CIA FINDS OTTERS MAKE THE BEST ANIMAL AGENTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00845R000200820027-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 10, 2010
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: June 17, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/11: CIA-RDP90-00845R000200820027-7
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
17 June 1980
By-. A. j.' McILROY' itt Neew York
HE Central Intelligence ,Agency has
introduced. a 'programme to. train.- otters,
weals, _ cats,_ and, dogs, .to. carry,elploslves : or
i?icrophones_to places people `cannot reach _ -
Thiswas disclosed in:3,000 heavily-censored pages
study evaluations and documents ,made;' public
yesterday`by tlie agency at its langley, Virginia,,liead
- quarters. as-. a- result of a - request ,by they NEw'-..Yoiu
::T,imEs- under :the`Freedom
The :use of animals in new
espionage methods - the!
otter ;.vas ,, regarded best
.because it_tra,iels over-iandl
and water ~ -is only--one pf-a
:large- number;;-_ of :.disclosures
.by;the;agency- .+
;:'Secret experiments' were- also
catrried :out on'.- .developing
weapons:: nl.e=.pousoa _pelle~s,
`-'electric-. stun guns and cali-
brated. blackjacks
.:The ,;sw :YoRK.,:.Triiss, 1n
'a:report yesterday,; said that it
had' initiated .the ! publication
of: tlte.:anencP,:documents::.But.
the nwspaper. added..."' which
of "? the. ideas -fiver e:' developed
=and which were discarded is
uncertain because-. the agency
'refused. official . comrrient _on
:the. documents."
=T" In, , addition,- man''= details
aiid:,almost everr.proper.name
and. -title. -were- ; deleted -',frown
jh-e.documents,- s'o that the. pro-
iects"emerge la' general terrrts-
The "agency has -been -stang bye
:earlier':disclosures -:of- covetti-
research-. and development pro-
jects.that. included use of-L S D
and. other-mind-altering. drugs.
as": well as elaborate: 'sexual
entrapment 7
Ophilon ssvitch
The ` intelligence disclo-,lire-s)
secured. by the _- NEW _' Yct#x
Ttxrs- come Ohnrtly after the
collapse in Congress Wand the
Senate . of attempts to, intro-
duce> a.:":charter of conduri"
imposing restrictions on the
operational methods - of, the
CIA and other:agencie3 -
Public opiaioa,' 'which_, had,
been roused by- earlier.revela-;
lions o f=" C I A abuses." includ-
ing reports'-' of --- undercover
operations.'soying on Americans
.at.home and-abroad, has under-
gore -compleze- ch.anue? because
of the outrage over the holding
of :American. hostages in Iran
cinreNov: -4. -
The lobby opposing -restric-
tions-on intelligence' operations
argued that Iran- and events in
neiRhbourin; Afghanistan, in-
vaded-by Russian troops, de-
manded- vohampered .-_under-
cover agencies:
Some 'of they actions' :des-
cribed- in the . newlvi released
'CI r1 -papers : the NEw .Yom (
,TIES said, talk of : insestib3
tons into behayinur rnodifica:1
tion' and -mind" control. ?Thi3I
rr esv : out: -of research in7? the
I950s- and.-l960s.--which in. Nrn!
'stemmed from cnrntirnui-tg Fins-
sian:interest-in this, field.
III
Stopping hijackers
An insight;is also-given into
the attentiord paid by th CIA
to:enti sk~=jacking., techniqoes
One method was 'a'gia_nt'pis-
tort'.that would be; incorporated;
in' the: pilot's; seat- so- that- when
.alhijacker entered. the airliner's'
flight-:,dec. kthe : pilot . could:
trigger. the 25-pound piston and
-knock-the intruder through' the
door-:Another: device mentioned;
but- not explained,-was-,".an eleo_I
trifled.net "?-=a
There ' "were references- to
studies,- of-a-
medidne-ball;" which?the-NESyj
i.YomK TI~EEs said-, i.was presunr-~
abiyy. a`reference-.-to' a murder
weapon: which hasa been- used
' by. Russian agents ''to kill- sev
eral: anti-Communist. dissident;
one' case involved ' Gcmgi
Markov; the Bulgarian dissident
who died in Londdrp. two years
ago:: after= being struck. by a
poisoned "'pellet' shot' from :an
umbrella- tip. _ .The- hollow. baW
was -filled tvith:a- deddly poison
The'- -G I A.-- - document= discus
sing-- this- "murder weapon:"
was, written-~_years- before 'the
ni u-r de r - in' ; London::- This
appeared tribe' an-.example of
how often' bothysidej work on
similar: techniques'- sixm ltane-?
7 -7
-The docu men t3---also: refer-to
ai study `-oL ",incapacitating
d'arts''--and'!'! a --f:ash iblindness,
incapacitator'_'::-using: an-
;.ex-:similar- to a- ;British -device .to !
'of.bosta a Beiges:.;
end a number
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/11