EXPULSON OF U.S. DIPLOMATS FROM NICARAGUA ON CHARGES OF AN ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000200730005-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: June 6, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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ABC NIGHTLINE.
6 June 1983
RAPPEL: e.BC's Carl Bernstein reports that a house Foreign Affairs Committee is
expected to vote tomorrow to cut off funds for covert CIA aid aimed at crippling the
Sandinista government. Senate committees already have voted a simliar cutoff by
September 30, but Bernstein reports that congressmen responsible for overseeing the
CIA are skeptical about today's charges by Nicaragua.
BERNSTEIN: Despite heightened congressional concern about the CIE's activities in
Central America, those congressmen most familiar with the agency's operations, members'
of the Fuse and Senate Intelligence Committees, have expressed skepticism that the
agency would engage in any assassination plots. Such action, they note,, is forbidden
by law, and the danger to the CIA, if it was foupd to be secretly plotting murders of
Nicaraguan leaders, would be enormous, international embarrassment, a probable cut-off
of- funds for dozens of covert operations around the world, far-reaching
'investigations, and for the Reagan administration extensive political damage, but
among members of Congressional Intelligence Committees, as well as members of the
intelligence gathering community there was little doubt expressed that officials of
the embassy staff in Managua have extensive contacts with the Sandinistas' political
opposition. Part of the S19 million in covert operations against the Nicaraguan
regime is earmarked for building popular support for an opposition front in the
country, but there has been no suggestion by congressional sources that these plans
include assassination attempts. CIA Director William Casey, say members of Congress,
has become increasingly angered by questions raised on Capitol Bill about covert
activities in the hemisphere, leading to a recent outburst in which congressmen say I
Casey shouted at them, quote, 'Who lost Central America is going to be the big issue
in the next presidential election.' This is Carl Bernstein for Nightline in
Washington.
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ABC NIGHTLINE
-6 June 1983
KOPPEL: It is generally conceded that the Reagan administration is engaged in covert
activities supporting opponents of the lefts-wing government in Nicaragua, but when it
comes to details on those actitivies the usual U.S. response is a terse 'no comment.
Today, however, the U.S. government lost no time in flatly denying charges that U.S.
diplomats were conspiring to assassinate top Nicaraguan leaders. Three American
diplomats flew out of Managua, Nicaragua, tonight -after they were declared persona non
grata by the Nicaraguan government. Linda Pfeifel, David Noble Greig and Ermila
Roari.guez were accused by the Nicaraguan government of plotting criminal activities
against Nicaragua, including assassination attempts. The story now from Nightline
correspondent Betsy Aaron. MIGUEL D'ESCOTO:. The talks have been shelved for the time
being because after all they have said that....
AARON: This is the man, Nicaraguan foreign minister, the Reverend Niguel D'Escoto,
whom three American -Embassyemployees in Nicaragua are accused of plotting to
assassinate, the three -accused of working for the Central Intelligence Agency. In
Managua a U.S. embassy spokesman called the charges, simply absurd,' a statement
eehoec in Washington .at the State Department. ALAN ROMBERG (State Dept. Spokesman):
Among other things they suggested that these people were engaged in planning for
assassination activities. We have rather consistently denied any such activities.
*LENIN CERNA: (Speaking in Spanish).
AARON: The Nicaraguans outlined their charges this afternoon at a news conference run
by Lenin Cerna, head of the state security police. Said Cerna, 'We are here to show
you once again what the CIA has been doing.' What it had allegedly been doing was
recruiting this woman, *Marlena Moncotta, a secretary working in the Nicaraguan
embassy in Honduras. Under orders from her government, Moncotta returned to Nicaragua
and went to work as a double agent, spying both for the United States and Nicaragua.
Reading from a text, Ms. Moncotta told of numerous phone calls and letters from Ermils
Rodriguez, a second secretary at the U.S. embassy, her American contact. Then the
evidence: hollow bookends with room enough to hold code books for deciphering
messages sent by two-way radio; a pad, its pages made of edible paper; a bottle of
brandy laced with a lethal poison, the brandy allegedly intended for Foreign Minister
Miguel D'Lscoto. The Rev. D'Lscoto had often charged the United States with trying to
destabilize and to overthrow his government. In 1982 at a news conference in Managua:
D'ESCOTO (Tilmclip): The United States has decided to launch an invasion against
Nicaragua.
AARON: And in April of this year on this program: D'ESCOTO (Filmclip): They
conceived it. They are directing it. They are financing it, and the United States is
also arming it.
AARON: Today's news conference ended with a Niearaguarrmade film showing ?is. Moncotta
entering a restaurant in Managua, this her first alleged contact with the Americans.
These scenes were set to music by the Nicaraguans. Through a series of still
photographs and videotape Moncotta is seen entering and leaving a car with Ermila
Rodriguez. On hay 31, Moncotta says she received a phone call telling her to pick up
the liquor bottle beside a tree. She did on camera. That was less than a week ago.
