SALT AND THE CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400390098-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 3, 2004
• Sequence Number: 98
• Publication Date: April 11, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Releas M t~~..M '' Z JOURNAL (ALA. )
el/v6IA-RDP88-01315
Before the Senate votes. on., whether to
approve the Strategic Arms Limitation Trea-
ty it should take tip the report that there has
been a coverup of the theft of top-secret
information. This information pertains to
two satellites.
The satellites are cornerstones in this
country's plan to monitor the Soviet Union's
compliance with SALT. A newspaper reports
that the theft was concealed by the Central
Intelligence Agency, incredibly, so as not to
endanger Senate approval of SALT. The
newspaper is the respected Sunday News
Journal of Wilmington, Del. According to its
investigation, plans for the Keyhole and
Rhyolite satellites were sold to the Soviets in
1976 by employees of TRW Inc., a prime
contractor for the satellite program.
But, according to the News Journal, the
two men involved were not charged with the
sale of those plans. Instead, it reported, they
were convicted of selling microfilmed blue-
prints of a proposed. satellite for CIA use.
The CIA terms the story ridiculous. The
prestige of the paper and the digging that
went into its story indicate that this is not
the case. But let the Senate determine the
facts for itself.
Both the Carter administration and the
Soviet Union have a campaign going to get I'll
approval of SALT. The administration even
has State Department representatives trav-
eling around the country to build up senti-
ment in favor of SALT. Alabama has been
getting the treatment because the votes of
Sen. Donald Stewart and Sen. Howell Heflin
are considered very important.
The risks of SALT are such that if there is
Soviet cheating, it could be catastrophic for
the United States. To trust Moscow is like
leaving the cat to watch the canary. The
adminstration's response is that we have the
technical ability to monitor compliance.
Even if the News Journal story does not
hold up, it has been clearly established that
the- Soviet Union has the Keyhole plans-a
former CIA employee has been convicted on
that score. The Senate should determine if
the CIA has misled the American public in
such a way that it touches upon the question
of this country's survival.
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400390098-2