CIA RESPONSE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000100720035-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 18, 2011
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: September 25, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP91-00587R000100720035-6
TRENTONIAN (TRENTON, NJ)
25 September 1985
CIA Response
The writer of The Trentonian's
editorial on Aug. 20 entitled "Spy
Story" professes to be "disturbed" by
"published reports" that the Central
Intelligence Agency helped defector
Arkady Shevchenko write his mem-
oirs.
The "published reports" are not
true. The Chas said publicly in
response to the Jay Epstein article in
The New Republic that it in no way
assisted Mr. Shevchenko in the writ-
ing of his book.
In answer to those who allege that
Mr. Shevchenko is not all he claims to
be, we also have affirmed that
Arkady Shevchenko provided valu-
able intelligence information to the
U.S. government. Our statement was
carried widely in major publications
and by the wire services.
Our democracy is unique and so is
our public affairs office here at CIA.
No other intelligence organization in
the world has one. Our job is to
respond when possible to queries
from the public and the press about
CIA and intelligence. If the answers
involve compromising the in-
telligence sources and methods we
are charged by law with keeping
secret, we simply cannot respond.
We do not lie to the American
people nor do we engage in "public
relations flimflam to boost" our "im-
age" in the U.S. You have oversight
mechanisms in the Congress and
under the president to make sure this
does not happen.
In the interest of journalistic ac-
curacy, I suggest in the future you
call my office to check out the facts.
George V. Lauder, Director
Public Affairs, CIA
EDITOR'S NOTE: The editorial
stated an opinion that the
Shevchenko book suffers gaps in
credibility due to unanswered
criticism regarding easily veri-
fied or refuted details asserted in
the book and questioned by Jay
Epstein and other critics. We
were remiss in not noting the
CIA's denial of any involvement
in the writing of the book, and we
are glad to hear reassurances
that the agency had no role in
Shevchenko's literary efforts.
STAT
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP91-00587R000100720035-6