THEY ALL CAME TO CHILE'S PARTY, BUT NOBODY WAS TALKING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020072-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 72
• Publication Date: September 19, 1974
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020072-4
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19 SEP 197,4---
They All Came
To Chile's Party, but
Nobody Was Talking
-
By Ymelda Dixon
Special to the Star-News
Anyone wishing to probe the CIA's
role in Chile should have stayed away
from last night's reception at the Chi-
lean embassy where Chile's 164th anni-
versary was being observed by Ambas-
sador and Mrs. Walter Heitmann. ' -
Talk about secrecy. From the
ambassador on down, no one would
admit to any knowledge of covert U.S.
political intervention in their country.
Heitmann, who would not even ac-
knowledge President Ford's assertions
that the deposed government of Salva-
dor Allende sought three or four years
ago to destroy opposition parties, news-
papers and electronic media, finally
said. "If there is a problem, it is your
problem, not ours."
That was the general staff line.
AT THE RECEPTION where succu-
lent empanadas were passed and
spirited guitarists held forth on the
staircase landing, American foreign
service officers also were leery of politi-
cal discussion. John Karkashean, the
desk director for Chile and Bolivia in-
toned, "I stand by the President's state-
ment."
Efforts to speak with Rafael Otero, the
Chilean right wing Radical Party
journalist and now an embassy staff
member, met with equally futile results.
Otero, who lunched Wednesday with a
State Department public affairs officer
to whom he gave evidence in support of
the President's charges was expected,
according to Heitmann. But U.S. public
affairs officers who know Otero failed to
locate him in the crowd.
GENERAL Washington Sergio Car-
rasco, who commanded the military,
district in which the Allende overthrow
and death took place, spoke of the ousted
government's time as one when the
Communists tried to take over and were
defeated. He also mopped his brow and
talked about the weather.
No one would admit even to having
ever known a CIA agent except Egyp-
tian Am
bassador Ghorbal, the Chileans'
next door neighbor. "Who knows? If we
look under a rock in Cairo, we might find
one," he said with a twinkle.
Cornelis W. A. de Groot of the political
section of the Netherlands embassy was
mistakenly identified by a woman as. a
member of the spook group. "They don't
wear raincoats any more," observed de
Groot, adding, "Except when it rains."
Chief of Protocol Henry Catto threw
up his hands in mock horror when asked
about the investigation the Senate For-
eign Relations Committee will conduct
on CIA operations. "I don't read the
papers," said Catto and headed for the
door.
Only Canadian Ambas-
sador Marcel - Cadieux
would talk forthrightly and
very diplomatically.-."If I
told you what I. know of
such activities, I would be
telling you things that are
secret and then they would '
not be secret. Any business
or political transaction be-
tween countries affect the -
countries' welfare. Are
covert activities worse
than open activities such
as in Hungary? It takes- a
big country to' finance
these operations and from
what I have read about ,
Chile, it was a $7 or $8 mil-
lion operation, and that's
not so big. As to the Presi-
dent's statement, natural.
ly, i have nothing -to: say
about that." - -
"It is." said Chilean
Ambassador Heitmann,
"just our National Day
party. We- are getting
pretty old and it is a nice
party. don't you think?"
s w * ?
EVEN THE Capitol con-
stabulary jaded from daily
exposure to famous faces
did double takes yesterday
y
emums . and
afternoon as they escorted pumpkins. "I did not know,
the guests of Mrs. Russell it was fall yet." comment_
Long and Mrs. Abraham. - ed Mrs. Robert McClory.
Ribicoff to Room S.-207 '.'If Caroline- Long and
and the reception in honor 'Casey" Ribicoff say it's
of Mrs.- George Aiken,. fall, it's fall," .;finalized
whose husband is retiria3 Mrs. Ernest F. Hollings-
from the Senate at the end
of this session.
the rolr of the Senate from
Abourezk through Beall.
Bellmon, Sparkman to
Williams and most would
have answered "present."
Among the guests -was
the wife of former Vice
President, Mrs. Spiro T.
Agnew. Her husband was
still -in Iran,' where one
purpose of his trip. is to re-
search the novel he is writ-
ing, she said. .
Wives of senators never
make political noises at
parties. In fact, Mrs. Adlai
Stevenson III told about
how she is taking Mrs.
James L. Buckley to the
mini-repair class at the
Woman's National Demo-
cratic Club.
Mrs. Harrison A. Wil-
liams Jr., the newest Sen-
ate bride, told of how,
during the wedding cere-
mony at the home of Mrs.
.Charles Engelhard, widow
of the mineral zillionaire,
President Ford called to
congratulate the - new-
lyweds. Mrs. Englehard
refused to interrupt and it
took Ford three calls to get
through.
On Tuesday night while
the President gave a stag
dinner for members of
Congress, Mr. and Mrs.
Reginald Jones and the
Robert Barries gave a din-
ner for the Williamses at
the George Town Club.
One token Senator, Jen-
nings Randolph of West
Virginia, went to the White
House.
At yesterday's reception
for Mrs. Aiken were Cabi-
net wives, wives of Su-,
preme Court Justices,
wives of ambassadors and
wives of members of the
press. Among them were
Mrs. Warren Burger, Mrs.
William Saxbe, Mrs. Ar-
thur Burns, Mrs. George
Bush, Mrs. Roger Mudd,
Mrs. Kenneth Rush, Mrs.
Farideh . Ardalan, Mrs.
Berndt. Von Staden and
Mrs. Winston Lord. - .
The guests gathered
around the long table cen-
tered by an Immense floral
arrangement of bronze
chr
santh
00741
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020072-4