THE 'COVERT OPERATIONS' DEBATE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00957A000100030012-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 28, 2005
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: October 7, 1974
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2005/07/1 3:k1A000100030012-4
. ?
The Overt erations
? ere
The following are excerpts from the Senate debate of 04...2- on an
? ? -
amendment to the foreign ai4 bill tvhich teciulthave ordered the Cen.
tral Intelligence Agency immediately to halt all-covert operations not
related to intelligenCe. The amendment wai,deliated, 68 to
? marked the !list either house of CongreS.4kiiii debated anirvoted1
? - -
. ? ?
? _
on this issue. solved this Trohlem without having to.
? --e--- ? a-- :eolith,' covert -activity outright -
Sete-jai:nes Aboneesk (D-S.D.): This a I can envision situations in.-,which
amendment will, if enacted, abolish. all Lithe national security of the United
clandestine or covert operations by-the ? . states, or -the. survival of .the republic,.,
Central Intelligence Agency. ? -SOX' the avoidance Of nuclear werwould,
I believe very strongly that we must. ' have such overridingircrportance as to
have an intelligence-gethering argent- justify covert aetivitaa
.zation and I believe.the CIA and our: . But none .of.tliose factors-4-4e prese
defense intelligence agencies do an adeea ent'in the Chilean caseanclanonn 'of'
quate job in this respect.' ? -- -Tac those factors has been present in pre-
We have everreleat to defend lair- vious cases which later came to- light,.
selves from foreigiCittack and that wherein the CIA hasundeftaken to coy-
right includes intelligence gathering to .'ertly subvert the governments ,of other
protect. our security. aea countries." contrary to our tre.atieseeona
But. there Is nolitstificalion In our trary to the principles of international
legal, moral, orirelieous principles for law, and' contrary to the historic role
operations of a. US. agency which re-, played by the United States world at-
suit in assassinations, sabotage, politie fairs.
cal disruptions, or other . meddling in ?
another country's internal affairs, all' Sen. Hubert H. Ilumpbrey (D-Minn.):in the name of the American people. It It involves, as I see it, too important a
amountsto nothing more than an arm matter of public policy to be made
of the U.S. government conducting a summarily here on the floor of the
secret war without either the approval. neesten
of-Congress or the _knowledge of the This amendment was not presented
American people.. to the committee. It has not had hear.
I want to remind the Senate that the ings, even though the whole subject at
present director of the CIA, William the Central. Intelligence operations
Colby, said a couple of weeks ago that ? has, here and there in the committees
while he preferred to retain the clan- of Congress, been looked at.
destine or coeert services, the Capitol It is my judgment that the Central
.eaeuld, not fall if it were abolished. Intelligence Agency needs to be care-
He also said that there was not any' fully examined and that a whole set of
activity ? going on anywhere in the- new directives need to -be evolved; but
world at this time that required the under what 'circumstances the CIA
use of 'clandestine activity. ? should be allowed to continue to en,
a gage in covert operations abroad is a.
legitimate and timely question. '
Sen. Frank Church1D-Idahe): I have I have offered repeatedly a -resolue
alecided to vote for this amendment, tion for a joint committee on national
but I do so with the expectation that it security that . would represent both
vUl not pass. bodies of the Congress; that would rep-
The intrusion of the CIA into the in- resent leadership in Congress as Well,
aernal political affairs of C'nile for the as those.. who 'are not in leadership
purpose of subverting and bringing positions; inembers from the ForeignJown the elected government of that Relations Committee, Armed Services,
eountry is an episode that I find both
Appropriations; members from the
Jnsavory and unprincipled and in di- Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and
-ect contradiction of the traditional
Appropriations Committees as well as
principles for which this country has ? those tppointed by the Chair arid the
rood. Speaker, to oversee the entire opera-
I think :1-io fact this has now come to tion of our national security. apparatus.
I believe it is needed.
