CARTER REPORTED UNAWARE OF OVERTURES TO SEN. CLARK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100140083-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2007
• Sequence Number: 83
• Publication Date: May 25, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/09/25: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100140083-8
THE WASHINGTON POST
ARTICLE APPEARED 25 May 1978
ON PAGE A-1,3
& v . v resl 0.'
-&rtin.
By Walter Pincus and Robert G?Kaiser;
Washinston Post Stott Wrllers. -:'
The White House said yesterday that= Presi-
dent -Carter was- unaware at the time of over-
tures earlier this.month. by Central Intelligence
Director Stansfield Turner to Sen. Dick Clark
(D-Iowa) about possible covert U.S military aid
to rebels In Angola.
"'The president had no knowledge they were
doing this sort of thing,"' White House press
secretary Jody Powell said yesterday, referring
to Turner' and David Aaron, Carter's: deputy"
national security affairs adviser, both of whom
talked to Clark earlier this month about the.
Angola situation:
Powell added that it was his "impressions
the president: did not learn of the Clark discus',
.lions until Tuesday night, after reporters had.
raised auestions about them.
Authoritative, sources added yesterday that
.senior White. House aides who felt they should
have known about the Turner- meetings with
Clark had no inkling of them until Tuesday
night.. - . ?. .
The Washington Post reported yesterday that
'Aaron in vague, terms and then Turner in spe-
cific terms talked. to Clark about the United,
States transferring military aid through a third
country to the United Front for the Total Inde-
-pendence of Angola (UNITA), a rebel faction
fighting against Angola's leftist central govern-
ment.
Clark' is`tha author-of a legislative rider for
'bidding 'any direct-: or. indirect U.S. aid to An
Bola without: expressed. congressional authoriza-
tion. Some members of the Carter
administration, -including national
security ? affairs adviser. Zbigniew
?Brzezinski,. have been discussing the ;
Idea of aiding UNITA rebels in hopes
of tying' down- Cuban troops in
Angola, so they could not easily move.
to - another African countr
y like
Rhodesia. ' '
The Post learned yesterday that a9
long as a month' ago Brzezinskd dis- .
cussed this idea. with some'-senators.
It is known that Brzezinski has been
looking for niany'weeks for some ges.
ture gr new policy the United States
could use 'to respond -to Cuban and.
.Soviet:. intervention in Africa.
Approved
Powell's-- denial 'that' Carter knew
anything about approaches to Clark
earlier this month raised the possibil-
ity that Brzezinski, his deputy Aaron
and Turner were operating-on their
own in searching for some way to
take action in Africa. Reliable sources
In describing the Aaron and Turner,
contacts with Clark yesterday .as 'in-
formal examples of "talking to people'
on the Hill,"' Powell said, he wasn't-
even sure that Aaron- knew of Turn- :.
er's visit to Carle.
However, a source said yesterday
have said that senior State Depart- that when Turner first saw Clark, ha.
.went ' officials strongly opposed any, said he had: come to expand on mat-
new U.S. initiative in Angola- ters that Aaro>1 had raised with" the,
+;, t...
Senior Carter administration offi- i Senator on his earlier visit.-.
cials, met at the White House yester? Additionally, it was learned pester:;
day to thrash out a new policy state day that Turner's visit to Clark fol-?'
,ment on Africa to try to clear up the lowed an earlier consultation between
the CIA director and a senior member
questions raised in recent days. Car-
ter is expected to reveal the fruits of
this meeting at a press conference in
Chicago today.
of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
That senator told. Turner,. it was
learned, that if he hoped to build Sen-
ate consens
f
us
or new aid to UNITA,
There are officials in the adminis:I Clark's acquiescence would be nece
tration
according to reliable so
,
urces, sary. This senator urged Turner-to
who argued as recently as yesterday talk to Clark. ' ' -,. , _
that Carter ought to seek repeal of Turner later
reported Clark's oppo
the Clark amendment, but apparently
sition to
this view did not prevail in yester? i any new. aid for UNITA to a
meeting of the National Security
day's discussions. { Council which Carter did J -
tt
ead-
Powell no a
yesterday portrayed the ; Shortly after-that meeting, at 'a con.
meetin
b
t
A
T
gs
e
ween
aron,
urner and
Clark as "a reasonable and routine
thing to do" in light of U.S. concern
over Soviet-Cuban penetration in Af-
rica to discuss "possibilities" for
American responses.'
Powell said explicitly that the two
administration officials were not sent
to Clark to run specific proposals by
him.
However, reliable sources said yes'
terday that Turner showed Clark a
.memorandum with specific numbers
and types of weapons to be supplied
to_, UNITA through intermediaries. f
Turner, it is said, observed that this
plan appeared to conflict with th
e
Clark amendment banning any form)
of aid to Angola.
.Clark reportedly agreed with this
judgment,. eventually ? telling Turner;
that there was no way such aid could
be given consistent. with the -law.-
-turner ultimately agreed with this le-
gal judgment. .- --
A source` raised -the~ question' of
whether Turner could present a de-
inski responded to a question by Sen-
ate Minority Leader Howard H. Baker
Jr. (R-Tenn.) that presidential hands
signal action.
Baker and House` Minority Leader-
John J. Rhodes (B-Arts.) later told the
press the Carter administration was
concerned about restrictions on its op.
tions in Africa, and this began a series
of similar signals from. -the White
House that- have continued in: the
week since that breakfast.
A CIA spokesman yesterday.said he
would have. no comment on Turner's.
role in these matters. The CIA spoke
man referred a questioner to Brzez
inski's press spokesman at the White
House k.-
tailed plan for aid to UNITA with...*