FOLLOW-UP TO SENATOR SYMINGTON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01720R000500030020-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2004
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: July 21, 1966
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 20AWREiA-RDP80RO172GR000500030020-8
21 July 1966
H1)UM FOR THE RECORD
aUBJECT: Follow-up to Senator Symington
1. On the afternoon of Tuesday, 19 July, an
officer on the Vietnamese Affairs Staff directed rn .n l on o an article
written by Charles Mohr on 20 May 1966 and published in the New York
Times edition of 21 . 'fay. This article dealt with the pacification program
in Vietnam, rural development cadre and their training, and in essence
provided an almost direct refutation of the points made in Mr. Mohr's
18 July article inserted into the Congressional Record by Senator McCarthy.
2.. I called Mr. Helms to advise him of the earlier )Mohr article
and of the fact that Mohr had himself provided the antidote to his 18 July
piece. Mr. Helms asked that I relay this information directly to Senator
Symington. I called the Senator and discussed the matter with him. He
asked me to come to his office at 0930 on Wednesday. 20 July, to polish
the text of his statement and insert this new material in it.
3. Accompanied byl I went to the Senator's office as
requested. We showed him the May Mohr article which he read with
considerable interest. We worked out an additional two paragraphs of his
draft statement highlighting the fact that the New York Time. correspondent
(Mohr) had himself contradicted the allegations and assertions made in the
article of 18 July. We also called the Senator's attention to the fact that
Senator McCarthy, in his statement in the Congressional Record, had
misquoted a key phrase in the concluding paragraph of Mr. Mohr's 18 July
piece. Mohr had said:
"... The /CIA/ was not unhappy to take a less prominent
part in what had become the largest overt program: in
its history".
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SECRET
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nator McCarthy had rendered this:
"... The Agency was not happy to take a less
pro,rdifent part... " .
the entire text of his proposed
then went over
4. Senator SYmingtoa e s bons ? In it he
asking for and receiving our editorial +sagg Hate's 'consent to insert into the Rem di en Mae i a COPY of text
this
stateasked mtheent Se to Yung Tau, He had 8
of his report on his ow. trip seed this to The Senator asked
to sever
i
d
on
t. on 19 July andiha
this report; we called his stt+ent
co ,eats on
f we had any corrected.
minor factual errors which he thereupon ,u_:. ,..-ts.V"ant are
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5. The concluding paragraphs "JI L"- ich
about the Agency's role wh senator
devoted to the larger usstions Senator S,yaxaiatgton referred his
,ICCarthy had raised the preceding d,O "Meet the Press" on
,i,, triad* On
ccallles-goes to Admiral R the Se ,ate s consent the to Co xes insert the
sio Record.
Sunday' 17 July, and asked k
such of that session of I~Nieet the Press" into for our ce in
. Senator Slrr ington expressed his tine words of high praise for
r
g
the statement, and added a few pa
drafting
the Agency and its new Director.
George A. Carver, Jr
cting Pecial Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs
1 - DCI vr. Warner)
i
yegislative Counsel
Orig - Special Projetts Misc.
1 - VAS Chr ono
1 - GAC Chronov-,,~,
IL(EGIB
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ACarver, Jr.
21/7/66
I have already called Dick about this
visit, hence he does not need to waste time
on reading this mamernorandum. However,
you might find it useful for your records.
Ueorge A. Carver, Jr.
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. John Warner
21/7/66
GACarver, Jr.
Attached is a. short note on yesterday
n.orningis session with Symington.
~,aeorae A. Carver, Jr.
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