Reagan Again Presses for Aid to Contras
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WASHINGTON — President Reagan, praising the Nicaraguan rebels as men of “blood and courage” who have helped preserve America’s security, demanded Saturday that the Senate resurrect his House-rejected $100-million aid package for the guerrillas.
“The House vote must be reversed, and soon,” Reagan said in his weekly radio address, delivered from the Oval Office.
“Every day that this vote is permitted to stand, every day the freedom fighters are left defenseless against Soviet helicopter gunships, more lives will be lost, and the dangers will grow from this Soviet beachhead on our continent,” Reagan said.
The President praised the rebels, known as contras, saying that even though they are outnumbered, they continue to fight for democracy in Central America.
“In helping to thwart the aggressive designs of the Nicaraguan communists and their Soviet Bloc accomplices, they have directly contributed to the safety of the United States and the American people,” Reagan asserted.
The Republican-controlled Senate begins debating the aid question on Tuesday.
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