CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SENATE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600040103-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Sequence Number: 103
• Content Type: OPEN

Tito tg Washington" and New- York. You
kfow very well that you have your old par-
epts here who do not have much longer to
live. And you know very well how unpleas-
ant it is for us to be called to the police
headquarters every hour of the day' where
they threaten us and warn us of the conse-
quences You look which after can 'yofie
urselIf u because you - yare
young and you know as do the others that
your past is clear so don't let anyone talk
you into taking the wrong path. I beg you
as your mother if you love us at all or think
something of us who have remained to live
here that you do nothing foolish.
Be good as you word-before and think a
little of us, you know our nerves are `weak
and we have no strength for anything let
alone This unpleasantness. We are already
fighting to live; you know that your father
and I live from a pension which is $15 a
month and life is short and therefore ' do
not cause any unpleasantness. Think also of
your sister and her children. I hope that
you will heed me as you did the last time
and that everything will be alright.
Love,
It is interesting to note that this letter
was sent to an address where the recip-
ient h4.d not lived for '1 months,, although
the mother was aware of her son's pres-
ent ad_dressand had in fact sent tier -last
several letters to this address.-
The son believes that in this way his
mother was signaling to him that the
letter was written under duress from the
secret police or else that his mother did
not intend for him to receive the letter
at all,
I shall be happy to _provide my col-
leagues with 'translations of the other
letters if they are interested.
From the scale of the letter writing
and from the similarity of the letters, it
is clear that what is involved here is a
conce#ed eff9rt by Tito's secret police
to exercise pressure: on Americans of
Yugoslav origin or descent by compelling
their relatives in Yugoslavia to write, or
sign, form letters to them.
To me there could be nothing more
despicable than this blatant effort to
coerce and silence American citizens by
threatening reprisals against innocent
women and cl1clrgn who could in nq_way
be responsible for the activities of their
relati es in this country.
A third fact which motivates my op-
position to the restoration of ? f avored-
nation treatment to:"Yugoslavia is the
coirti uin effort of the Serbian Ortho-
dox Church authgri ies in 'Y'ugoslavia,
obviously acting tvit. the approval and
most probably at the instigation of their
government, to extend their direct con-
trol over the churches of the several
hundred thousand Americans of the
Serbian Orthodox faith.
This is part of' a larger pattern which
hps involved in recent years an increas-
ing number of visits by Orthodox clergy-
men 'Svho have epm,e to this' country
from the Soviet_1Jnion, Bulgaria, Ru-
__ itlWa, as well as Yugoslavia.
-The Serbian Orthodox clergy from
64 ~ R 1P7 C U' 9Fkdbb6 0046 -1.p
C S81 NX ECOA'b ~ ATE November 5
"Last July, r asked the Senate Subcom to it'not only by strong ties of faith,'but
mittee on Internal Security to look into by ties of blood and comradeship in bat-
this situation because I felt that there tie extending back through the centuries.
were definite security implications in How difficult the decision was is at-
this obviously concerted effort to subject tested to by the fact that they continued
American Orthodox church organiza- to accept the authority of the Belgrade
tions to the control of clerical author- Synod until it openly moved to assert
ities who are, in turn, under the control direct hierarchal and physical control
or influence of their Communist govern- over them.
ments. As for those American Serbs who have
Among other things, there is prelim- not broken with the authority of the Bel-
inary evidence which indicates that this grade Synod and have accepted the
control, to the extent that it exists, has bishops appointed by it, I think it should
been used to discourage criticism" of the be stated emphatically that, with the
Yugoslav-Communist regime and other possible exception of a handful, there
Communist regimes, to encourage Amer- are no Communists among them. They
ican citizens to believe that the regimes have been motivated not by any sym-
in these countries are essentially decent pathy for the Belgrade government but
and deserving of support, and to foster by the profound attachment that all
an artificial and unwarranted feeling of Serbs feel to their mother church.
loyalty to their ancient homelands, de- My fourth reason for opposing the ex-
spite the fact that they are now Com- tension of any form of aid to the Com-
munist dominated. munist dictatorship in Yugoslavia is the
At the time, I pointed out that these insidious anti-Western policy pushed by
eff ts have encountered very bitter re- Marshal Tito during his recent tour of
sisfiance from our citizens of Russian, Latin America. Tito's prime argument
Serbian, Bulgarian, and Rumanian ori- in the several Latin American countries
gin and had already resulted or were he visited was that blocs and alliances
threatening to result in open schisms. have now become antiquated and that
The great majority of Americans of the best possible course for the Latin
the Serbian Orthodox faith were aroused American countries would be to pursue
by 'these actions and, at the 10th Na- a policy of neutralism akin to his own.
tional Church Assembly which convened In advocating neutralism in the capitals
this last August 6 in Libertyville, Ill., of Latin America, Tito was indirectly
they voted to request of the Belgrade assailing and undermining both the OAS
Synod that "The future relationship of and the Alliance for Progress; he was
this Serbian Orthodox diocese for the doing Khrushchev's work far more ef-
United States and Canada toward the fectively than Khrushchev could do it
Serbian Orthodox mother church _ in himself.
