UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS IN NICARAGUA AND COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS ONE HUNDREDTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MAY 13, 1987 Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 75-206 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1987 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS DANTE B. FASCELL, Florida, Chairman LEE H. HAMILTON, Indiana HOWARD WOLPE, Michigan GEO. W. CROCKETT, JR., Michigan PETER H. KOSTMAYER, Pennsylvania EDWARD F. FEIGHAN, Ohio TED WEISS, New York GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York MORRIS K. UDALL, Arizona CHESTER G. ATKINS, Massachusetts JAMES MCCLURE CLARKE, North Carolina JAIME B. FUSTER, Puerto Rico JAMES H. BILBRAY, Nevada WAYNE OWENS, Utah FOFO I.F. SUNIA, American Samoa WILLIAM S. BROOMFIELD, Michigan BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York ROBERT J. LAGOMARSINO, California JIM LEACH, Iowa TOBY ROTH, Wisconsin OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine GERALD B.H. SOLOMON, New York MICHAEL DEWINE, Ohio DAN BURTON, Indiana JAN MEYERS, Kansas JOHN MILLER, Washington DONALD E. "BUZ” LUKENS, Ohio CONTENTS Hon. Elliott Abrams, Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs.. Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton, Catholic Archdiocese, Detroit..... APPENDIXES 1. Article submitted for the record by Representative Robert J. Lagomarsino entitled "Revolutionary Tourism" by Mark Falcoff, Public Opinion maga- Page 2. Travel advisory for Nicaragua, submitted by the Department of State 3. Medical affidavit of Susan Takaro Cookson, M.D., submitted by Mary Risacher concerning the state of the body of Benjamin Linder..... 4. Combat regulations of the Contras, translated and submitted by Depart- 5. Letter submitted by the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Jr., Bishop of New York. 6. Followup correspondence with the Department of State on the death of (III) KF27 UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS IN NICARAGUA AND THE DEATH OF BENJAMIN LINDER WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1987 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 2:03 p.m., in room 220, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. George Crockett (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. CROCKETT. The subcommittee will be in order. The subcommittee meets today to explore the issue of U.S. volunteers in Nicaragua and to examine both the policy implications of their activities there and to better understand the difficult situation in which they are working to help the Nicaraguan people. After five years of U.S. backing and over $200 million in overt, covert and private funding for the contras, there is no end in sight to this conflict. The death of Ben Linder is a poignant reminder of the tragic implications of this policy for thousands of U.S. and foreign volunteers as well as for the people of Nicaragua. Mr. Linder was the first American to be killed in the fighting between Sandinista forces and the contras, although volunteers from other countries have also been killed. Mr. Linder's case, however, represents the situation of an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 U.S. volunteers in Nicaragua. These American volunteers are joined by thousands of other volunteers from all over the globe who are working in Nicaragua on various development projects. It is important to focus our attention now on these problems and these issues presented by so many U.S. volunteers serving in Nicaragua and to try to find the answers to several questions which the death of Mr. Linder has raised. First, how much danger are U.S. volunteers confronted with while serving in Nicaragua? What kinds of assistance are U.S. volunteers entitled to from the U.S. Embassy and what have they been receiving in the way of support from our Government? Of what significance is the statement by a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Managua that it is too dangerous to investigate the Linder case, especially when the United States is furnishing the money to supply the weapons which killed this young U.S. volunteer, and on an issue in which we would certainly have the assistance of the Nicaraguan Government if we did undertake the requested investigation? (1) |