Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Linda Wertheimer introduces report on senators involved in a helicopter emergency in Central America. Senators on fact finding mission in refugee camp near El Salvador border were attacked over a disputed region along the border.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Refugee camp in Honduras - people are very poor, many young children, barefoot, a woman draws water from a pump.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Mountains in Honduras. Shot of U.S. made helicopter on tarmac, close up of man pointing out bullet holes on sides.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) and Senator Lawton Chiles (D - Florida) on tarmac at D.C. airport, discuss harrowing incident. Johnston, We ve been through the Valley of the Shadow and come out unscathed. There are a lot of people fighting and dying in El Salvador and we re darn lucky not to be in the company of the latter.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) and Senator Lawton Chiles (D - Florida) on leather couch talking to Linda Wertheimer. Linda Wertheimer, Did you anticipate that it might be dangerous when you planned this trip? Did you think of the possibility that you might be in danger? Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) Well, as a matter of fact we did, but that wasn t the overriding thing. And we thought it would be reasonably safe. So we went. Senator Lawton Chiles (D - Florida), I think it like we knew other guerillas were around there, there are death squads, there are other things around there. But you always think, certainly they won t be after us. Linda Wertheimer, Did you have confidence in the guides and the people who were supposed to be looking after you? Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) Up until the time we started taking rounds, yes. At that point I think we wondered, what are we doing here. And why are we lost? I think our pilot really was lost.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Senator Lawton Chiles (D - Florida), If I had gotten killed in that trip, I would have been mad as hell. Since we came out alright, I don t have much concern about it anymore. Linda Wertheimer, When they began to shoot at you, did you understand what was going on? Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) Not initially. We heard some noise, which the pilot himself didn t know what it was. He said, what was that. It sounded like maybe a belt flapping on something outside. And we thought that maybe the plane was coming apart, the rotor was breaking up or something. Until we saw this hole in the glass, up in the canopy about this size and somebody about that time said that s a bullet hole. Then we began to hear the bullets whizzing by.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Linda Wertheimer, Did you have any idea where you were and who was shooting at you? Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) Well, we didn t know where we were, but it was very plain who was shooting at us, that is the Salvadoran guerrillas. At it was very plain that they were hostile. Linda Wertheimer, You thought you d have to land? Senator Lawton Chiles (D - Florida), We were looking for a place to land. I think everybody on the ship felt that we were going down. I know I was more concerned with the plane falling than I was in at getting shot at. Then the colonel we had on board, who has been under more fire than anyone, was a little more seasoned, he was not a part of the crew. He got on the intercom and said check your instruments, if they re alright, let s get the heck out of here.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Linda Wertheimer, Now in a situation like that, if anything had happened to you, the United States government would have had to send somebody down to try to find you or rescue you. Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) It would have been, I m sure, quite a foray of American might that would have been brought to bear on rescuing us if we hadn t very quickly been found. Linda Wertheimer, Does the risk in a situation like that, outweigh the benefits? Senator John Bennett Johnston (D - Louisiana) If you knew what you were getting into, certainly the risks outweighed it. They thought we were going from one place in Honduras to another place in Honduras over territory which they thought to be friendly.
Lawmakers - April 26, 1984
Linda Wertheimer, You ve now had a rather personal experience of this war. Does that affect your thinking about policy in the region? Senator Lawton Chiles (D - Florida), We were in a situation of peril for a very few minutes. There are an awful lot of people in this country, especially in El Salvador, that are in that position daily.