THE PRESS AND THE CIA SHOULD ACT RESPONSIBLY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100100006-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 7, 2012
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: May 31, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100100006-4
UTICA OBSERVER-DISPATCH (NY) FILE ONLY
31 May 1986
The press
and the CIA
~huld act responsibly
In the Soviet Union there is no debate Casey can decide whether or not it
about how much information to make endangers national security.
public about its intelligence network. At the trial itself, much of the testimony
Everything is secret and no one is allowed so far has involved references to "Pro-
to object. jects A, B, C, D and E," that the govern-
But in our country it works differently. ment has failed to describe. Prosecutors
Since we, the citizens and taxpayers, have said it did not matter what the projects
a say in what our government does, we were, only that they had been disclosed to
have a right to have at least some the Soviets.
information about how the CIA and the One of the problems here is that Casey
National Security Agency are spending seems to be very concerned about locking
our money. the barn door after the horse has already
We depend on the press to report about run away. If these projects have already
these agencies on matters that do not been disclosed to the Soviets, why are
endanger nationatsecurity.' they still secret? Is national security
But there is a fine line there. Who really involved here, or does the CIA just
decides what endangers national securi- want to keep us from knowing about a
ty? It would certainly be irresponsible for controversial operation that might in-
reporters to print the names of secret volve violations of the Soviets' territorial
agents working abroad where their lives waters? Wouldn't we be upset 'if we found
could be endangered. It would have been a Soviet submarine in the Potomac?
irresponsible to disclose in advance the It's only natural that the CIA and the
plans for the raid on Libya. press are adversaries on these kinds of
On the other hand, leaders of the U.S. issues. The CIA's job is to keep secrets,
intelligence communities screamed "na- the press's job is to protect the public's
tional security" after disclosure of the right to know.
Pentagon papers, Watergate and at- There are documented cases where the
tempts to overthrow the government of press has withheld information because it
Chile. History has shown that in those felt disclosure would, harm national secu-
cases the intelligence agencies were at= rity. During the Kennedy administration,
tempting to hide information from the The New York Times and other newspa-
American public, not protect national pers uncovered plans for the Bay of Pigs
security. invasion of Cuba but chose not to print the
This problem has surfaced again over story.
CIA chief William J. Casey's threat to Reason should prevail on both sides.
prosecute NBC news for disclosing infor- The news media are Americans who
mation about the secrets that Ronald W. would not purposely act against the best
Pelton is charged with selling to the interests of their country. The press can
Soviets. The network reported that Pelt- however, without knowing it, disclose
on told the Soviets about the use of U.S. information that would cause damage
submarines in Soviet harbors to listen in somewhere in the world. It needs to be
on secret radio transmissions. careful.
Casey has also asked the reporters On the other hand, the CIA needs to
covering Pelton's trial to refrain from realize that not every piece of informa-
"reporting details beyond the informa- tion that is disclosed threatens national
tion actually released at the trial." He has security. It needs to understand the
asked reporters to check with him first difference betweeh damaging leaks and
before disclosing any new information so embarrassing leaks.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100100006-4
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100100006-4
r1 R APPJ IT
4.01 lr'~
ARREST IT!
ARREST THE
C LITTLE PERVERT!
L
WASHINGTON POST
31 May 1986
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100100006-4