President Reagan Orders Troops Into Honduras in 1988

The Sandinista National Liberation Front was a socialist political party in Nicaragua which seized power after overthrowing Anastasio Somoza, Nicaragua’s dictator at the time. This political party came into power in 1979 and was voted out of office in 1990. Within a year of the Sandinistas taking power over Nicaragua, the Contras, who opposed the Sandinistas, started to seek a counterrevolution. The members of the Contras included former National Guardsman, ex-Sandinista soldiers, and peasants and farmers who were upset with the Sandinista land policies. This group gathered in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Miami to discuss opposition against the Sandinistas.

Ronald Reagan, who served as the 40^th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989, was a supporter of the Contras. Significantly, during the years of his early presidency, he signed the National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), supporting the Contras with a budget of $19 million to conduct actions against the Sandinistas. This marked the beginning of official United States support for the Contras because there was a belief that the Sandinistas supported the Soviet Union. This background information is significant to mention in order to understand why President Reagan later sent 3,200 men from American troops to Honduras on March 19, 1988.

Marlin Fitzwalker, the President’s spokesman, claimed that President Reagan deployed these troops because Honduras suffered a border incursion by approximately 2,000 Sandinistas. He further explained that the troop movement was as an “emergency deployment readiness exercise,” and the troops would not be subject to any danger from either the Contras or Sandinistas. The troops stayed at the Palmerola Air Base in Honduras, not far from the Nicaraguan border. However, the Honduran government could not confirm whether the Sandinista troops crossed its borders and Nicaragua denied that they had entered Honduran territory. While this fact was unclear, the American troops stayed for a brief period of time and the Sandinista troops were not affected.

Even though the Sandinista troops may not even have entered Honduran territory, this event is significant in that it represents a sign of support for Honduras from the United States. President Reagan was met with criticism from United States citizens throughout the years of his presidency due to his support for the Contras, but he was still willing to support Honduras during a potentially dangerous situation. While United States involvement in various Latin America countries has been viewed as good and bad over time, this action by President Reagan demonstrates a moment of solidarity between Honduras and the United States.

Works Cited

(2009, November 13). President Reagan orders troops into Honduras. History. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/reagan-orders-troops-into-honduras

Roberts, Steven. (1988, March 17). U.S. TO SEND FORCES TO AID HONDURAS, CITING ‘INCURSION’. The New York Times, pp. 1.

(2018, February 8). Reagan Library. President Reagan’s Radio Address on SDI and Honduras on March 19, 1988. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSfUT9O5H1I