LETTER TO THE HONORABLE VERNON A. WALTERS FROM WILLIAM J. CASEY RE: VERNON S LETTER TO THE BOSTON GLOBE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00443R001203980093-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 29, 2007
• Sequence Number: 93
• Publication Date: December 2, 1982
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2007/05/31: CIA-RDP88B00443R001203980093-0
The Dire*( Central Intelligence
Washington. D. C. 20505
?
2 December 1982
Dear Dick,
I liked your letter to The Boston Globe. In
your inimitable way you reinstated your membership
in the SUM Society. I didn't know what that was
either until I met Pat Clancy in the locker room
of the Everglades Club last weekend and he hailed
me as a member of the SUM Society. I asked what
in the world that was. He said, "Stand Up Men."
Yours,
William J. Casey
The Honorable Vernon A. Walters
Ambassador-at-Large
Room 6313
Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
 ?
A.RT I GT APP RED
M.A.G. 16
Letters
BOSTON GLOBE
28 NOVE ER 1982
?
lar to those I had conducted in Paris i ington__ Because I speak - eight' Ian-.
with the Vietnamese and Chinese, were i guages, some felt it important that I
in progress. When I learned otherwise, I convey to .these-men in their own lan-
refused-to restrain the FBI probe in any guages the commitment of the United
way. Indeed, I threatened to resign if States, and particularly of the American
ordered to do otherwise. John Dean has intelligence community, to continue the
acknowledged this refusal in his own struggle against our enemies even in
testimony before Congress. The delay times of great domestic turmoil for us.
The dictates of diplomacy .
Jeff Stein was kind enough to send
me a copy of the cover story he -
wrote about me ("Mystery- Man caused to the FBI, while I checked our
of American -Diplomacy," August. sources in Mexico, resulted in no--sub-
29). In his accompanying note, he of- { stantial impairment to the investigation.
fered to interview me or to allow me With respect to the overall Water-
space to comment upon his article. As gate matter, I can only- say that-every
he pointed out in the article itself, I nor- step I took at that time. was scrutinized
wally refrain from interviews and -sel- in numerous and endless public hear-
dom comment on stories. I do so not rags- Nevertheless, I remained in office,
because I am particularly opposed to until 1976, four years after the break-in
publicity about me. Indeed, during the occurred. -In 1974, Director of the CIA
five years from 1976 to 1981, as a pri- James R. Schlesinger, a man respected
vate citizen, I wrote a book, Silent Mis- for his integrity, intelligence, and so-
sw'S, not $eeret a Mrr Steia's-research. Phisttcatv0n, awarded-:. me the , Dtstm
suggests:' Not a single US secret is 'con- ' guished Intelligence Medal for showing
tamed in the book. It was published in "the highest qualities of moral integrity
six languages. I. traveled widely - and and rigid adherence to his constitutional
appeared on national and international responsibilities despite a number of se-
television and radio programs --hardly
the activities of a shy or reclusive man.
I.shun publicity because the nature of
my duties as Ambassador-at-Large re-
quires me to move discreetly and incon-
spicuously in quiet pursuit of our coun-
try's foreign policy. Publicity under-
mines my ability-to do this.
Nevertheless, I feel compelled to re-
spond to some of the allegations con-
tained in the Stein story because they
call into question my personal integrity
during my tenure as Deputy and Acting
Director of the CIA I feel strongly that
'
Never in any of the meetings with
Colonel Contreras, the head of Chilean
Intelligence,' did the subject of Orlando
Letelier or Chilean passports ever arise.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is mis-
taken. The last time I saw Contreras
was overa year before Letelier was
murdered. My trip to Paraguay, just be-
fore I retired 'in July, had nothing to do,
with Chile or passports or Letelier. I am
still, however, not at liberty to discuss
the nature of my trip. .
