Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Paul Duke introduces commentary by Otis Pike on CIA and Congress.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Otis Pike seated in front of shelf of books. Discusses controversy over CIA operations in Nicaragua. There has been a great brew-ha-ha in the Congress lately about whether the Central Intelligence Agency has properly briefed the Congress about operations they were conducting in Nicaragua. Senate Intelligence Chairman Barry Goldwater says his committee was not properly briefed. The CIA says it was, but apologized anyway. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Edward Boland says his committee was properly briefed. The CIA agrees. It really doesn t matter much. Neither the proper briefing, given to the House Committee nor the dubious one give to the Senate Committee stopped US participation in the mining of Nicaraguan waters. Leaks - and nothing but leaks - stopped the mining. Once it became public in the United States, there was a loud outcry against what we were doing, so we stopped. This is an area in which Congress truly represents the American people and the American people have very ambivalent feelings about covert actions. Our people, our media and our Congress swing from one extreme to the other - from wanting to do everything possible to prevent the spread of Communism or terror to attacking everything we are doing to attack the spread of Communism or terror. There is certainly a mighty difference in degree between the terror and brutality involved in using Soviet bombers against Afghan rebels and civilians and using noisy but non-lethal mines against shipping in Nicaraguan waters. Most Americans like to believe however, that we re separated from the Soviets and certainly from the Iranians, Iraqis and Libyans by more than a degree of terror and brutality we are willing to use. Our ambivalence is evidenced in our stock piling of nuclear weapons, we say we want only to prevent nuclear war - or of chemical weapons we need only to prevent other from using chemical weapons. It is especially evident in our feeling about covert actions. We want brutality and terror stopped. We aren t sure how much terror and brutality we should use to stop them. Neither is the Congress, nor do we or they always want to know what we are doing lest we should feel compelled to stop it.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Paul Duke signs off.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Closing Credits