A HASSLE OVER 'SPYING' DOCUMENTARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00475R000201790007-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 27, 2014
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 6, 1965
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ycia STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/01/27 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000201790007-2
cESS vac ying9 Doculne
By Richard' K. Doan
TV and Radio Editor
Hours before the National
Broadcasting Co.'s TV net-
work saired a news docu-
mentary Tuesday night on
"The Science of Spying," the
B. F. Goodrich Co. yanked its
scheduled armercials from
the program on the ground
that. the teleCast might "do
harm to the government of
the United States."
The sponsor said it could
..get from NBC "no assurance"
? that U. S: government of-
ficials had been consulted on
the content of the program.
In reply, the network said
NBC News took "full respon-
sibility" for the program. Off
the record, an NBC source
said the network was not go-
ing to be put in the position
I of defending its .presentations
and felt that the sponsor does
not have to take responsibility
for program content. He de-
clined to say whether govern-
ment officials were consulted.
A statement issued. by Bat-
ten, Barton, Durstine 0s7
born, Inc., the advertising
agency for Goodrich, said the
sponsor and agency had not
been permitted to preview the
filmed documentary until Mon-
day., the day before its sched-
uled showing, and had found
It at that time "entirely differ-
ent from the outline" originally
submitted by NBC to BBDO.
Goodrich had signed up with
the network to sponsor the
entire program.
The program synopsis initi-,
ally submitted by NBC News
producer Ted Yates, the agency
claimed, said the program
would "explore the scope and
techniques of the Science of
Spying, from electronic minia-
turization of spy weaponry to
the recruitment and scientific
training of crack agents by the
East and the West."
What came out, the agency
contended, was a program
which "treats a controversial
public Issue' in a way which
may do harm to the govern-
mer.':, of the 1.11?tad States, with
no assurance the govern-
ment of ,the INted States has
. .
been consulted with respect, to
the contents 'of ' the prograth."
: NBC's response ,to this was.
that it believed the program
, "fell well within the broad
outlines" of the original pro-
posal.
As the program came out, '
it consisted largely of inter- "
; views and little action; There?
were conversations with Allen .1
' Dulles, former. Central Intel-
ligence Agency chief; Richard
Bissell, former CIA plans di-
rector, anaken: Eugene Mc-,:
Carthy,'D??Minn., a critic of'f,
CIO interfel'ence in the in- ,.
ternal affairs of other nations...:
NBC ? New's White House
correspondent John Chancel-,
lor conducted the on-air in- '
.:quiry. "hit the spy business;
the dagger. is: replacing the:4
cloak," he said in the open-
ing.
The program discussed CIA ,
Involvement. in Iran, Indo-
?,--
, nesia, Guatlmala and Culia7,
among other places.
One ?reviewer called the
?
. program "a shocker," another
"a candid, disturbing study." .'
BBDO said the agency' and ?
Its client did not question the
rie?ht of the network to broad-
cast news, nor did they, "in-
sist on censorship of network-
produced news in any. way,"
4 but reserved "the right not to'
have. 'client ' advertising' ex-.4
posed on programs' in con-,
filet with' client' advert1sing.
policy.
? B3D0 said ..it had made
, "many recluesti and demands".
upon NBC ,to see, the story,'
? outline. sciipt and final print;
but all of these were refused .
until the' screening finally
; granted Monday. NBC replied
that the nal print was shown'?
, the client "in accordante with ?
strmda rd., policy." '
'A BBDO spokesman added:.;
that Goodrich had signed with
NBC as sponsor of the planned /
program last September.
It would not have been the
-first time Goodrich has spon-
sored a news documentary, he
reported, although he, could
not ,offhand name, anyuell.
past 'programs...
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/01/27: CIA-RDP73-00475R000201790007-2