COLBY, IN OUT OF THE COLD, DISCUSSES C.I.A.'S PROBLEMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100010-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 11, 2012
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 4, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

S1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/11: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100010-0
THE NF .q YORK TIMES
4 February 1976
12-albyrln_Oftt'fthI;CO1:'ISCus
C.Lk's Problethsil
SCSI
The following article. wasiwswer forthe record a nurnberfor major American news-Bath-isibility of allowing CIA. offi-
'written by John M. Crewdson!of- questions about sensitive erin ' organizations who served cers to pose as diplomats, as]:
.bnd 'is based on reporting- b y agency_operations.:. the C.I.A. as clandestine agents signed to American embassies 'I
_~hitn~.and Nicholas. M. i. I1` But.Mr Colby did -agree to were "phased cut" beginning: abroad, and some private com
1 tll- about some _r the _-____.f_ :_ 1-t 1993) he said -_.1 t..l __ _!__.? r_____ f____
.
Feb
'~"?? which,. he_ said,-. are as* much . their relationships 'with the men passed themselves off as
,y!~tiRzk, liter the Senates contis- a product o_f sensationalism andiC.I.A."Atno time," Mr. Colby icorporate employes overseas.,
wtion of George- Bush as Di= a ? lack..- of. perspective by its! added, were :any- of .the five,
3 .reo~or of Central.. Intelligence I-i addition, Mr. Colby, said. J
i
i
` th
'
t
d
-
d
i
f
e
eces-
r
uncoun
e
.
pre
cr
t
cs as o
-the agency s own or
ended William. Iw Colby's 2 transgressions. sons, told "what to write for it is now more difficult to
jeer-Isng career as a spy? Mr solicit interviews' 'with busi-
Mr Colby , -who was wearing an American journal ' nessmen and others returning
JCOlby, ?relaked `in the sitting ?
xnom ,of his modest suburban a rumpled burgundy pullover ate conceded, however, that, from travels abroad about con-
and'.paused- occasionally. to-sip under the. agency's current re-
~40me ~and? talked. about "the ? ditions in the areas of the
pt coffee, reiterated his concern gulations part-time or freelance world theYhad visited. '
oh aaL .
rTra ?- -- . that-recent news -reports dis-
correspondents abroad who "Eve g
e temporarily. unemployedjclosin covert CIA.-operations g ryboay agrees that we
the term g might at times sell articles too,
to collect intelligence,"
date citizen used
_
in Italy, Angola-and elsewhere American ; publications: *ere Mr. Colby said
with -a rueful
dbscri be the. Central Intel- y
ligence Agen had -:provided ; >foreign- Intel- continuing in some cases to smile. But he added that many
cy, which he head. li
reviousl
rvices with
nce
'
`
ge
se
p
y gather
intelligence
for the
:.~zl fox' 4 e last''- three years, u. -known ..details' about the CIA.- on -the c side had lately hads aand bused a concerns
ad
tibut not in the same context American a enc 's clandestine -. .. opted a? attitude
g Y i Asked ? whether the agency of don t look at us" when
gas .Senator Frank-Church, the
activities.*,
had -ever= planted stories with approached by the CIA, with
~oNairman of the Senat
Select
e
; .But =he a1so..said that, ?.al-, foreign news organizations Mr, +
had- a request for assistance, and'
- -Com+nittee.on Intelligence, wbn
atio
u
l
o
"
per
ns
ou - s
c
yr
sure . allthat, as a result, "We're miss-
1..'1 reviously.:likened the agency dominated the newspaper head-,Colbyi replied, Oh;
41'
u~eIe 'ant .rennin the time. He also concededling information."
g g dines-and-television,-newseasts; the-posgibilty"that su`ch' bogus
.^wild'beyond the control of the they, had- typically) accounted news a
might have beery Distressed About Helms
co
nt
u
c
s
White Houses' it, - : i .for only-`about,5 percent". of picked 'up and reprinted by Mr,. Colby also expressed his{
-s Rather,-;Mir. Colby said,'-the tie C.I.A-rs total",expenditures. American newspapers,, although distress about the possibility
1
1 pubiiQ confusion -about the J ;,the;remainder of.. "the he .said fie believed the effect that Richard. M. Helms, whop
',Q1-k. -that-has-grown out~-of elephant?".vfr, C)Ibiy of_ that. on domestic opinion headed the C.L.: from 1966is
At; y~ewt bf investigations by Mr- be- hopes-tg:,portray;ia-a.book would have been marginal . until 1972, : might be indicted
Church s-committee and others, about the agency that he is by. a Federal grand jury in con-
and 'revelationsMby the.tnew plantung-to write. >~ 'T ~;, s.-> ~~~~~ Reluctance
nection; with some of his activi-
r+edia reminded:--him, of-Tthe a Asked-about. the IA:'s-use '' ?~by' cited a concern Lies as director of the agency.
