INTELLIGENCE AGENCY'S REQUESTS POSE PROBLEMS FOR SOME GLOBAL FIRMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200730012-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 1999
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: February 24, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

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FES 2 ? 157
` run is also good for the 13.5. as a whole.
Charles, Adams, chairman, says: "No com' "Being effective world-wide is, in a sense, in
nient. That'd P.11 I have to nay. I'll talk to~ the national interest," he asserts.
you about anything but thnt." A surprising number of U.S. companies do
The president of a Southwest-based. com? ? own up, at least privately, to cooperating with
parry that drills oil wells abroad at first', the CIA to the extent. of providing informa?
agreed to talk about; the CIA on an anony- tion.
mows basis, then changed his mind midway Some firms say the agency has approached
through the Interview and ordered the re?.i employes before they departed on trips over-
porter to tear up his notes; he watched Intent- seas and asked them to pick up specific btt:i
ly to make sure the reporter, complied. "I 'nf information, which, the-r proceeded to do.
hope you realize," he said, "how delicate a The companies suggest the CIA must have
matter this is," i learned of the impending trips from passport
Keepin the I:narl In the Dark applications or other sources. American Mo.
Even when businessmen ere more talks.' tors Corp. provides tho ? Government with
tlve on the r.ubjcot, )he truth may be elusive. travel schedules of its foreign sales officials,
At some firths the. top officer may be un? William S. Pickett, a vice president, indicates.
aware a subordinate has ever dealt with the Despite occasional adviince planning with
CIA boca.usu, as one American executive the CIA, however, most companies say over.
7ei1Ce Agency's
`~-'' ~~, seats Pose? roblems
;: Some Global Firms
XU iser Jeep Shows Its Sales
aveler to Soviet
~3buffs Two Bids for Help
'o , Bosses May Not, Be Told
CPYRGHT
\VALL 5TREKT JOURNAL ,V etoa Roundup sort of thing is never on a company basis orally comes in "debriefing" interviews with
The web of Central Intelligence Agency but on an individual basis." in other instances. agents following. a, trip.
:;cs to private organizations extends to buss- businessmen may feel obligated to mislead The CIA appears to deal with some husi-
ncsses-in particular, to big 'companies that questioners.' nessmen on a continuing basis. "I have regu?
ol;aratc around the globe. One of these situations may well apply in lar contact with the CIA," says, William Boyd.
Unlike the recently disclosed CIA ties to the case of a major U.S. corporation with Jr., an international vice president of Pitts.
ludcnt ;roues, foundations and labor unions, : extensive operations -in Asia. At ? the com? burgh National Bank. "They call up and ask
.:;e.. agency's relations with firms apparently pany's Midwest headquarters, the president If we have anything in our files of a statistical
rrin't involve financial subsidies. Instead, the says he would bar any cooperation by nature on Industries abroad, and we end up em- by giving theme, lot of printed material." He
c7; A has sought on occasion to use positions ployes with the CIA. "You've got to decide adds, however, that it Is always material that
on overseas staffs of -companies as cover for whether your employes are ? working for you could be picked up easily in the 'foreign coun?
.its emp:nycs. More frequently, it has turned 'or for someone else,' he declares firmly. But try and doesn't represent data about clie:tt
ro cu ir.css as a source-of information, in- )another souree,familie.r with the firm's over- companies.
t -rviewin; business travelers and other bust. seas staff inrdsts ;just as firmly that for years,,
:n.'sstnen involved in foreign, operations to tone of Its ;itle~me~t". in,Japan was actually Casual Arrangements
gather clues to political and economic develop- a CIA opgrative, More often, businessmen's dealings with
ments abro:. -. The president of a West Coast manufacturer t.he CIA are on a casual, irregular or even
,,rl At least within the business world, comps- involved with the CIA from time to time sug- overoverseas trave ersreiisnf involved, pies' relations with the, CIA usually don't a.p? igests that it would be wise for a company,
ar to ck the emotional content they do that wanted to assist the a eM to issue a' would prefer to keep things that way, fearing'
in the case of some of the other private or. well -publinized statement that 'International ,more fixed arrangements are likely to land the'
;;anizations that have cooperated with the Widget will not allow its employes to cooper. company in hot water abroad sometime.