After' hretired from- tSe CIA, I.had
nothing to do with Chile or Paraguay. I
had never even heard of Ambassador
Landau's cables until August 1976,
when the CIA brought them to my
vere pressures to lead him toa contrary-'I attention. I answered that I knew noth-
position." Mr. Schlesinger is not known (_ing about passports for any Chileans..
as a man who passes out encomia freely. { Furthermore, I explained that I had no
When I retired, moreover, President reason to become involved with official
Gerald Ford, another man respected US business with Chile or Paraguay be-
for his straightforwardness, awarded !!' cause I was, then, a private citizen. No
me the National Security Medal, only mention, moreover, was ever made of
twenty of which 'bad. ever before. been Orlando Letelier. _
given. Mr. Stein's impressive research '
apparently failed to discover these two 'Ca' = 7
awards, although both are mentioned in
Silent Missions, from which he.quotes
extensively. '
With respect to Mr. Stein's allega-
tions about the senseless murder of Or-
lando Letelier, I repeat here what I told
the FBI and the Justice Department in
1976: I.knew nothing whatsoever of the .
matter.
As Deputy Director of the CIA, I
met with most heads of foreign intelli-
gence services when they visited Wash-
the American people
must have coati-
dence in the integrity of their public
servants and that to allow Mr. Stein's'
allegations to go unchallenged. is- to
shake 'that confidence.' .- -- . -
The first allegation relates to an old
matter. Watergate. Mr. Stein, like oth-
ers, continues to play the "who-knew-
what-when" game that has always lefti
even the'' most informed observers 1
i befuddled.. I do not intend to rehash the .
`? matter- here- I would ' simply like to
stress that when it became clear to me
that no CIA assets were endangered by
an FBI investigation, I refused, as Dep-
uty Director, on behalf of the CIA, to
have any involvement whatsoever in the
matter. When John Dean first asked me _
to stop the FBI investigation into the
Mexico money, I thought perhaps that
clandestine meetings with Castro, simi-
 P-p--roved For Release 2007/05
?
Later, while living in Florida, I read
about the Letelier murder. But, frankly,
a connection between the CIA inquiry
about passports - half- the world, by
the way, seems to be seeking US
passports at one time or another - and
the Letelier case did not occur to me.
To have rushed to the FBI to report
that I did not know anything about a
readily available to him.
Once again let me emphasize: I
could be of no practical assistance to the
Letelier prosecution quite simply be-
cause I knew nothing about the matter.
Mr. Stein spends considerable time
i in oth& parts of his article suggesting
how I have undermined governments
murder in Washington, D.C., 'would . and leaders in the name of democracy.
have been as ludicrous as for me to rush
to the FBI to announce my ignorance of
circumstances surrounding any of a host
of - other crimes committed across
America on any given day. I had no
more reason to do so than would Mr.
Stein himself. Apparently Mr. Stein
feels that one who dedicated his fife to
American intelligence is so wicked as to
have: need of protesting his' innocence
when no accusation is even made.
When, however, the FBI pointed out
to me' the possible connection between
the CIA inquiry about passports and the
Letelier murder, I volunteered to assist
in any way I could. I offered to testify
under oath that I kiiew nothing about
the case, and I volunteered to take a lie
detector test. The FBI and Eugene
Propper, the prosecutor, apparently
thought my testimony and.a he detector
test unnecessary to the prosecution's,
case. Both offers, however, are a mat-
ter of public record. I repeated the of-
fers before a House committee on
March 10, 1981, a statement Mr. Stein
seems to have missed, although his as-
signment to the Congressional Press
Corps would have made the transcript
These parts remind me of an article
along the same lines published while I
was Attache in Brazil That article de-
scribed in detail how I had conducted
coup, after coup in Latin America, in-
stalled presidents, eliminated enemies,
sowed discontent, and brought down
governments. Now I had been sent to
Brazil; to : do the. same: 1.: reported: the...
article .to Washington With the com-
ment, "And on the seventh day, I
rested"
.Asa
public servant, .1 have come
to expect scrutiny and criticism. As
Ambassador-at-Large, however, respon-
sibility usually dictates silence and
patience. With respect to the integrity
-of my actions, I am generally content to
await the judgments of our future re-
searchers and historians. I have no rea-
son to fear the day the truth be told.
VERNON A. WALTERS.
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Walters' letter uaas mailed on Sep-
tember 14; the delay in publication was
inadvertent - Ed.