Yesterday the Nicaraguans., decided to pull the plug on this so-called CIA operation,
announcing the expulsion of three U.S. embassy employees and tonight Ermila Rodriguez,
second secretary; Linda Pfeifel'; a political affairs officer; and David Greig, a first
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secretary flew out of hanagua, the first Americans ordered to leave Nicaragua. This
Betsy Aaron for Nightline in New York.
KOPPEL: In a moment we'll talk with Nicaraguan Foreign Hiniste_ Niguel D'E.scoto, who,
say the Nicaraguans, was targeted by the CIA for assassination. and later the 15th
anr.iversary of the death of Robert Kennedy. We'll talk live with his eldest son.
Joseph Kennedy, II.
KOPPEL: At this point we were scheduled to talk via satellite with higuel D':scoto,
the foreign minister of Nicaragua. Unfortunately we've lust lost our satellite link.
Joining us, however, here in our Washington studio is the former chairman of the
Central Intelligence Committee Frank\Church of Idaho. It was he who spoke at an
earlier time of the CIA being like a rogue elephant, other words, an organization that
had gone totally out of control. Sen. Church, considering all that happened during
your tenure and since, is it feasible, do you think, that the CIA would once again be
involved in assassination attempts against leaders of foreign governments? CHURCE?
Well, Ted, I would certainly hope not. 1, I find it hard to believe that we would.
again stoop to that. kind of activity in the world. The problen is that even, if this
is a hoax, a set-up, many people will believe it in Latin America because it is a
known fact that the CIA did involve itself. in assassination attempts in the Gast
against Castro. It was implicated in the assassination of Trujillo in. the Dominican
Republic. It sought to seek, or it sought to assassinate Lumumba at one time in
Africa. General Rene Schneider in Chile, who having been a West Point graduate.
opposed an army take-over of an elected government, and there was a passim of weapons
to one of two groups that.,were known to be intending to kidnap the general. He ws=
later assassinated in that kidnap attempt, so these are known facts 0: the :.as: L-1,
that's, that's the thing that always made me believe that in addition to being
once revealed we paid too heavy a political price.
KOPPEL: Well, let me ask you a question about that. In all the weeks of hearings
that you had on this particular subject, wnat conclusion did you reach as to the
motivations, then, because that must always have been in the backs of the minds of
those who were planning these things, if this ever comes out there's gonna be hell to
pay.
CHURCE: Well, you see, I think that that was never thought through. There was a
period in our history when we regarded our presidents, and they regarded themselves as
kind of super godfathers who were entitled to take actions of this kind. Bad it been
thought through, they would have realized that in a free society like ours it's just a
question of time until these assassination attempts, like other covert operations,
become known, and then the political price we pay is immense. I mean there are parts
of this world that make no distinction between the United States and the Soviet Union
anymore because of this kind of sordid activity, and that's, that's a terrible shame
because we lose, in the eyes of so many people in the world, the very values that we
hold most dear and make us such a special society.
KOPPEL: Follow up for a moment, if you would, on the thinking that lay behind what
you said'a couple of moments ago. You spoke .of the possibility of a set-up. We are
in the middle, once again, of a certain period of self-examination. Why do you think
there might be a set-up, and how would you think that bad been framed up? CHURCE:
Well, I can see, you know, I don't know whether the truth or the falsity of this
matter. How, bow can I judge, or any of us at this point, but I can see bow the
Nicaraguans, for example, might appeal-to the sympathy. of other countries in Central
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America and indeed throughout Latin America by implicating the CIA jr, another effort
to assassinate the leaders of the Nicaraguans regime. I mean it plays to their
advantage to the extent that it's believed. 2 hope that it isn't so. I, I.'m sorry
that it will be, nonetheless, widely believed, and that, that's damaging to us.
KOPPEL: There is, is there not, a law that was passed about 10 years ago against the
assassination of foreign leaders? I can see people in other parts of the world and
perhaps even some people in this country looking a little cynically at that and
saving, come on. if these were people who were worried about the law, we wouldn't have
to be concerned in the first place. What good does a law like that do? CHURCH:
Well. 2 t irt, that if we don't, if our own ?government doesn't obey the law, then the
government sets an impossible example for the people. i think that this law is
enforceable. I think that it will be obeyed. I'a, not one who assumes on the basis of
these revelations today that the CIA has again reverted to assassination attempts.
abroad. The committee concluded that on the, or. the basis o our investigation of
such assasbi:.ation efforts in the past that the price we paid was much too high, that
the united States should not desert its ow' Principles. and that when we do that we
really play into the hands of our enemies, and, ai., sc we recommended against covert
operations. not only assassinations but covert operations generally. except in extreme
circumstances wnere the vital security and 5urvi a_ Of our o1,1r, republic called for
Such a
.here seem! to have been a little s ip:.age on those grounds already. CHURCH:
On, yes. clearly. Clearly we're reverzsng under his administration to practices of
the past that die not serve the best in:erest?cf this country and should not be in
our. or, our :uric agenda' They should nr he r+crt of our a c"ernmenta: operation
broad.
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