FORD DEFENSE OF CIA IN CHILE STIRS DEBATE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020081-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 81
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000020081-4
C_ RISTIAN SCIENCE MONITC.
Ford defense of CIA
in Chfl!s sth-s wetav
By Dana Adams Schmidt
Staff correspondent of
The Christian Science Monitor
Washington
President Ford's admitssion, at his
news conference Tuesday, that the
United States engaged in covert, actin
sties in Chile, and his defense of them
has stirred vigorous debate here.
Some deplore the covert activities,
feeling that it is improper. for the U.S.
to conduct undercover intervention
In the affairs of countries with "duly
elected" governments.
Others deplore the fact that the
President admitted these activities,
which recall President } i:. rhos, r-r's
famous a.Cinis,.ion thst the T .E;. was
flying the U-2 spy plane ever the
Soviet Union.
CIA activity defended
And there are those who have seen
much of Soviet and other Communist
activity in various Parts of the world
who ardently defend the activities of
the Central Intelligence Agency in
Chile and elsewhere as an essential
part of U.S. foreign policy and secu-
rity.
What the President said was that
the CIA activities were ju.itifIed be-
cause "there was an effort being
made by the government of Salvador
Allende to destroy opposition news
media and to destroy opposition politi-
cal parties."
He added that the Soviet Union
spends a great deal more on it than
the U.S.
In that connection a book, "KUB,"
by John Barron, just published by
Readers Digest Press, says that "the
United States has been able to trace
millions of dollars delivered from
Moscow to parties in the Western
Hemisphere and Western Europe.
Mexican security agents observed a
KGB officer pass what turned out to
be $30,000 to a party representative in
the summer of 1968 when young
communists were preparing the riots
that nearly forced cancellation of the
Olympic Games."
The author says the Russians main-
tain hemispheric headquarters for
covert activities in Mexico and that
the Cuban DGI intelligence organiza-
tion is one of its most widely used
Instruments.
It was noted among those debating
the President's remarks that he ad-
dressed himself only to the more
positive activities - supporting non-
Cominunist newspapers, electronic
media, and parties.
But CIA director William E. Colby,
In testimony delivered before a closed
congressional committee meeting, is
reported to have admitted t?s,t 18
million was spent in Cuba between
1970 and 1973, and included $350,u( to
bribe members of the Chilean Con-
gress who were to vote on Salvador
Aile i;de's bid for the presidency.
Further repercussions
In a different repercussion from the
disclosure of CIA activities in :'h11e,
including expenditures to "dF stabs
lize" the Allende regime after Its
election, some high-ranking State De-
partment officials, as well as fernier
C, .. AA- -f-- itle aid Hare
being accused of misleading the Sen-
ate subcommittee on multinational
corporations which was investigating
the activities against the Allende
regime undertaken by ITT.
Mr. Helms; Charles A. Meyer,
former Assistant Secretary of State
for Inter-American Affairs; Edward
M. Korry, Ambassador to Chile from
1967 to 1973; and \V;illiarri V. Broe,
former director of CIA clandestine
activities, may even he accused of
perjury, because they indicated in
sworn testimony that the U.S. was not
engaged in undercover activities
against the Chilean regime.
Ex-CIA official's retort
"What hypocrisy!" was the com-
ment of one distinguished official who
formerly directed CIA activities,
when informed of the charges against
Mr. Helms and the others.
"Do they expect every public offi-
cial upon demand to blurt out every-
thing he knows about the covert and
espionage activities of his govern-
ment? Of course they had to deny It.
The only person who can make public
avowals of such activities is the
President, and he has chosen to do so.
"For the rest, the congressional
oversight committees, the subcom-
mittees on intelligency of the Senate
and House Armed Services and Ap-
propriations committees, are in-
formed.
.'The roneent of intervention in
foreign countries to support of some
political parties and newspapers op-
posed to the Communists' opposi-
tion," this official said, "dates back a
quarter century to the beginning of
the Marshall 1"tan. It was meant to
en,.bie center and partir's to the right
and left of center to survive n.gainst
enormous expenditures of the opposi-
tion.
"The Chilean operation was the last
in a long series of operations of this
kind."
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Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000020081-4