Yugoslavia shall be broadly autono- I think it noteworthy that Tito, in his
mobs, in which it shall be united spiritu- visits to the satellite countries and to the
any and liturgically but not subject to Soviet Union, has not ventured to sug-
any canonical-hierarchal relationship." gest to his Communist colleagues, as he
They further voted that until the rela- did to our friends in Latin America, that
tionship between the diocese and the blocs and alliances serve no useful func-
mother church is regulated, no decisions tions.
or orders of the Belgrade Synod would be I also consider it noteworthy that in
accepted by the Serbian Orthodox Mexico City Tito received a reception
churches represented at the conferences. which, according to all accounts, dwarfed
In taking this stand, they pointed out the receptions accorded to other foreign
that the Belgrade Synod is not free since leaders including President Kennedy.
it must make its decisions in collabora- In building up Tito's reputation by in-
tion with and with the approval of the viting him to our own country, we di-
so-called Federal Commission for Re- rectly abetted his political effort in Latin
ligious Questions of the Federal Social- America. I am certain that it will not
ist Republic of Yugoslavia; they be long before we will rue the conse-
claimed that the continued existence of quences of Tito's recent visit to the West-
their diocese required a determined ern Hemisphere.
struggle against all efforts at Communist The fifth reason for opposing foreign
infiltration; an`d-t eey declared that their aid or favored-nation treatment for
attitude would b& in harmony with the Communist Yugoslavia is the damage
welfare of the United States and Can- that this policy has done to important
add. sectors of American industry.
T ask unanimous consent, Mr. Presi- Last year Congress acted to deprive
dent, to have printed at the conclusion Yugoslavia and Poland of favored-na-
of my remarks the complete text, of the tion treatment. To date, no action has
declaration of the 10th National Church been. taken to comply with this con-
Asseinbly of the Serbian Orthodox dio- gresslonal decision.
cese of the United States and Canada. In our single-minded determination to
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without give aid to Communist Yugoslavia;- we
objection, it is sO ordered. have sometimes completely ignored the
(See exhibit 1.) welfare of American industries and of
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, the de- American workers and American com-
their visits to this coun- cision to reject the authority of the' munities who are dependent on these
Yu oslavia, on
try, have made the rounds of the several mother cfiurch in Y'ugosla'via ?was I" industries.
Ore?` er' ian`. Ortfii_Io ,parishes; the know a most difficult one for Kmericans_ I -call the attention of my colleagues,
visitilig Rumanian Orthodo,r clergy.:ffiave of Serbian origin. The orthodox church` in particular, to-the tragic deterioration
made the rounds Rf` the Ruipanian has played a-heroic role in Serbian file- of the zinc sheet industry of this coun-
Qrthodox parishes; and so on. torq and the Serbian people are"bound' try over the' past" 16=year period, a de-
 I
Y
51 ; a.^.. 49RO OSOOa4o1'oa-`
20033
the Witness was cross-examined. The
mess spoke the truth; and because he
;pke` the truth he has been fired.
h
ap-
Mr DOI)D. That is at,
ehe4.
t't T1;U'RMOND. Mr. President I
eeplyy regret what has occurred. '] he
ecretary of State should consider the
uest~on most carefully and reconsider
e action which has been' taken. He
this faithful employee,
hould restore
rcd
eognize ho ias been eas a man of
haraeter, a man of ability, and a man
Of deflication, he having been the recip-
nt of an award from the 'Department
f State only a few years ago. There
as not been the least criticism concern-
g his ability' his patriotism, or the
ai*er in which he has performed his
4t;tie?. Merely because he gave infor-
t
ee that some-
oTigressioiiai subcommit
ne n the State Department did not
Ike, they have acted to get rid of'him.
Mr, DODD. that, if the Senator
rom, Arkapsas [Mr. MCCLELLANI were
aced with this situation. the Senator
bias been carrying on investigations with
reat' dignity and care for' some time.
:n vi w of. this fact, assuming that some
Itua ion developed in one of the execu-
ive 4epartments as to which the Sena-
or from nr'kansas wanted to question an
lnplGyee of that department, if that
mployee came before the Senator's com-
`
tt to tetify wld he be fired? Th
.ees,oue
plications_are grave.
Mrr THiTIt.MOND. How would the
a-
n
eeded inform
?ong?ess ever get the
ion?, How can the Government opera-
Ion f the Government if employees in
he overnment who haves facts and
snow edge essential to such inquiry and
noes,iigation are not allowed to speak
he truth and present it to a committee
&Congress?
Mr, THURMOND. There is a funda-
nen 1 principle, involving more than
me 4mployee. Is there not a principle
nvolved ;that could lead to great trouble
Mrr DODD, That is correct..
