ASSERTS U.S. CAN WITHHOLD NEWS, NOT LIE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100830008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: September 1, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

FOIAb3b
Sanitized - Approved For Release : Cl
ILL. CPYRGHT
M-840,746
S 1,173,515
SEP 1 1966
ram tinder which the Penta-
en flew 82 American newsmen
In and from South Viet Nam'
ctween July of 19x4 and Aug-
i 1st of last year, (?lark said he
irln't know whether "you or
he CI.A" [central intelligence
rx!rI" aid the co, Ls. The
orator described the "trained
e;ds" who repo ; I ed only what
they were told.
Lauds Free 1'r(?a t
"1 thank God," he aided, "for
he free American prt?ss"which
espit.e government policy . .
,cmainr-d indepe.rcut and con-
inue:l to report tnc truth about
t ict am."
c,.;c?'s;cr replied th,,t Clark's
~~s~rRTS U.S.
JF.'J WITHHOLD
NEWS NOT LIE
Pentagon Aid Testifies charge was iv lout documen- was taken out of context from
on Flow of Data .
CPYRGHT
said today that the government
has a right to withhold infor-
mation during times of national
peril, but that it does not hav'
"1 suggest,'' Sylvester con- the Cuban missile crisis.
tinued, "that you are libeling a "No government information,
tChlcago Tribune Press Service) a.oir UV.
Washington, Aug. 31-Anhui
Sylvester, assistant secretary Vict Nam."
cf defense for public affairs Sylvester made the statement
about the government's right
in a series of public hearings
the committee is holding on
government information poll-
newsmen, made the statement
it an appearance before thq
Senate foreign relations com-
mittee.
The occasion was the second
formation chief who has been' it is facing a nuclear war.
accused of news management ? Sylvester said the quotation
sponse to questions from Ful-
bright about quotations at-
tributed to him to the effect
that "the government has the
program can be based on lies,";
official has the right to lie, but
he has the right to protect his
country when it is faced by a
nuclear disaster.
"He should be able to with-
hold information for a time if
it involves the -safety of the
country. He should not be re- 1.
quired to give out the informa-;
tion just because it was asked
by the news media."
Exchange Is Mild
lative, lacking in candor, and
largely lacking in credibility."
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000100 30008-5
It had been expected that [
Sylvester would be 46estioned f
closely on charges of news
management by the administra-
tion, but with one exception
the exchange was mild: Sen. J.
William Fuibright, [D.., Ark.],
chairman of the committee,
agreed with Sylvester's conten-
tion that if anyone,is managing
the news, it is the newspapers!
and radio and television sta-
tions. The exception came when,
Sen. Joseph H. Clark [D,, Pa.]
,told Sylvester that he thought f
the administration's news poll-
eies in South Viet Nam are
!'barbarous, revolting, manipti .