ausing.'gr:eat d.i:s.sent?.=at home.
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have to confess he.fboled a lot of people herein our own
country -- or don'sty;ou remember when he was referred to
in
The Sandini=s;t.'a.!a, listened and learned. They returned to
Nicaragua and promised to establish. democracy.. ._ The Organization
f. American States .?;n June 23, 1979, passed a resolution stating
that-, the- solution for:, peace in Nicaragua required that Somoza`
leave and .that, free' ;elections be held as
OAS. in writing-:that they would do these things. Somoza left, and
the Sandinistas came, to power. This was a negotiated settlement
.based on power sharing between communists and genuine democrats
like the one some have proposed for El Salvador today. Because
of these promises, our previous administration and other Western
governments tried, in a hopeful way, to encourage Sandinista
government that. would guarantee
peace., freedom and justice. The. Sandinistas then promised the
success.
some time to realize what was actually taking place;
that almost from the' '.moment the Sandinistas and their cadre of
50 Cuban covert _advi!sors took power in.,Managua in. July of. 1979,..
the internal :repress!on of democratic groups, tradeunions, and
press and freedom ofr.assembly became virtually. nonexistent.
There. was an outright refusal to hold genuine elections coupled,
civic groups began. 'Right to dissent was denied. Freedom of the
with the continuai.p;romise to do so. Their latest promise is for'
elections by.Novembe!r 1984. In the meantime, there has been an
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attempt to wipe out an entire culture, the Miskito Indians,.
thousands of whom have been slaughtered or herded into detention
camps, where they have been starved and abused. Their villages,
churches and crops were burned.
The Sandinistas engaged in anti-Semitism against the Jewish
?.commwnity. And they persecuted the Catholic church and publicly
humiliated -individual priests. When Pope John' Paul . II. visited
Nicaragua last year, the Sandinistas organized public
demonstrations, hurling' insults at him and his message of peace.
On Good Friday, some 100,000 Catholic faithfuls staged a
demonstration of defiance. You may be hearing about that
demonstration for the first time. It wasn't widely reported.
,And Nicaraguan Bishop Pablo Antonio Vega recently said, "We are
living with a totalitarian ideology that no one wants in th.g_"
country."
The Sandinista rule is a communist Reign of Terror. Many of
those who fought alongside the Sandinistas saw their revolution
betrayed; they were denied power in the new gcvernment, some were
imprisoned, others exiled. Thousands who fought with the
Sandinistas have taken up arms against them and are now called
the Contras. They are freedom-fighters.
What the Sandinistas have done to Nicaragua is a tragedy.
But we Americans must understand and come to grips with the fact
that the Sandinistas are not content to brutalize their own land.
They seek to export their terror to every other country in the
region.
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I ask you to listen closely to the following quotation:
The revolutionary process of Central America is a single
process, the triumphs of one are the triumphs of the other .?.
Guatemala will have its hour. Honduras its, Costa Rica, too,
will have its hour of glory. The first note was heard in
Nicaragua." That was the statement of Cayetano Carpio, who was.a
leader of the-Nicaraguan and Cuban-backed guerrillas in
El Salvador.
Shortly after taking power, the Sandinistas -- in
partnership with Cuba. and the Soviet Union -- began supporting
aggression against El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and
Guatemala. They opened training camps for guerrillas from
El Salvador so they could return to their country and attack its
government. Those camps still operate. Nicaragua is still-the
headquarters for communist guerrilla movements. And Nicaraguan
agents and diplomats have been caught in Costa Rica'and Honduras
supervising attacks carried out by communist terrorists.
The role that Cuba has long performed for the Soviet Union
is now also being played by the Sandinistas. They have become
Cuba's Cubans. Weapons, supplies, and funds are shipped from the
Soviet bloc to Cuba, from Cuba to Nicaragua, from Nicaragua to
the Salvadoran guerrillas. These facts were confirmed last year
by the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
The Sandinista regime has been waging war against its
neighbors since August of 1979. This has included military raids
into Honduras and Costa Rica which still continue today.
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nd they're getting a great deal of help from their friends.
