PANEL TO PROBE CIA ROLE IN CHILE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020078-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 78
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020078-8
WASHINGTON YUS"1-
~aaael to 'robe
CIA i'tole in Chile
By Laurence Stern' of the Kennedy administration to come from
Washington Post Staff Writer -starting in 1962-to August partment.
Stung by recent revelations) of last year. A total of $1 mil- At the State Department.
-of covert U.S. political inter- lion was authorized for desta-
vention in Chile, the Senate bilization of the Allende gov-
Foreign Relations Committee iernment during August, 1973.
to investigate the matter.
The action was taken in a
climate of rising pressure on
Capitol Hill for tighter con-
gressional control over oper-
ations of the Central Intelli-
gence Agency.
The committee's inquiry
will go into the question of
whether high-ranking adminis-
tration officials may have per-
jured tluunselves or commit-
ted contempt. of Congress in
sworn testimony on the U:S.
clandestine role in opposing
the election of the late Salva-
dor Allende in Chile and then
hi
d
i
l'1
t
soe
o un
efm
ne
3ig
s govI !T ,,,.r rc'
T r
ernment. was obtained by i n~ fi a n tir?- g r ',`i ni^ft
Rep. Thomas Morgan (D- ton Post from a Senate office; Mr. }-lord ha .i d h tustifica-
to Which it had been distrib-~ t.ion of the t cover t actions
IaJ, Chairman of the House tar;eted a a n5t :11t .nde,
uted.
i
Aff
itt
i
C
ee
a
rs
omm
Fore
gn
said he would take up the Se n` Frank Church (D- nRS n. \V, lteF F. \Iondale (D-
Chile issue this week with the
observation that "this is our
one chance to get oversight of
the CIA and we're going to
grab it."
military coup that toppled the
Allende government and led
to the death of the Chilean
president.
At a closed session of the
Senate Foreign Relations
Committee yesterday, Minor-
ity Leader Hugh, Scott (R-Pa.)
expressed concern over the
leakage of a staff report re-
Mont.) said he intends to call
for a joint committee to over-
spokesman Robert Anderson see covert CIA operations
told reporters that President abroad.
Ford's statement "speaks fore "We have not asked enough
itself" and that he had noth- questions, we have been too
ing to add. At the CIA there prone to take what they tell us
was no comment on the presi- on faith and not probe too
dential allegation. 1 deeply," Mansfield said. His
One State Department pub- proposal was endorsed by Sen-
lie affairs officer lunched yes- ate Foreign Relations Commit-
terday with a member of the I tee. chairman J. William Ful-
Chilean embassy staff, Chi-;bright (t)-Ark.), who ;ill pre-
lean right wing Radical Party side over the investigat;cn of
journalist Rafael Otera, in an thA special programs in C.iile.
effort to gather evidence to Because of Fulbrihitt's close
support the President's charge relationship with Kis,in,,et',
resided over the ti;ition-
against the Allende govern- who
p
commending contempt andlperjury investigations of gov-1ment. al security council nie ings
White House officials de- that chartered the pro;_ram of i
ernment witnesses, according
to informed sources. dined to discuss what sort of covert action against Allende,
A Copy of the report, pre- briefing was provided the there was some skepticism on
1 resident as the basis for his) Capitol Hill and elsewhere
pared by Jerome I?evittt n yc,i of n effort by the A',- I about how far the Forei> n Ile-
chief counsel to the hcrei lcndc over r.rneit to destroy lations Committee inquiry
Relations Subcorrin lire iin LU,tosi.tinn nres and parties. would go. But Fulbright has
national subcommittee, said
that the Levinson report has
been set aside but that the full
committee investigation will
go into its findings and reconv
Traditionally the CIA has; mendations.
reported to oversight subcom- ~Meanwhile, spokesman for
mittees comprised of thelithe White House and State
House and Senate Armed Department still were unable
Services committees. :1'lembers to elaborate on the basis for
of both oversight panels have; President Ford's assertion at
said in the past week that they his ;Monday night press con-
were unaware of the scope; Terence that the Allende gov-
and details of the interven- i ernment three or four years
terday, said he found the Pres-
ident's statement on the CIA's
role in Chile "unbelievable"
and announced he is introduc-
ing legislation that would es-
tablish a Senate select com-
t r f
omme
rm
'tt~ t e -
m
r
c
complainers against clandes-
tine activities carried out by
executive mandate targeted
against governments, political
movements and leaders of,
'which the United States has
disapproved.
Rep. John Anderson (ft-Ili.).
chairman of the Ilou.;e Repub-
lican Conference, wa: one of
the few congressional Republi-
cans to criticize openly Presi-
t
e o
1.r
o
s
c
in control of foreign intelli-i don', Ford's defense of covert
operations in Chile a ainst the
genet operations. I
about the existence of opposi-
tion elements and the preser-
vation of democracy in Chile,
do we now have a program to
tions, going back over an 11- ago sought to destroy opposi- help support the democratic 11 he did not know why the
year period and costing some ti on parties, newspapers and politicians and journalists who President assumed responsibil-
$1.1 million, until the recent! electronic media, have now been muzzled, ban-' itv for activities undertaken
surfacing of testimony by CIAAt a White house briefing, nod and jailed?" Mondale in-I,bv the Nixon administration.
Director William B. Colby. acting press secretary John W.I quired. Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D.-
The clandestine programs in' llushen said he stood on the'; In addition to the Alondale !Alin n.), in a television inter-
Chile, as covered in the Colby President's statement and that (l statement, Senate Majority I view, called for the termina-
testimony, ran from the period l anything further would have 'I tion of covert action.
00747
voted unanimously yesterday This was a month before the
"I ain surprised by Presi-
dent Ford's defense of covert
operations," said Anderson.
He predicted an outcry
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020078-8