`.. linda fable about-the: snc blind ' W=?journaliki.. to gather ?`idtei- anrong journalists'-about ' the :One of the. matters under
~en!who, each feeling a. differ ?ligence-topic that,~?al?.~ong. wi effect of: such relationships!:on investigation, Justice= Depart
eiit;.fpart"of- an elephant;-:came covertopeiations, has created the-integrity of their profession meet sources have said, is Mr.
Attic very different --conclusions :a -furor-in. recent. weeks, Mr. as-indicative of a general'?reluc Helm's.sworn assurance to the
about its nature. . - ' Colby rolled his.eyes skywarditance onr- the part of other Senate- Foreign Relations Com-
"n1The'retired'98:year-old Intel- for a moment,_then replied em- domestic groups,L:and" -even mittee that the C.I.A. had .not
ligence chief, told his interview- phatically'that the -C.I~ . had. some- Government agencies, to given financial support to op-,
em that . he-. wanted to-keep never' "engaged.- in- an ef' fort enter into- close contacts with ponents of the late Dr. Salva-'
,. -both: his seciecy..agreement to' maniuplate th e-' American [he C.LA. dor, Allende Gossens. -former:
with. the C.IA; and 'any pen. press." The. State- - Department - he president of Chile, and had not
sion, ,.and -he.,declined to.an- Thel- ast five correspondents said, is reconsidering the advi- engaged in. the surveillance-of
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/11 _ CIA_RDP99-00418R000100100010-0
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/11: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100010-0
American citizens. protesting,
against the Vietnam war.
The other subject of the
Justice Department's concern
involved Mr. Heim's ? authoriza-
tion nearly five-years ago of a
C.I.A. conducted- burglary of
a photographic: - studio- in a
suburb of Washington-
Mr. Colby said today that, al-
though the C.I.A. had provided
money to some Chilean organi-
zations prior. to the 1970 Chil-
ean- elections; he believed that
a- "narrow construction", of the
questions asked, of ~Mr. Helms
In that. area precluded the pos-
sibility that the former . CZ.-
director,.' Whoa.. is . the United
States.Ambassados.to.Iran, had
perjured. himself.
Domestic Surveillance
Mr Colby also said -he. lie-
lieved that. Mr.-Helms had an-
swered the Senate committee
correctly.. with respect A o do-
mestic.. surveillance ` -. by : the
C,I:A., since the agency's:. role
in what-has become known: as
Operation Chaos, i a. Federal in'
vestigation of anti Vietnam war
groups. hi the late-'1960 s?- and
early- :1970's;-.had' been': con-
fined, with- only=a"small -num
ber' of ^'unintende& exceptions,
to 'finding links: between' pro-
testers-?. and -foreign' g0"m-
The burglary 'of' thephoto-
graphic' studio, .',Mr..: Colby
maintained, had. been anda ed
by Mr_Holms's- res security
to.?protect thee.C.LA:
and ot; with' any crimin thn
-
tent.nMr:.Colby, speculated
no ? criminal charges -could be
sustained in that case or in? the
only ? other area of CJ:_' actiri-
`t' ? that remains under Federal
eS
a
ments over e
But the book. will come firsi,l him- home," she said. .
he .said. The former
rectorwas seen:a few days ago
in a stationery.- store purchasing
ui mesh - for the. temporary
office he is building-in the base-
ment :of.-,his:. apparently un-
guarded. home-in Bethesda, Md.,
a Washington suburb. ' ' ".
Meanwhile,. Mr. Colby seems
like a , man :?who- is between
trains;.=sitting.. at hoe mns wife
snowy morning
Barbara-, bustled . around him'
There-is no Government car and
driver any more, so he and.Mft
i Colby debate over. whether.he
should. drive :-to a_ downtown
luncheon engagement, -whether
he needs- any, cash:. what.-time
she can- expect him home.. < '.
"And, oh," said Mrs. Colby,
a. bright,. smiling -,woman,", asi
her..husband trotted down.. the
stairs, "I need_to ask him about
shoe repair".-. ' , - ;? -
.She paused and turned to* a
l
lnvestigation~-the 20-year
gram- of opening - mail between
We,- United: States and - Com-
munist countries. _,
Colby: a lasYer who
not practiced' since the early
the
-1950's. - when he ? joined
C.I.A., said he planned to return
eventually to the law after'gaiu?-
' ing admission to the District of
Columbia bar .'and and taldng a
"crash course" in legal develop-
st 25 years.
fl- l
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/11: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100010-0