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MEMORANDUM
June 24, 1988
To: SENATOR DOLE
From: AL LEHN
Subject: CONTRA AID MEETING, MONDAY, JUNE 27, 11:00 AM
We have invited the same Senators as last week (see attached list). We will try to do contra aid through a Floor amendment to one of the appropriations bills. The purpose of this meeting is to make the following decisions:
1. WHICH APPROPRIATIONS BILL? The main candidates are Defense; State-Commerce-Justice; or Foreign Ops. At both the earlier Senators' meeting and our follow-up staff-level meeting, most favored Defense -- in important part because we are likely to have more sympathetic House conferees.
2. SOME UNRESOLVED PROVISIONS OF OUR PROPOSAL. What provisions do we put in our "first offer" proposal -- do we start out with our bottom line, which some think gives our proposal credibility and gets some votes; or do we put in more, for bargaining purposes? The key questions:
o Trigger mechanism for lethal aid. The choices: a Presidential certification; or a second Congressional vote. In principle, most aid proponents prefer the former; the question is whether the latter gets you any more votes (staff for Cohen and Kassebaum, for example, say their bosses will support aid only with a second vote) .
o Delivery system for lethal aid. The two choices: Presidential discretion (which means, in effect, that CIA will do it); or give the contras the money and equipment to set up their own system, with no direct U.S. involvement. At the Senators' meeting, those who spoke to the subject indicated allowing the CIA in might doom the bill (especially in the House). But in our staff meeting, Intelligence Committee staff made a strong case that the contras just can't do the job, because of vastly improved Sandinista air defense (to shoot down supply planes) .
o Amounts of aid. The Administration is still working up the figures. The aim is to go for the maximum you can get before the numbers begin to lose you votes. There is a feeling that we went too low the last time -- we could have asked for more, without driving off any votes.
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INVITEES
Accepted:
DOLE SIMPSON
STEVENS
LUGAR
RUDMAN
MCCAIN
SHELBY
"Will try:"
GRAHAM NUNN
Declined:
COHEN
HELMS (out of town)
No response yet :
KASSEBAUM
KASTEN
BENTSEN
BOREN
BREAUX
HOLLINGS
JOHNSTON
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MONDAY, 6/27 11:00 Contra Aid MTG - S230
INVITEES
Accepted:
(Checkmark) Dole
(Checkmark) Simpson
(Checkmark) Stevens
(Checkmark) Lugar
(Checkmark) Rudman
(Checkmark) McCain
(Checkmark) Shelby [illegible] way
"Will try:" 
GRAHAM - On Way
Nunn - On Way
Declined:
Cohen
Helms (out of town)
No response yet:
(Checkmark) Kassebaum - yes, date
Kasten
Bentsen - yes
Boren - no
Breaux - not on his schedule
Hollings - no
Johnston - no