POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION INVOLVING THE AGENCY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R000500110004-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2002
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: March 28, 1966
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80B01676R000500110004-
28 March 1966
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Director-Comptroller
OGC 66-0702
SUBJECT: Possible Investigation Involving the Agency
1. This memorandum is for information only and was prepared
pursuant to requests for items of this nature.
2. For many years Senator McCarthy has pursued the thought
of a Joint Committee for Intelligence. This year, for the first time,
Senator McCarthy took up anew tactic. He has stated to us privately
that he recognized his Joint Committee proposition was not going to
be acted on favorably. Therefore, the resolution he introduced on
24 January 1966 (S. Res. 210) proposed that the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee "make a full and complete study with respect to the effects
of the operations and activities of the Central Intelligence Agency upon
the foreign relations of the United States. " He was hopeful that the
Committee would assign such an investigation to a small group presumably
to include himself. This tactic also served the purpose of keeping the
matter within the framework of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
and not exposing it to rejection by the full Senate.
3. It is known the Committee has discussed this resolution in
some detail on more than one occasion. We have been informed that the
Committee appears to be about evenly split on the issue but as of now no
decision has been made either to go forward or to drop the matter. An
interesting sidelight of the Committee discussions was an apparently
serious proposal that Senator Russell be requested to permit two or
three members of Senate Foreign Relations Committee to sit during the
meetings of the CIA Subcommittee of Armed Services.
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4. 1 believe the relationships of the Agency with its Senate
Subcommittees as opposed to the two House Subcommittees are
vulnerable because of the lack of meetings. in 1966 there has been
only one meeting. The records show that for the last eight years
we have averaged less than four meetings a year. This includes
1965 when we had 11 meetings and this frequency was accounted for
by Senator Stennis who was Acting Chairman while Senator Russell
was ill and away from active participation. In one of those years
no meeting was hold. A review of the participation by the members
at these meetings which are in fact combined meetings of the CIA
Subcommittees of Armed Services and Appropriations shows the
average attendance to be about four members.
5. As to review of budgets, I believe it is fair to state that
on the Senate aide there has not been a full-fledged budget presentation
in the last ten years. A fair estimate would be that the Subcommittee
has heard the Agency on budget matters for no more than an average
of one hour each year. In a majority of the years there has been no
discussion of the budget by the Agency with the Subcommittee. If this
information were available to critics of the current Subcommittee
system, obviously it would provide them with strong ammunition. It
is noted that in the last three or four years most of the meetings occur
at the initiative of the Agency and, in addition, we are in touch almost
weekly with the staff requesting that they bring to the attention of the
Chairman the appropriateness of a meeting.
6. In view of the information contained above, I am not giving
this memorandum any circulation other than a copy to the Deputy Director
of Central Intelligence with a suggestion that after he has reviewed it
we discuss it with the view of sending it to the Director with possible
recommendations.
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Legislative Counsel
Approved For Release 2p02107129 : C1A DPOOB01676R000500110004-3
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UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL SECRET
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
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NAME AND ADDRESS
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ACTION
DIRECT REPLY
PREPARE REPLY
APPROVAL
DISPATCH
RECOMMENDATION
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RETURN
CONCURRENCE
INFORMATION
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Remarks :
Attached is a memorandum I have done
for Colonel White at his request. I regard the
facts as important and serious. I would suggest
that you and I might spend a few minutes
considering possible courses of action before
sending this on to the Director.
FOLD HERE TO RETURN TO SENDER
FROM: NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NO.
DATE
t' 1
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UNCLASSIFIED CO I
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