LETTER TO THE EDITOR THE BALTIMORE SUN FROM THE DIRECTOR CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000300090009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2007
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 6, 1978
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2007/03/01 : CIA-RDP9$-00498R000300090009-4
The Director
Central Intelligence Agency
6 November 1978
The Editor
THE BALTIMORE SUN
A. S. Abell Company
Calvert & Centre Streets
Baltimore, Maryland 21203
STAT
Dear Sir:
On November 1st, Mr. Garry Will's had.an article in your paper'
entitled, "The CIA and the Press." In' it he~critiqued a speedy I
had given a few days before at the National Press Club. I am enclosing
a copy of that speech,since it would appear that Mr. Wills wrote from
a second-hand report.
Th basic issue,is a comparison between the desire of the- press
to preserve the secrecy of its sources of-information and the desire
of the CIA to do the same. Mr. Wills states quite blatantly that the
CIA wants not only to protect its sources but to hide its wrongdoings..
I-vehemently deny this, but more importantly I refer Mr. Wills to the
portion of my speech on oversight. I clearly pointed out that no-matter
what motives you impute to myself and others in the leadership of the
Central Intelligence Agency, we are today under very rigorous oversight
from both the Executive and Legislative Branches of our government.
Mr. Wills and any citizen have good assurance from the oversight process
that secrecy will not be abused:
Next, Mr. Wills expressly says that I said "...reporters should
not print the leaks of wrongdoing in- government' by whistleblowers."
I said nothing of the sort and refer you to the text I have enclosed.
I only said that we should be suspect of whistleblowers who don't resort
to the established oversight procedures before disclosing government
secrets to the press and that the members of the press-might do well
to be skeptical themselves of many whistleblowers. I have in many.-public
speeches affirmed my conviction that a number of whistleblowers in recent
years have provided a great service to our country.