LETTER TO MR. C. E. JOHNSON FROM LAWRENCE R. HOUSTON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000300070031-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2005
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: June 1, 1971
• Content Type: LETTER

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WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
1 June 1971
Mr. Helms has asked me to reply to your letter o
May 25th concerning rumors that this Agency is involved in
the drug traffic in Southeast Asia. We are aware of these
rumors and are as concerned as you are.
In case you have not seen a statement made by the
Director in a speech to the American Society of Newspaper
Editors in Washington, D. C. , on April 14, 1971, I will quote
in full the passage pertinent to drug traffic:
There is the arrant nonsense, for example,
that the Central Intelligence Agency is somehow
involved in the world drug traffic. We are not.
As fathers, we are as concerned about the lives
of our children and grandchildren as are all of
you. As an Agency, in fact, we are heavily
engaged in tracing the foreign roots of the drug
traffic for the Bureau of Narcotics and Danger-
ous Drugs. We hope we are helping with a
solution; we know we are not contributing to
the problem.
Furthermore, a study of The World Heroin Problem has just
been published and is the report of a Special Study Mission
composed of Morgan F. Murphy, Representative from Illinois,,
Chairman, and Robert H. Steele, Representative from
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Connecticut. This is a very co nprehensive study of heroin
traffic around the world ant.. each area is taken up in aet"".-,LI.
Talking particularly about South 1/ietna`m, the report states
on page 21, ~'. there is no evict .ice that any official of a
J. S. agency has ever been involved in the smuggling of
heroin into South Viena.~ . "
in sum, this Agency does not participate or assist: in,
or condone in any manner, grade i_: drugs of any sor,:. If an-5
employee were found to have .een associated in any way with
drug transactions , his services would be immediately terr-i-
nated and the matter would be = elerrec to the proper erforc? -
ment authorities. We can say t:'iis with assurance since, as
mentioned by Mr. Helms, we have for years been working w?::.:
the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, assisting
whatever information we can obtain on drug transactions, so
we would know if any of our personnel were involved.
We fail completely to under: stand the motivation of tac s e
who distort information and spread false rumors such as you
refer to in your letter.
25X1A
Sir~car ely,
Lawrence R. Houston
General Counsel
cc: ER
Asst to DCI-Mr. Goodwin
OLC
(-,T-Mr
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Journal - Office of Legislative Counsel
Tuesday - 1 June 1971
Accompanied Messrs.
rage 2
SAVA, to a briefing of Ed Braswell and
Jack Ticer,of the Senate Armed Services Committee staff,on 1-he drug_
in Southeast Asia. The Committee staffers were pleased to
ti
on
situa
get this information and said they would not attribute anything contained
in the briefing to the Agency. The briefing was rather general in nature
and did not get into great detail on Saigon government involvement in the
problem.
Braswell repeated the statement he has made on numerous
occasions since the Defense procurement authorization bill was before
the Armed Services Committee last year that they needed information
from the Administration regarding our policy in Southeast Asia. As
before, I told Braswell this was something that should be taken up 25X1
either with the Department of Defense or the White House.
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JOURNAL
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL
Tuesday - 1 June 1971
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4. advised me
of a contact from Colonel Hobson, of the Department of Defense. on queries
they have received from Senator Harris (D., Okla.) and Congressman
Bingham (D. , N. Y.) about the Ramparts article alleging Agency involvement
in the drug traffic in Southeast Asia. I ,,,suggested that in their replies to
these queries in which they plan to state they have no information about
this, they incorporate the letter from Mr. Ingersoll, BNDD, to Representative
Gubser (R. , Calif. ) which the Congressman will be putting in the Racord
in the next day or two. Mellor said he would pass on this suggestion.
At. L LT
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I