Roger Miranda Bengoechea was a defector, so he had a motive to make up or exaggerate the Sandinistas' aid to other Central American guerrillas. Otherwise, he would have nothing to sell to Washington. The Reagan Administration treated him as a major asset to persuade wavering Democrats to embrace aid to the Contras.
The New York Times December 22, 1987, Tuesday, Late City Final Edition HEADLINE: A Windfall for Reagan BYLINE: By NEIL A. LEWIS, Special to the New York Times DATELINE: WASHINGTON, Dec. 21
The Reagan Administration's skillful use of a Nicaraguan defector and an adroit lobbying strategy of direct and implicit political threats have obliged Democratic leaders who oppose aid to the Nicaraguan rebels to compromise on the politically sensitive issue.
White House officials and leading Democrats said in interviews today that these factors were among the reasons that House conferees agreed to accept a catch-all appropriations bill hammered out with Senate negotiators that would provide $8.1 million in new nonmilitary aid for the contras. House leaders defended the compromise, pointing out that it provides for a showdown on the aid issue next February.
Lawmakers attributed the Administration's success in part to a White House message this weekend that President Reagan would not accept any spending resolution unless it contained some aid for the contras.
Challenging the President
But underlying this week's action is the traditional reluctance among members of Congress to challenge the President on a foreign policy issue, especially one for which they ultimately could be held responsible.
''A lot of people on Capitol Hill don't like the policy,'' an Administration official said. ''But they're reluctant to actually go ahead and cut off the contras cold. They don't want to be responsible.''
The Administration's continued success in getting money for the contras also demonstrates that the Congressional investigation of the Iran-contra affair has not crippled the contra cause in Congress. Less than five weeks ago, when the investigative committees issued their final report, many in Washington contended that contra aid was doomed.
The Administration also found a potent weapon in Maj. Roger Miranda Bengoechea, a senior Nicaraguan military officer who defected in October and asserted that the Sandinistas had embarked on a major program to bolster their military strength with Soviet help, despite the Managua Government's participation in a Central American peace plan. On Friday, State Department officials shepherded Major Miranda around Capitol Hill for several meetings, principally with moderate Democrats, to press the point that the Sandinistas should not be trusted to abide by the Central American peace accord.
Plans for a Buildup
According to Major Miranda, the Sandinistas were awaiting the demise of the contras as an effective fighting force and then planned to build up their forces in the region.
Representative Jim Slattery, a Kansas Democrat who once opposed contra aid and is considered an important swing vote, said Major Miranda's presentation helped the Administration considerably. Mr. Slattery said that after the Miranda presentation, he was inclined to approve some form of contra aid to prevent the Sandinistas ''from creating another Cuba there.''
The Democrats control both the House and the more conservative Senate. The Senate approved about $16 million in short-term aid for the contras in its version of the spending bill while the House provided no money.
When negotiators conferred this weekend to resolve the differences, ''the Senate wouldn't accept'' a complete cutoff, said Representative Thomas S. Foley of Washington, the majority leader
-- Yoshie
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