SECRET CIA REPORT ON BOMBER DEAL REVEALED IN COURT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200170017-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 24, 1999
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: October 8, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

OCT 8 1966
CPYRGHT
anitized -kp 61elease :'CI RD I (? ills "without the knowledge o
c % c Jr a (3 V the the United States government.'
The dilemma I of the govern
ment in handling the plane
[1 (~ i'~,p f" D smuggling case has becom
~Lj/ l~~I' increasingly apparent in Judg
iHT Henderson's sixth-floor court
1 v room in the federal office build
ing here.
The government had promise
in the United Nations that th
By ORR KELLY case would be vigorously prose
atnr staff writer cuted. But opening up the CI
BUFFALO, N.Y,- Miles may make it more difficul
e u essentially accurate information on a plan to expo- to prove the case against Hawk
bombers to Portugal four days before the first plane took of and, perhaps,. De Montmarin.
A secret CIA report made public in a federal courtroom her On the other hand, the govern-
yesterday seemed to contradict the assurance given by a U. ment feared that if the A
spokesman in the United Nations on Dec. 18, 1965 that. the ship relied on executive privilege
cnt of planes was done "with-'sold as executive planes. Th keep its files from being made
out the knowledge of the United planes are then flown to Portu public, the case might end in a
States government." ' gal and landed at the Tancos Ai mistrial.
In an extremely rare move,: Force Base. The delivery sched In the end, it was decided to
Lawrence.. R. Houston, general)ule was to be one plane per permit Houston to be.called as a
'? co nsel of the CIA, appeared in1week beginning 24 May but the defense witness for Hawke
court here under subpoena from first plane was delayed so that it rather than as a prosecution!
one of the two men. on trial for would not be on the field when witness.
smuggling seven B-26 bombers French Defense Minister Mess- As yesterday's court session'
to Portugal mer visited Tancos in late May. nded, Marger-holding a copy;
Houston brought with him It is believed that 2 or 3 planes of the book, "The Invisible
what he said was the CIA's have now been delivered." overnment," in his hand-was.
complete file on the case. During the trial of John ttempting to learn from Hous-?
Four CIA reports on the plane Richard Hawke, pilot of the on whether the CIA had been'
shipment were examined by seven planes that were dcliv- uthorized by the National!
Federal District Judge John O.-ered, ? and Count Henri Marin de ecurity Council to carry outs
Henderson in his chambers and Montmarin, the alleged go- landestine ? operations only it
then made available to defense between in the deal, it has been hey are "secret and plausiblyti
counsel after they had been developed that the planes went eniable."
censored to remove information from Tucson, Ariz., rather than! Judge Henderson recessed the!
about the CIA's sources and Texas, directly to Tancos, rial until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday,
methods, of" obtaining the infor- without touching Switzerland. efore Houston was required toS
mation. At the time the CIA cable was nswer the question.
Before court (adjourned for distributed, only one plane had In another case being heard in)
the weekend, however, only one reached Tancos. Otherwise, the Baltimore federal court, the
of the four secret reports was CIA report still appears esscc:n- IA has made available a
entered into evidence. tially accurate. irective it received from the',
Houston said the first infor- Under. questioning by Hawke's! ational Security' Council. But,
mation on the operation was;.attorney, Edwin Marger of e CIA has insisted that the
received from Lisbon on May?I4iamLBeach. H ustoln saidtho ocument not be shown ,to the
25, 196.,1-four days before the initial report on t e p ane s ip- aintiff in the case, who is'
first flight took off-and was, meat "was considered impor- ing a CIA agent for slander,
distributed on June 10 in a CIA tant information for the ap- ' r calling him a "Soviet intelli.
"Intelligence Information Ca- propriate agency"-but that nee operative;!'., His lawyers'
ble" to the following agencies: agency was not the CIA. He was ve ' refused to,'examine tho,+ .
State Department intelligence not asked yesterday which'
section; Defense Intelligence I agency should have been con. 'r~~~