LETTER TO MR. ROBERT L. BOROSAGE FROM W. E. COLBY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000200010039-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Sequence Number: 39
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For RelPas i07 I 00200010039-3 I Executive Regis"
15 August 1974
?
Mr. Robert L. 'Borosaae
'~7osage.
.Dear Mr. Bo:
Thank you for your invitation to appear at your
conference on the Central Intelligence Agency and Covert
Actions. As you no doubt are aware from the press, we in
CIA have attempted to be responsive to Congressional and
public interest in our activities to the extent this is
possible while fulfilling my statutory responsibilities to
protect intelligence sources and methods. In this we are
seeking to.conform with our open Constitutional society
and at the same time carry out the intelligence functions
essential to protect it.
Thus I have accepted invitations to speak before a
variety of groups seriously interested in understanding CIA
and its functioning. In principle, therefore, I would accept
your invitation and welcome the opportunity to present my
views on this subject. As you note in your letter, however,
I am somewhat impressed with the fact that "most" of the
papers and subjects on your program are indeed critical of
the Agency and its activities. I am surprised that there
is no apparent attempt to examine the need for the contribution
that objective and independent intelligence can make to policy-
making. I also note that there is no discussion of the
potential difficulties posed to our country and our open
society by the closed societies with whom we share this world
and whose intentions and capabilities vis-a-vis the United
States can best be negotiated about or countered if they are
known to our national leadership. I think, for example, of
the contribution intelligence has made to peace in a variety
of situations, from the Cuban missile crisis to the SALT
agreements, matters in which I would think your Fund would
be interested and would applaud.
Approved For Release 2006/07/27: CIA-RDP88-01315R000200010039-3
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Since the basic thrust of your conference seems to be
aimed in a critical direction, however, which is certainly
your privilege and right under our Constitution,. I think
the most useful contribution I could make would be to appear
toward its end and respond to the questions and criticisms
developed in the earlier panels. Thus, I would think my
appearance might be better scheduled on the afternoon of
September 13th. In that way, I would hope to present to
our critics and to those interested in this subject matter
my views and responses (and occasional acknowledgements) with
respect to" the criticisms raised in the course of your
conference. I would hope that any such appearance could be
conducted with the dignity and openness to conflicting ideas
symbolized by its location in a hearing room of the United
States Congress. I would certainly not expect to have the
last word at the conference, but I think my contribution
might be more useful if it were in the later stages.
If this approach seems appropriate to you, I would be
happy to discuss any further details required.
Sincerely,
zs/, A . Co_Iby,
W. E. Colby
Director
cc: The Fund for Peace
1855 Broadway
New York, New York 10023
WEC:blp:j.lp
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Approved For Release 2006/07/27: CIA-RDP88-01315R000200010039-3