INTELLIGENCE REPORT LEAKS DENOUNCED BY WHITE HOUSE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100090054-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 54
• Publication Date: January 27, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

~ _Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/28 :CIA-RDP91-005618000100090054-3
Nesst?n and Colby Say
A;rAements I~av~
!3Q?li T~tOr4f2d
By NfCHOL~S 1i. HOItROCK
S~slal .O Th? dew York Ttma
WASHIi'vGTON, Jan. 2o"--The
Ford Administration and the
Director of Central Intelligence]
charged today that leaks of a
House committee report on in
tellioence activists violated an
agre~mert between the commit
tee and the executive branch.
President Ford's press secr..
tart', Icon Nessen, told news-
men: "tha premature ,release,
of a preliminary draft of they
committee report is in viola=
tion of the security agreement
whic}; the ~'/hite House under-
stood it had with the commit-
tee. It raise. serious question
about how classified mater'ai
can be handled by Ca~_^=ss
lwhe:t the national security ?s
at stake." ?
In a news conference called)
.before he retires as Director of
Central Intelligence, William
E. Colby said that, under the
agreement by which the Central
Intelligence Agency supplied
information to the House Select,
Committee on .,Intelligence,
President Ford should have
been consulted before any re-
lease of secret information
"and his decision. ?would be
final in the absence of further
judicial determination'..
"The committee seems neith-
er able to keep secrets tlor its
agreement," tiL-. Colby said.
He was questioned extensive-
ly on accounts of the Housel
report pabiished in today's New,,
York Times. The report 'has
not yet bzen released by the
committee.
"From the draft of. the. com-
mittee report that I have seen
and ~ the news stories abot:t it.
I believe it totally biased and
a disservice to ours nation;' lie
Said. ~?
"By selective `use of the
evidence provided, by innltendo
27 January 1970
Under questioning by report-
ers, however Prtr. Colby ac-
knowledged that the C.L:ff.'s
estimation of costs of arms
being secretly sent to Angola
probably undervalued -the -aid
by $1 million or S2 million:
Several days ago a senior in-
telligence officer estimated the
cost at S2 million. -.
Dir. Co]by strongly disputed
the idea that undervaluing the.
equipment might have doubled'
the value of covert support
vember to S6~ million.
He said that he agreed -with
the House committee clairman
that "the best way to stop this
leakage and the dangers to the
'
United States it involves is by
a rapid dissolution of this com-
mittee:" -
Ironically, D-Ir. Colby told a
reporter for The. Associated
necticut Democrat, said the;
leaks disturbed me and every;
!ttember of the committee." I
"I dent know where the
] aks come;. from," he said..
"They could have come, from;
the staff or from the executive'
branch."
'A. Searle Field, ?he staff di-
recto said: "As far as I cast
see; it. didn`t come from `the
co!rilnittee. There's literally doz-
ens`of.copies [of the report] at
the State Department, at the
executive offices, the Pentagon.
It is a very severe blow."-
! Mr. Cosby later denied that.
'anyone- at the C.I.A. had Teakedj
the information.
said it :vas procedural in na-
ture and not designed to help;
them cover up wrongdnin;. 1
Associates of bIr. N:issin; er"..
said he hsd reported line ~ ifts?
to the White House and they;
were not in his possession.
:vii. Colby has [old Conte ess,~;
the press and the. puUlic many ~
times that leaks may harm na-:
tional security. ~{e said, again,.
that foreign i..^.telligence serv-:
ices that ccoperated with the,
United States .were advising;
the C.I.A. that ,they did not>
want to continue these rely-;
tionships because of secltrity~
.breaches. _ _ _ . ,~
"' But he has never named an
~?intelligence senrice that has ac-
.tuaIly ended its relationship
~~~itli the agency over. the Ieaks ;
and has offered little evidence
that this in fact has. happened.
. D?Ir. Colby is expected. to va-
cate his affice either ?ate. to-
morrow or early tVednesday
after Ambassador. Geooe E.:
Bush is confirmed. as Director
of Central Inteliigeltce.
In a private ceremony tcdav,
President Ford a~varded ?dr. ~
Colby tha National Security
Medal and praised his leader-
ship during a time he called
the agency's "most troubla~d
period." - ..__.. ~ .. ? .a
According to a copy ~of the
commi?tee's fi^al report-made;
available to The ?Times, thef
House committee found:.
Fress in an irterniew today that ~'1'hat the funds alid ope;a-
_ ,he had .told The Washington tions ~ of intalligerice agencies
'Star in November 1973 that the were vimaaliy t:ncheclxd.-
;C.LA. infiltrated the news me- gSet the C.T.A. `andother in=
:d;a tellit,ence agencies had used de-
ceptive bud~etin~ methods that
R "That oarticu}arstory came undervalued- costs oP intelfi-
from a idiscu,- ~-l'on -:vrith file Bence when .reported ,secretly
[Star] editorial^~oard 'arid the to Congress. The price tag for
question was asked whether we' the intelligence apparatus was
?had any relationships .with' ;set at S10 billion.
~journaiists. I felt I had to speak.' [;That the C.LA: violated a
,straight with the people on the' 1967 order by President John-
`editorial board, that I couldn't, son than forbade it ~ from in-~
:begin 'the position of telIino ~iltratin~ colle~~s and rivate.
:them something false. So in the. ?--__ _ a~ _--..___ P _ _ __ y
process I did tell them, yes," het educational- foundations:
'said.in the interview. ~ 4That S?nator Hen.
- Representative Robert-. bIa- JaclLeon, Democrat of ~Vashin I_ i
Clory of Illinois, the senior.Re-. .ton, secrets, advised the C.LA.~
publican on the House tntelli-~ on ho?.v- to protect itself from
?gence committee also attacked an investigation -bv.'t?Senatorl
the leaks of stories G'tat ap. Frank Church, Democrat. of
geared iq,_The Tirnes. ,.., Idaho, and. members ~f'a Sen-
"I must confess that at this gate Foreign Relations subcom-
poihL ~ I am not confident _ a~ ,matee. , ~ ?. .- , ., .. ...
House committee. could bsi ,~ ~3That Secretary of Slate and.
trusted with. this information,"
he said. ,
He said he was particularly
vexed because ; his . minority
,Ars. N.enl-y a. Kissinger re-4
ceived personal-gifts from the[
beleaguered leader of Kurdish
rebels .who had been supplied
with a
b
rms
y the C.LA. on the
opmlon on the report was not ~ .
carried. by The Times.?- ~ secret cider of President Nixon.
' "Them.leak it to us- now," d 'Senator .Jacfison. acknowl-
reporter ~ suggested.. bIr , itilo- ec.ged thaE_he: did. give ,C.LA.
Cl
d
ory
eclined.
Theacting ch'zirman of !the
House committee, Representa-
ard suggestive language, the]' five Robert N_ ..,Giaimo, a Con-,
committee implies that `ntelli-
gence has deceptive bUclgets,~
has no accountability. and hasp
not ? complied with a direct
order of the President. I dent's
thacP91at1~" - - '
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/28 :CIA-RDP91-005618000100090054-3