HELMS WARNS OF EXCESSIVE CURBS ON CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100080047-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 47
• Publication Date: May 17, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100080047-2
;llPTICLE AP EARED WASHINGTON POST
ON PAGE, 17 MAY 1978
"After what happened to me le- an "illusion . part of the mythology
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dally," Helms told the committee, it of Washington." I 1 became quite clear that CIA otfe "I don't know any director, at
cial called before a Senate e committee least during my time, who fiddle-fad-
to 'do so "without. taking his pants sisted. When a member of the House
? ! down."' ..or Senate got a CIA briefing, Helms {
i Helms was also vehemently critical - said, "he got the martini straight up-
A~XUOOO of the presidential commission headed not on the rocks."
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that investigated CIA domestic mis- he was convinced that "a sizable part
deeds. In one such case he said he had of the Congress" is "opposed to Intel-
been unjustly criticized by the com- ligence" along with significant seg-
mission for investigating newspaper menu of the media,
columnist Jack Anderson in an at- "You. have only to read any daily
tempt to determine the source of An- _ paper of the East coast or the West
derson's leaks.. particularly about the Coast to make that sad discovery,"
India?Pakistan war. Goldwater said.. "There's more leaks :1j
Former Central Intelligence . "'Agency "director "It was. an absolute hemorrhage in here than there are in- the-men's "room .i
Richard Helms urged Congress yesterday to restore terms of intelligence information," at Anheuser-Busch." He said he in-
Helms said, defending his decision to tended to sponsor legislation
what he called a spirit of "collaboration" with the
intelligence community instead of trying too ? investigate the, columnist under his "directed at the misuse of information
nation's
pin idown wih elaborate controls. obligation to - protect ?the?. CIA s - .gathered,,..., t hr o u g h..:.. intelugene. 1
p~ _,. ..., sources and methods." ources."
Testifying- before- the Senate Intelligence Commit- Helms asked the committee 'either Helms suggested that the Senators
tee, Helms suggested-that the CIA had been seriously td'give the CIA director the clear au- also consider exempting : the intelli-
weakened by congressional and executive branch in- thority to conduct investigations or to ? gene agencies from "the endless in-
its misdeeds: Now, he charged, it is -f give someone else the job of protect- cursions and inquiries" of the Free-
vestigations of l
"hemorrhaging" with 'continuing leaks of its secrets, in-- "sources and methods." Helms dom of Information Act, which he fl
in books, in newspapers and elsewhere. said the CIA had never been particu- charged has had a "devastating" of
larly successful In asking the FBI to feet. ''?r
"If it continues,.. this country is going to be at a do soj at least not. in his tenure as Moynihan expressed' his concern
serious disadvantage," Helms warned. `"The Russians CLk director from 1968 to 1973.
are putting things into place. This is a time when' i'1VIr. Hoover had no stomach for it," about the "massive" spying. by the
KGB- (the Soviet Union's Committee
out intelligence can't possibly be too good and when I Mass said of the late FBI director. for State Security) on Americans and
we can't have. enough of- it. To coin a phrase, we'rei "He wasn't interested. Therefore he public indignation over.;
wouldn't do it.". the lack of
/ certainly fiddling while,Rome burns. that;.. for which Moynihan blamed
(\ The hearing resounded, with sympathetic senatorial mAtlitee one point Chairman in the Birch Bayh hearing, Com- American liberals. He predicted a
(D-Ind.)
voices. The session was called to.. discuss, a proposed` said that there had been efforts in the bleak day of reckoning. ?
263-pae charter-aimed at reforming the CIA and the; past on the CIA's part "to not let Con- God, we will have a lot to explain.
rest of. the intelligence community, but none of the gress' have, the information or make Moynihan exclaimed. "It will not be a
committee members present spent any time defending Congress believe something was hap- happy occasion ... I fear of the con-
it and some were openly critical. pening a little different than it actu- sequences for American liberalism.
--.= ~? :-- s ., -' -}
Sen. *Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) charged ally is." Z%
that "under the -pretense of reorganizing the CIA, -Helms denied this. flatly, calling It
we are making. it impossible- to do what it was
created for' =which Moynihan defined as maintaining
a policy of "being aggressively anti-Soviet."
Other committee- members made clear, that they
are in no rush to adopt a legislative charter in the
wake- of the 1975.7& congressional and executive
branch investigations 'of wrongdoing on the part of
the CIA, the FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies.
For, his part, Helms protested that he had been a
victim of those ? investigations. Now the head of a
newly organized consulting firm allied with Iranian
interests, the former CIA director was- fined $2,000
and given a two-year suspended sentence last Nov.
4 after he pleaded no contest in federal court here
to two counts of failing to testify fully and accurately
before.the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Helms, in effect, asked the Intelligence Committee
to make sure nothing like that could ever happen
again-by making CIA officials accountable only to
the Senate Intelligence Committee and its House
counterpart.
He told a reporter after yesterday's hearing that
he didn't feel the Foreign Relations Committee, which
1' was inquiring into CIA Activities in Chile,. had any
right to demand his sworn testimony. on the issue
';:,:;_. m., ,
as it did in February and March of. 1973.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100080047-2