U.S. Policy in Nicaragua

Your editorial (April 21) “Nicaragua: No, No, No,” opposing all congressional funds to the contras was intelligent and eloquent.

The fact that the contras have made no inroads in Nicaragua despite having 15,000 troops, making them the largest and best-funded guerrilla group in Latin American history (the Sandinistas in contrast had only 3,000 troops during most of the fighting and little foreign aid, Castro had just several hundreds), demonstrates that most Nicaraguans probably view contras not as freedom fighters, but rather as mercenaries attempting to reimpose a Somoza-like dictatorship.

The Reagan Administration’s refusal to allow the World Court to judge the CIA’s involvement in raids on Nicaragua is an implicit admission of guilt. The fact that most of our democratic allies oppose aid to the contras, even countries such as Mexico and Colombia, which are much more vulnerable to guerrilla attack than we are, is evidence that we are undermining our moral authority as well as breaking international law.

I hope that we do reassert the values of our Founding Fathers such as national sovereignty and national self-determination by refusing the contras further aid.

STEVEN TOPIK

Irvine