-
iht dernrites that the- covert ac-
ivities o loz CIA are presently un-
ier no effective restraint. *
I would :lope that it will be possible Sen. John Stennis (13, liss.). I nave
o establiiin. either through a joint had some responsibility in the Senate
iommittee or by some other means, for a good number of yar,.. with refer-
equate ..!ou,gressional surveillance . ence to the CIA activilies. Frankly, I
ver the activities of the CIA. in or; have bean more interested in the mill-
er to avoid in the future such on- tary Rart, the xikrxejhltapiz.,ovpri,thgn
?eetnly: interference with the rA_pprok FrOTtN*IiERPQ41414WW1kfaiRe: rettietra'-'
,ther pei)pies. If so, then we will have .1
othat they have brought us
have- talked to many senators
about this.-l. have not found a single
one, except the author of this amend-
ment-and there are others?who
firmly believe that we ought to abolish
covert actions and have no capacity in
that field.
I say it is -a dangerous thing to do.
This-surveillance is quite a aproblem,
members of.the Senate. We_ have hadal-
it up for many, many angles. As an
.dividual senator, I am ready aul.willing
-to just .get out of the picture, I do not
Wantth run the thing, so to speak_But
as :Chairman of the Armed Services.
Committee; which has primary' juris-
diction here, I am not going hi be put el
out/ 'nor. run over, either. I do not-
think anyone wants to do that.
?
Sen. Barry-:- Goldwater (A-Aria.): If '
-we destroy our right to engage Nn cove
ert.aactivity-"altogether ty the adop-
tion ':of 7 this amendment?in'fact, I!
think the language of this amendment '
would even _prevent us from going to
war?I.think we --would be -making a
verY grave:mistake. .
I do not support ever,ghing that_the
CIA has done. On the other hand, I do
not know everything it -hos. done, and I
do ? not think we necessarilieehave to
kuoav. I think this would be dangerous.
I cite the example of:a member of
the House of Representatives who hap-
pened tohave seen, so he says, a page
of testimony. .We do not aricee whetter
he saw that testimony or not. But on
this one statement, in which, in my
opinion, he violated his pledge to se-
crecy, the whole CIA has come under
criticism. I do not believe it is. fair of
this body to accept the hearsay words
of a man who divulged classified mate-
_
? So, I hope we will defeat this amend-
ment and defeat it sonndly. I'think I
arn safe in saying mat the chairman of
the Committee on Armed Services, te-
gether with the chairman of the Corn-
rnittee on Foreign Relations, would be
willing to institute proper hearings, at
which time we could hear all argu-
ments for and against the operation of
our intelligence collecting agencies.
?
Sen. Clifford Case If I may
express my own view about covert ac-
tivities, it is that they all should be re-
garded as wrong. There ought not to
be an institutionalization of them,
even to the extent thit we have now.
I do not think that a 'Committee is the
answer. We have a committee down-
town, a Committee .3E30, which is sup-
posed to review this matter and advise
the President; and he acts on their ad-
vice in most cases, I understand.
PAP-4095WA0004000304/ 24en it
meets. I am not complainlng that it
does not meet more often, because I do
out think a committee is the answer.
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. Once we get into an institutionaliza-
tion of this kind of thirrg?re heels eo,
make it res-pectable; and fill?PtUuMile
like. Teeere ought to be a general rule
against it, with a general understand-
ing of the American people that on oc-
casion the President has to act in eta-
ladon c: the-law, if you will?our law,
tete: laws?and' take action in the in-
terest of a ?country, in great eater-
ency. Tbis I think he does at his own
peril and subject to being either sup-
ported or turned down by the country,
titer the fact. I think this is about as
close as we can come to any statement
about how this matter ought to be han-
dled., _. ?
I would. of course, consider anyerirtie
Dosal =Made for procedural reform,
I want to state now that L?do
reet think any such thing is possible he-
:anse of the nature of the animal With,
which we arf:. de'aLing-- .
or
Sen. Howard Baker_ (IL-Teem-)e The
thing that really disturbs and'
r.-esees me ie thatI am not sure in my
mind tbai anyeest.us have any way to-
know whether otefilittOvert operation')
are beirr; properly-lcondutted, or con-,
ducted at all, or tot What purpose.