There were 165 Cuban -personnel in Nicaragua in 1979. Today that
force has grown to 10,000. And we're being criticized for having
55 military trainers in El Salvador. Manpower support is also
coming from other parts of the terror network: the PLO has sent
men aid so has Libya's dictator Quadaffi. Last year communist
countries proyided over $400 million in new military assistance,
including tanks, artillery, rocket launchers, and the
construction'of military bases and support facilities.
Just last week a Soviet ship was unloading heavy-duty
military trucks in Nicaragua's Corinto harbor. Another Soviet
ship is on its way with more trucks and 155 Soviet jeeps.
Nicaragua.'s own military forces have grown enormously.
Since 1979, their trained forces increased from 10,000 to over
100,000. Why does Nicaragua need all this power? Why did this
country of only 2.8 million people build the largest military
force in the history of Central America?
They claim the buildup is the result of the anti-Sandinista
forces. But that is a lie. The Sandinista military buildup
began 2-1/2 years before the anti-Sandinista freedom-fighters had
taken up arms.
They claim the buildup is because they are threatened by
their neighbors. That, too, is a lie. Nicaragua's next door
neighbor, Costa Rica, doesn't even have an army. Another
neighbor, Honduras, has armed forces of only 16,000, which we are
now helping to train for defense of their own borders.
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cynical lie.of.all. The truth.is
anniversary, in July 1980, that
spread. beyond.their own borders.
When the Sandinistas were .fighting the Somoza regime, the
,policy was: hands off. We did not attempt. to
',.aggressidn.... That. is` the most
they announced.at.their first
their revolution was going to
United States
3.
more economic assistance.-in the first
18 months of its life than any other country. But in:January
1981, having concluded that the Sandinistas were arming the
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Salvadoran guerrillas, the Carter Administration.-Sent military
aid to E1 Salvador.
As soon as I took office,. we attempted to show friendship to
the Sandinistas and provided economic aid to Nicaragua. But it
did no good. They kept on exporting terrorism. The.words of.
their official party anthem describe us,.the United-States, as
.the enemy of all mankind.
So much for our.. sincere but unrealistic hopes that if only
we'd try harder,.to'b;e friends, Nicaragua would 'flourish in the
glow of our friendship and install liberty and freedom. for their
In-1958,1 .FidelCastro'pledged that, once his revolution had
triumphed, he would start a ,much longer and bigger war -- a war
-.The truth-is: They haven't.
people.
The United States did everything to'show its
a:im the.-buildup is in. response to American
the-Sandinistas, its friendliness, its.
become friends.-:The Carter Administration
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against the Americans. That war, Castro said, "will be my-true
destiny." For 26 years, during Republican and Democratic
administrations, Castro has kept to his own path of revolutionary
violence. Today, Cuba even provides safe passage for drug
traffickers who poison our children. In return, of course, he
gets 'hard cash to buy more weapons of war.
We are in_the amidst of what President John F. Kennedy called
"a long twilight struggle" to defend freedom in the world. He
understood the problem of Central America. He understood Castro.
And he understood the long-term goals of the Soviet Union in this
region.
Twenty-three years ago, President Kennedy warned against the
threat of communist penetration in our hemisphere. He said, "I
want it clearly understood that this Government will not hegitate
in meeting its primary obligations which are to the security of
our Nation." And the House and Senate supported him,
overwhelmingly, by passing a law calling on the United States to
prevent Cuba from extending its aggressive or subversive
activities to any part of this hemisphere. Were John Kennedy
alive today, I think he would be appalled by the gullibility of
some who invoke his name.
I have told you that Cuba's and Nicaragua's prime target is
.El Salvador. And I want to talk to you about that country
because there is a lot of misunderstanding about it.
El Salvador, too, had a revolution several years ago, and is
now struggling valiantly to achieve a workable democracy, and, at
the same time, to achieve a stable economic system and to redress
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historical injustices. 'But El Salvador's yearning for democracy
has.been thwarted by Cuban-trained and armed guerrillas, leading
a campaign of violence against people, and destruction; of
bridges, roads, power stations,. trucks, buses, and other vital
elements of their economy. Destroying this infrastructure has
brought more unemployment and poverty to the people of -
El Salvador.
