Contras Doing ‘Amazing Job,’ Badham Finds

Rep. Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach) said Saturday that he returned from a four-day trip to Central America impressed with the support he encountered for the United States-backed contras, who he said are “doing an amazing job.”

Badham, a supporter of the rebels, met with three presidents of Central American countries, other military and embassy officials, contra leaders, religious leaders and “well over a hundred” people in the streets, supermarkets and other spots.

But in Nicaragua, the official reception was less than favorable, said Badham, who was received by a low-level official during a meeting that he described as “not worth much at all.” Congress recently approved $100 million in aid for the contras, who are fighting to topple the Nicaraguan government.

Badham said his “mind was not closed” during the visit, which included stops at a refugee camp and at a contra base.

Heads of State

During the trip--which began Tuesday and ended Friday night--Badham met with El Salvador President Jose Napoleon Duarte, Costa Rica President Oscar Arias and Honduras President Jose Azcona Hoya.

Echoing the words of President Reagan and other contra supporters, Badham said the Soviet Union and Cuba are attempting to export their Communist doctrine to Central America.

If the Sandinista government is not removed from its seat of power, Nicaragua will turn into “a Cuba on the mainland,” Badham said. And if that happens, he said, “the destruction of democracy” eventually would spill across the borders to Mexico. The repercussions would devastate the Central American economy, affect the United States economy and present a blow to democracy, he said.

Badham, seeking reelection to a sixth term this November, traveled with several committee staff members. His visit was criticized by his Democratic opponent, retired judge Bruce W. Sumner. Badham was named by the consumer group Congress Watch as the second-ranked “frequent flier” in Congress for his travels abroad at public expense. This was his first trip to Latin America.