.e.do not think there is a man in the'
legislative part of the government who.
reaee knows what is going on in the
intellieenceconnetunity, and I am tee.
ribly upset about it. I am afraid of this
lack oi knowledge. For the first time, 1
eupoose. in my senatorial career I am
frig.hteeed. I-am generally frightened
of the unenownee
I have proposed, with 32 co-sponsors
in the Senate, to create a special Joint
Cerreniteee on Intelligence Oversight.
Through such a committee, I hope we
knc.w. We do not know today, so
it is with :zest reluctance that-I will,
vote against this. amendment
Mr. eeeonresic I have just heart
so=e of the most incredible arguments
I have heard in my life, arguments is
favor of continued. breaking and viola-
tion of the laws oflthe 'United Stales
and of other 'countries, promoted he
the agenes of the Central Intelligence
Agency. ,
I do not know why anybody in Con
;rest or in this country wants -to ft
nithee a secret army?and that is es
wh:.=.7. the CIA has been-4 seers-
arth_y eolag around fighting unde-
clared ---v2N, without the knowledge
any ef 'a in Congress until it is to
late, wehout the knowledge of any
body in the country until It is too late.
It 5.eerne :o me that the arguments
favor of haring covert operation
whir- can at some points break thv
la-.v ha'.-e. as little validity as the argu-
e-I-ere we ought to maintain a
eoven ?-? -eration permanently. I say
that ee_e_use, if this country is ever it
dan;er of atack or unde,. threat frog.
another _.-Juntry, we have a right tc
decla:e a: and to operate under tits
rules ?rf .v-irtare? that we have ap?eet
to in tIle various Geneva Conventions
. in tv.lich I am convinced we woulc -
then "!.e eally operating in the man-
ner ..?..st :-:se CIA is now operating
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me, it is transparently obvious that,'ben. Mark' 0. Hatfield (.Ore.):
the Critese covert operselons, under- '
taken In Chile to "destabillze" the Al-
lende government, were In-violation of-
these commitments of international'
law. At the very least, such operations ,
compromise ? - the sincerity of our :
loudly proclaimed desire for world'
peace and world freedom, I think wee
ought to address ourselves to the le- , ?
gal obligations this nation has under.-
taken when it has ate ted its signaturi.
to these- various statements and these-
various charters.
That is why I feel that the amend-1
ment offered by the senator from ,
South Dakota really does not, go fad
enough. I should like to 'see it go fare
titer, to put this Senate on record elite
we totally and completely oppose afire.
involvement whatsoever in covert act-
ivity. That does not deny the gatheritign
of information and intelligence, but
dicates the refusal of this Senate to
the CIA to go beyond gathering 1
intelligence into an action of covert ac-.1
.
Sen. Stuart Symington (D-Mos): I am
In great sympathy with much of thia
thinking of the senator from South Da-
kota?but I agree with the able sena',
tor Irma Minnesota. I do not believe
this is the way it should be. done.
? What should be .done is the estab-
lishment of a joint committee of the
Committee on Foreign Fselations and
the Committee on Armed Services?
and I have so presented to the distill- ?
guished chairman of the Armed Serv-
ices Committee for many Years. Vine
have a strange dichotomy here.
In every country of the world, the-
head of the CIA repoila to the ambas-
sador. That has been true ever since
the issuance uf the so-calted Kennedy
Letter. But ween information comes:
back here, whereas the State?DeparC
meat supervises ambassadors, the 7,
Armed Services Committee-supervises ?
the CIA. 1
This situation should he?corrected,
and I believe it will be corrected. On
the other hand, I do not think this ii'
the bill where it should be considered. -
Inasmuch as 0 per cent or more of -
the work of the CIA has to do with
countries with which we are not at
war, normally at least some of the mate;
tars of the CIA should come under the I
Foreign Relations Committee, it is
clear that the Foreign Relations Com-
mittee should at least have some interee
est in reviewing the work of the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency.
s..
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