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Though official U.S. aid has dried up, CIA agents still reportedly advise contra leaders on military tactics. The rebels have tapped fresh sources of support; among the countries rumored to give assistance are Colombia and Taiwan. Help also comes from Nicaraguan and Cuban exiles living in Florida as well as from a network of conservative groups in the U.S. Food, clothing and medical supplies have been sent to the families of contras by such organizations as the Christian Broadcasting Network, headed by Virginia Television Evangelist M.G. ("Pat") Robertson, and the Friends of the Americas, a Louisiana-based group dedicated to fighting Communism. Many of these efforts are coordinated by the American chapter of the World Anti-Communist League, headed by retired U.S. Army General John Singlaub, 63. He boasts that he and others have raised about $500,000 a month for the FDN since May, but contra leaders say that is an exaggeration.
Some U.S. groups offer men as well as money. The Civilian Military Assistance, an obscure anti-Communist organization in Alabama, is said to have sent several men to serve with the guerrillas. Two CMA members were killed in September when their helicopter was shot down during a rebel air assault. The group's leaders have told the FDN that they have the names of 3,000 Americans eager to help the contras. U.S. officials, perhaps skeptical of CMA's figure, profess not to be overly concerned. "If Americans give indirect support to the contras, more power to them," said a Reagan aide. "But participating in gun battles inside Nicaragua? We'd rather they didn't."
The White House plans to try again next year to persuade Capitol Hill to restore contra funding. Congress approved $14 million in CIA aid for the rebels in October, but insisted that Reagan submit the proposal for a second vote in March before the funds could be spent. Passage may be more difficult than the Administration expects. Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana, the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, predicted last week that Congress would reject requests for more aid.
Some U.S. officials contend that the contras will be in danger of extinction next year unless they receive more § arms. According to Washington, the Sandinistas are assembling up to a dozen Soviet-made Mi-24 Hind helicopters capable of flying some 200 m.p.h. and carrying air-to-surface missiles. To counter the lethal gunships, the rebels would need Redeye or SA-7 antiaircraft missiles. A member of the intelligence community points out that the FDN already has run out of ammunition for its grenade launchers, M-60 machine guns and antitank weapons, and must rely almost entirely on hand-held weapons. The possibility that the contras might collapse has begun to be voiced by others. In return for continuing to allow them to operate from Honduras, the government there has asked Washington for guarantees that it would resettle the rebels in the U.S. if their crusade fails. Concludes a top U.S. official: "Potentially, they are in very bad shape."