,ency. Most executives take a matter-of-fact . ate in any manner with the CIA." Then, he A vice-president of a giant International
view of the situation. says, the company would be free to cooperate company says that a few times a CIA, agent
:i ?You
aisec jeep Corp.. a subsidiary of Kaiser i. as much as it pleased. has approached an employe and n said**
Y , ,:,travel a lot-how about supplying us with
Corp., says It was approached by No Truck With the CIA regular reports?" The company says it al-
Lae CIA last year for a report on a promo- With at least seeming sincerity, some bust- mays turns 'down that kind of request.
tioaai ja'u'nt by 25 salesmen through several nessmen do insist in sweeping fashion'that they Companies sometimes are puzzled by the
r ast Eur.ipcan countries, Including , Poland, will have no truck with the CIA. Romaine sort of information sought by the CIA. "Some
Czechoslovakia and Rumania. "We thought we Fielding, 47-year-old president and owner 'of a of these things they, could get out, of news-
should cooperate with them," comments at Los Angeles concern that,acts a.s sales rep- papers," says a spokesman for an oil, com-
I' ai_er official, "They were asking legitimate resentative. for about 40 U.S. manufacturers, ? pany that has at times been asked fts views
questions concerning business Information," has made 13 trips to the Soviet Union over the . on the, economic stability of a foreign country.
Damaging Foreign Operations past eight years. Twice the CIA has asked him : An executive of a Chicago drug manufac-
On the other hand, some businessmen say for help, he says, and both times he has `curer reports that about two years ago lie
they are uneasy about''eveh seemingly casual. refused. was interviewed by, the. CIA after a trip to
rotations wait the CIA, Their concern is based' "At no time did I let'the conversation even . England, a nation that would seem . to hold
not so much on ethical grounds as on fears get into specifics." he recalls. In Mr. Field- 'few secrets for the U.B. "They wanted my
that the slightest hint of involvement with lhg's view, "the' only. row for a businessman ',Impressions from talking with businessmen-
U.S. intelligence could damage their foreign to hoe Is right down the middle, without In-, how they viewed business prospects, whether
operations. - voivcment." the pound looked strong, whether they liked ,
J. L. Camp, vice pin charge of Most comp9.nie= htiue no hard-and-fast rules f Americans," says the executive. "I gave them '
the overseas division president e International charge of about relations with the CIA. They weigh each! no. profound information that they could't
voter' Co., says he spends International request for cooperation as it. arises. In 'gen'. have gotten from any bank doing business
er been Of et-al, they seem to he willing to go along when ' there or any embassy."'
v 61710 as sd but has never three-quarters of
they are convin"od that doing so won't hurt' li,ooking at Mnvten
preached by thn CIA-and hopes he never is, then. "Obviously. 'you are going to help as According to Kaiser Jeep, the CIA ' was
\\'ib- out terrific investment overseas, It any. much as you can without jeopardizing your. particularly Interested In looking at nnm?ies
3n,;y suspected us of cloak-and-dagger work, it self overseas, says one Ohio executive. 'i the firm ha.d made on its promotional venture
c,,:.: -I wreck us," says Mr. Camp.'' "'One has to balance the national interest" behind the Iron curtain, even thnuch the films.
l;sr,y executives flatly refuse to discuss with one's own interest in being. effective consisted primarily of shots of Jeep sales
din- relations between business and Gov world-wide, says a corporate. ofticinl in Los plays in the countries visited, Kaiser shipped
ernment inte;ligcnco gatherers. "This Is a no- Angeles. He goes on to argue that rejecting a. the. movies to Washington as requested, but a
co imp ut area," says an official of General CIA request fort assistance is not necessarily Kaiser official observes: "We never did figure
Tire & Rubber Co. Asked if Raytheon
STATINTL
Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200730012-0
elease 1999/0 11