Well, this is a chicken & egg argument Panzer. The United States has made no secret of the fact that it views any government that goes communist illegitimate and will actively work against it. I'm not saying that to be unpatrioitic, it's a fact. Nicaragua (Ortega) didn't want to be Castro's buttboy, but antagonism by Ford & neglect by Carter gave them few options but to sign on with him.
The argument isnt who started it, but whether communist countries are a threat to America..