SENATOR EUGENE J. MCCARTHY'S RESOLUTIONS RELATING TO INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP71B00364R000600170074-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 1, 2005
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: January 1, 1966
• Content Type: NOTES

Senator Eugene J. McCarthy's Resolution Relating
to Intelligence Activities
CURRENT RESOLUTION
On 24 January 1966, Senator McCarthy introduced a resolution
(S. Res. 210) authorizing the Committee on Foreign Relations to make
". . . a full and complete study with respect to the effects of the operations
and activities of the Central Intelligence Agency upon the foreign relations
of the United States?" and ". . . report its findings upon the study and
investigation authorized by this resolution, together with such recom-
mendations as it deems advisable, to the Senate at the earliest practicable
date, but no later than January 31, 1967. "
MCCARTHY'S COMMENTS
In connection with this resolution, Senator McCarthy has stated
that the Agency's highly secret role in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam,
Cuba and other crisis areas". . . has raised serious questions about th?_-
relationship of the Agency to the process of making and directing forEi;n
policy. " He added that "... undercover and paramilitary operations have
a direct bearing on foreign policy and indirectly on the constitutional
responsibility of Congress for defense and war."
In a press release dated 22 April 1966, Senator McCarthy is
quoted as having said that "some of the things that have happened recently
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have strengthened our position, such as the CIA involvement in the
Michigan State University AID project. " He said that the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, to whom the McCarthy resolution was referred,
is "waiting for the results of some inquiries" and may press for Senate
action on the matter.
According to the Senator's announcement, the investigation
committee would be composed of nine members. He gave as an example
of the type of recommendation which might be expected from this committee,
a recommendation favoring the establishment of a permanent "watchdog"
committee. He has also indicated that he believes the "investigation
resolution" has a much greater chance for passage than his earlier "watchdog"
resolutions. This is undoubtedly based on his assumption that a number
of members who might be opposed to the more drastic action contemplated
in the early resolutions would see no harm in having a temporary coinniittee
review the need for such a group.
Senator McCarthy has questioned the adequacy of the present
committee jurisdiction. He feels the existing CIA Subcommittees in the
Armed Services and Appropriations Committees (which meet jointly in the
Senate) have not and are not reviewing CIA matters in any signficant depth.
He expressed some of these views before the Senate Armed Services t:::em-
mittee in the hearings on Mr. McCone's appointment as DCI.
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PREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS
Senator McCarthy has introduced in every Congress from 1959
through the past Congress, resolutions to establish a "watchdog" committee
on foreign information and intelligence. His resolutions would confer upon
this joint committee Congressional jurisdiction over all "foreign information
and intelligence" activities. As in the case of his present resolution,
Senator McCarthy's prior proposals have been referred to the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations. That Committee has never helc hearings
on them. The joint committee, as proposed by Senator McCarthy -could
consist of seven members of the House of Representatives appointed by
the Speaker of the House, and seven members of the Senate, appointed by
the President of the Senate.
The joint committee resolutions would raise serious questions of
congressional committee jurisdiction. For example, the intelligence
branches of the military service and the CIA are presently under the
jurisdiction of the Armed Services Committee while the intelligence and
information branches of the State Department and USIA are under the
Foreign Relations Committee. It is doubtful that these two comr_uttees
would consent to relinguishing these areas of their responsibilities. It
would also be assumed that the departments and agencies concerned would
not look with favor on a split committee arrangement.
ISSUES INVOLVED
The new investigation resolution raises a number of imp-rtant
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issues:
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a. Whether or not the intelligence function of the Executive
Branch should be the subject of legislative "investigation.
b. Whether the present Committee jurisdiction should be
changed since the Agency is and has been under the legislat ive
oversight of the Armed Services Committees of both Houses
since its establishment.
c. Whether Senator McCarthy proposes to investigate
the entire intelligence community as his statement vu uld -send to
indicate, or whether his resolution would be limited to the
investigation of the "operations" of CIA only.
d. As a corollary to the above points, whether the "