COLBY IN TIME DISCREDITS VIET GUERRILLA VICTORY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000300170013-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 18, 2004
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: January 12, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 20Q 4 1~l
All,- 5 DMO- g -01314R000300' P4{I ~ b ( Uj
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Viet
guerrilla vi ,,
Communist victory in Vietnam "Otherwise we're in a posi-
was no more a result of guerril- tion of either having to com-
la war than was the Nazi victo- plain with a diplomatic protest
ry in France and Norway, ;the and be ignored, or' having to
outgoing director of the Central threaten to use military force,
Intelligence Agency, William E. which nobody wants to do."
Colby, says in Time magazine. ` Time says it asked Mr. Col-
l According to the current Iss- by about the Bay of Pigs opera-
sue of Time released for publi- tion against Cuba. He respond
cation yesterday, Mr. Colby ed thatAf it had succeeded, "it
said! in an. interview that. the would have avoided.the Cuban
CIA won "the people's war in missile crisis, which is the near-
South Vietnam. est the world has ever got to
At critical times In the war. Armageddon." Time quotes the veteran Intel- Mr. Colby said, according to
ligerce agent as saying, "there Time, that it was "maddening
weren't any true guerrillas, in and. frustrating that so many
Vietnam. The, people were all people associate the CIA with
'on the government's side." -cart guns and toxin and assassi-
Accordin to the Time re- nations."
According He acknowledged, regarding
port, Mr. Colby added: the agency's Phoenix counter-
"The- Communist victory in terrorist operation in Vietnam.
'Vietnam was no more a result that "the figure of 20,000 peo-
of guerrilla war than was the ple killed is often used. Well,
Nazi victory in France and that's my figure, and I'm the
Norway." one who put it out. But that was
Mr. Colby) served with the part of war."
American Office, of Strategic
Services, the precursor.of the
CIA, in both European ' coun-
tries during World War II. Mr.
Colby also defended his agen-
cy's role in covert operations,
Time says. "I. believe the. U.S.
government needs an ability to
conduct large unattributed, un-
admitted operations," he is
SU ~~ ter. l T IL_ -e
Approved For Release 2005/01/11 : CIA-RDP88-01314R000300170013-1