WHO'S GOING TO WATCH THE WATCHDOG?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000800060020-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 1999
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: July 6, 1960
• Content Type: NSPR

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Sanitized Approved For eTea9e19NA-RDP75-0
?IARTFORI) (Conn.)
COURANT
Circ.: rn; 104,765
S. 145,527
Edi, Other ?
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taste.
Who's Going to Watch
The Watchdogs?
To the, Editor of The Courant:
With all* the hue and cry for
.';Vi'ch-log" committees by Con-
gress ovct A.-Iaally euary Zsecl..i
tive function of our government,
it may be in order to asst what
the watchdogs have been watch.
ng and what reap nelbillty do
:iieti assume. for unauthorized ac-
'ivities by an agency such as the.
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration?
The chairman of the Senate
"watchdog" committee for NASA
is Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of
Texas. It was under the auspices
':.\'A that the world renowned
.py flight by Powers is said to
live been made (with the initials
NASA on his plane slot down
o.,tr the USSR May 1). Chair-
mtn Johnson's reaction to the af-
fair was speedy. He called for
silence in the interest of national
unity . Apparently, in this instance,
he was quite willing to let the
President assume full responsi-
hility. Though aspiring to that.
highesr office of the land himself;
he did not demonstrate much,
caste for leadership at a time
when things went wrong.
Chairman Johnson's reaction
might have been quite dtrferent
if NASA had achieved some glen.
ors feat in the exploration of out.
er srace as specifically author-
ized hy. the National Aeronautics
and Space Act of 1058. Though
the first official announcement
coffering Powers' mishap came
from NASA's.llugh Dryden. depu-
iv administrator, the buck Was
q+-rck,, passed to CIA as the dire
culprit. :And .now the vogue is for
strengthening Congressional -con-
trols ever CIA with a joint Sen-
ate House "watchdog" commit-
tee' Would Lyndon Johnson head
lip this one too?
A. H. Whitelaw
North Storiffigton
FOIAb3b
CPYRGHT
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000800060020-9