Some argue that El Salvador has only two political
extremes -- the communist left and the radical right -- that we
must choose between them. That is just not true. Democratic
political parties range from the democratic left, to center, to
.conservative. Trade unions, religious organizations, civic
groups, and business associations are numerous and flourishing.
There is a small, violent right-wing as opposed to democracy as
are the guerrillas, but they are not part of the government, and
we have consistently opposed both extremes, and so has the
government of El Salvador.
Land reform is moving forward. Since March 1980, the
program has benefitted more than 550,000 peasants, or about a
quarter of the rural population. But many can't farm their land;
they will be killed by the guerrillas if they do.
The people of Central America want democracy and freedom.
They want and hope for a better future. Costa-Rica is a
well-established and healthy democracy. Honduras made a peaceful
transition to democracy in 1982. And in Guatemala, political
parties and trade unions are functioning. An election is
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scheduled for July there, with a real prospect that that country.
can return to full constitutional government in 1985.
In fact, 26 of 33 Latin American countries-are democracies
or striving to become democracies.. But they are vulnerable.
.By aiding.thecgmmunist guerrillas in E1.Salvador,
Nicaragua's unelected.governmentis trying to overthrow the
:duly-elected government of a. neighboring country. Like.
Nicaragua, the. .`gover?iment of El Salvador-was born of revolution,
but unlike Nicaragua it has held 3 elections, the most recent a
presidential election last Sunday. It has made great progress
toward democracy..' in this last election, 80 percent of the
people of El Salvador braved communist threats and guerrilla.
violence to vote for pea.ce.in freedom.
Let me give one more example of the difference between-the,
two countries El-Salvador and Nicaragua. The government of--
El.Salvador has offered amnesty to the guerrillas and asked them
to participate in th;e elections and democratic processes. The
guerrillas. refused, they want to shoot their way into power and
establish totalitarian rule.
By contrast, the freedom-fighters, the Contras in Nicaragua
have offered to lay 'down their weapons and take part in
democratic elections!; but there the communist Sandinista
.government has refused.
That's why. the. United States must support both the elected
government of El SalVador'and the thousands of Nicaraguans resisting a
totalitarian takeover: of their homeland. We are trying to prevent the
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shipping of arms by the Nicaraguan government to the guerrillas
in El Salvador.
If the communists can start war against the people of
El Salvador, then El Salvador and its friends are surely
justified in defending themselves by blocking the flow of arms.
If the Soviet Union can-aid and abet subversion in our
hemisphere, then the United States has a legal, right and a moral
duty to help resist it. This is not only in our strategic
interest; it is morally right. It would be profoundly immoral. to
let peace-loving friends depending on our help be overwhelmed by
brute force if we have any capacity to prevent it.
If our political process pulls together, Soviet- and.
Cuban-supported aggression can be defeated. On this, the
centennial anniversary of President Harry Truman's birth, it is
fitting to recall his words spoken_to a joint session of the
Congress in a similar situation: "The free peoples of the world
look to.us.fort support in maintaining their freedoms. If we
falter . we may endanger the peace of the world, and we shall
surely endanger the welfare of this Nation."
The speech was.given in 1947. The problem then was 2 years
of Soviet-supported indirect aggression against Greece. The
communists were close to victory. President Truman called on the
Congress to provide decisive aid to the Greek Government. The
Republican minority rallied behind President Truman's call.
Democratic forces succeeded and Greece became a parliamentary
democracy.
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.seen
Communist sa bve saon Is :r~Dt an irreversible tide. We!ve
it'rolled backJin Venezuela,. the Dominican.' Republic, and
most.recently, in Grenada. And where
rights and peace are more .secure..
the job done.
April. 1.983, ;z eddres:sed- a joint session of, the. Congress
and asked for bipartisan'cooperation on behalf of our policies to
protect liberty
the appointment.of a;blue-ribbon, bipartisan: commission to chart
a long-term course.for_democracy, economic improvement, and peace
in Central America. I appointed twelve distinguished Americans
and democracy in Central America. Shortly after
that speech, the late Democratic Senator Henry. Jackson encouraged
from both political parties to the National Bipartisan Commission
on Central America, chaired by Henry Kissinger.
The Bipartisan Commission rendered an important service to
all Americans -- all i,of us from pole to pole in this. Western
.Hemisphere. Last Ja;riuary, the Commission presented positive
recommendations -to support democratic development, improve living
conditions, and bring the long-sought dream cor.peace to-this
troubled region so close to home.,-, recommendations reinforce
the spirit of our Administration's policies that help to our
neighbors should be primarily economic and humanitarian, but must
also include sufficient military aid.
In February I submitted a comprehensive legislative proposal
to. the Congress which would implement the Commission's
recommendations. .And since this
report presented a bipartisan
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democracy-flourishes, human
The tide of the future can. be
is the will and resources to get
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am.hop:eful that the Congress will take prompt
action. This pr.pposAl'calls for an increased commitment of
resources .beginning. immediately and extending regularly over the
next. 5 years.. The program is a balanced combination of support.
democracy,-`.eco:noinic development,' diplomacy, security
measures, with '70. pe=cent of the. dollars to be used for economic.
and social deweiopment.' This program tar' get the job done. The--
National.. Bipartisan Commission on Central America. has 'done its
work.. Our Administration has done its work.. We_now await.action
by the Congress.' Meanwhile, evidence mounts of Cuban intentions
resources, the communists. will. likely succeed.
double its support to the Salvadoran guerrillas and bring down.
that newly-elected government in the fall. Unless we provide the
Le.t's remember., the Soviet bloc gave Cuba and Nicaragua
$4.9 billion in assistance last year, while the United States
provided all its friends throughout Central America with only a...
fraction of-thatamount.
The simple questions are: Mill we support
freedom in this
hemisphere or-not? Will we defend our vital interests in this
hemisphere or not? Will we stop.the spread-of communism in this
hemisphere. or not? Will we act while there's still time?
There are those in this country who would yield to the
temptation to do nothing. They are the New Isolationists, very.,
much like the isolationists of the Tate 1930's, who-knew what was
happening in Europe but chose not to face the terrible challenge
history had given them.
They preferred a policy of wishful
thinking that if they only gave up one more country, allowed just
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one more international transgression, then surely, sooner or
later, 'the aggressor's appetite would be -satisfied.
Well, they didn't stop the aggressors they emboldened
them. They didn't .prevent war -- they assured it.
Legislation is now before the Congress that will carry out
the recommendations. of the National Bipartisan Commission.
Requests for interim appropriations to give the freedom fighters
in Nicaragua, and the soldiers fighting for their country in
El Salvador, 'the tools they need also await action by the House
of Representatives.
For the last.4 years, only half of the military aid
requested for El Salvador has been provided -- even though total
aid for El Salvador is only 3 percent of our world-wide
assistance. I am asking the Congress to provide the funds I
requested for fiscal year 1984 and.also to enact the entire
National Bipartisan Commission Plan for democracy, economic
development, and peace in Central America.
As I talk to you tonight, there are young Salvadoran
soldiers in the field facing the terrorists and guerrillas in
El Salvador with the clips in their rifles the only ammunition
they have. The lack of evacuation helicopters for the wounded
and the lack of medical supplies if they are evacuated has
resulted in one out of three of the wounded dying. This is no
way to support friends -- particularly when supporting them is
supporting ourselves.
Last week, as we returned across the vast Pacific to Alaska,
I could not help:being.:struck again by how blessed has been our
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-has troubled the world. But clearly, our world is shrinking.
land For 200 yearsj, the oceans have protected us from much that
economic vitality, and our precious way of life.
cannot pretend otherwise if we wish to protect our
freedom, our
the. Administration, you as-citizens,--
and your Represen.tat!ives in the Congress. The people of Central
America can succeed ji:f we provide the assistance I have. proposed.
We"Americans shouldtbbe proud of what we are trying to do in
Thank.you, God bless you, and good night..
here in the Americas;: South, Central, or North.
Let us show the world that we want no hostile, communist colonies
and economic growth, while preserving peace so close to home.
'can do in'Central-Am'erica -- to support democracy, human rights,
Central America, and!.proud of what, together with our friends, we
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