Mr. TIUTftMOND. Furth ermore, not
rom volunteering information to Con-
ess, but also it could discourage them
rom testifying if it was known that they
erewanted to testify or that their pres-
nec would be desired. Is it riot the same
v1Xtctally saying to Government em-
loyees, 1` fay away from Congress. You
eorg for the executive "branch,
rid you have no right to give committees
f C.Qngress information, although they
k. questions and you are Zsupposed .to
espond truthfully. And if you do re-
,pon4 truthfully, you are in danger of
eing dismissed"? As I understand it,
hat is what happened to Mr. Otepka.
Mr, LAtISCHE, Mr., Pr, will
he Senator yield?
Mr. LAUSGHE. There is mother horn
anti to Impale Mr. Oteplia. If, when
e call ,he refused tp testify, lie
ouli be subject to conteriIpt proceed
Intgs. 111 . I ''I
Mr. DODD. 'es; under certain cir-
cumstances.
Mr. LAUSCHE.If he testified under
oath, and told a falsehood, he would be
subject to criminal prosecution. If he
testified under oath and told the truth,
under this policy which has been fol-
lowed, he stood to lose his job.
Thus, three horns were awaiting himi,
and it made no difference in which di-
rection he moved. He was hooked.
Mr. DODD. I believe that is the situa-
tion. In fairness. to the Secretary of
State, who is heavily burdened with great
problems, I do not feel that he has had
an opportunity to obtain an intimate
knowledge of the situation. I strongly
feel that if the Secretary had a full op-
portunity to know all the facts and all
the implications, we would hot be faced
with this situation today. I have the
highest regard for the Secretary of State.
He is a fair, honest, capable, and decent
man in every respect.
I believe the situation has gotten out
of his hands, which is understandable to
me. In such a large department of Gov-
ernmeiit, with all the Secretary of State
has to do, these things "boil up" on him.
He does not know about them, perhaps,
until the last minute. It does not make
the situation any less serious, but in all
fairness to the Secretary I would not
want it to be understood by Senators, or
beyond the walls of the Chamber, that I
charge in any respect that the Secretary
of State is responsible for this situation.
I do not believe he is. I believe it is the
people under him who have misled him,
or misled his Department, into this sit-
uation.
AMENDMENT OF FOREIGN ASSIST-
ANCE ACT OF 1961
The Senate resumed the consideration
of the bill (H.R. 7885) to amend further
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
amended, and for other purposes.
AID TO YUGOSLAVIA
Mr.' DODD. M:r. President, I support
the amendment of the able senior Sen-
ator from Wisconsin which calls for the
elimination of aid of any kind to Com.-
munist Yugoslavia.
This resolution is particularly timely
because of the effort that is now being
made to reinstate favored-nation treat,-
ment for Yugoslavia and to create an
image-of Marshal 'Tito and of his re-
gime that is completely controverted by
the facts.
I have spoken many times in the past
in opposition to our program of assist-
ance to Communist nations in terms of
its harmful effect; on our national and
international position.
I amre opposed to any form of aid to the
Tito regime because of its long, un-
broken, record of tyranny over its own
people, including the'mass executions at
the close of World War II, the judicial
murder of General Mihailovich, the im-
prisonment of Cardinal Stepinac, and
the recent reimprisonment of Milovan
Djilas.
I am opposed to it.because Tito has
consistently lined up with the Soviet
Union on foreign policy issues, including
Hungary and Cub
44 el Apro~u~d_
Approved. FirR e' = :ct '
form of aid to Tito because in his pos-
ture as a so-called independent Commu-
nist he has in effect served' as the prime
organizer of anti-Western neutralism.
Among other things, he was the orga-
nizer and ideological leader of the vi-
ciously anti-Western conference of neu-
tralist nations in Belgrade in August
1960.
These are the historic reasons for my
opposition to the continued folly of aid
to Tito.
There are some who will say that this
is In the past, and that we must concern
ourselves with the present rather than
with the facts of history. My answer to
those who hold this view is that there
has been no break in continuity between
the Tito regime of the past and the Tito
regime of today. In my remarks today,
I propose not to deal with the past, but
with five current situations that are rele-
vant to the question of whether we
should or should not extend favored-
nation treatment to Yugoslavia and as-
sist it in other ways.
There has been far too much self-
deception on the subject of Tito and
Titoism. I do not say that Tito's vaunted
independence of Moscow Is a complete
fraud; he does enjoy a degree of inde-
pendence.
But when the chips are down, what is
the ultimate significance of this so-
called independence?
I lieve this question was correctly
aaered by Paul Underwood in an
York Times magazine in November 1961,
who said:
Tito's basic aim in his association with
the nonalined nations seems to be to form
a group of Socialist-minded, cs.sentially anti-
Western supporters in preparation for Mos-
cow's expected triumph. Such a backing
might enable him. to maintain a certain in-
dependence and give him continued influ-
ence even in a_Soviet-dominated world.
This is my first reason for supporting
the amendment offered by the distin-
guished Senator from Wisconsin.
My second reason for opposing aid to
the Tito regime is that it is a total dic-
tatorship which not only tyrannizes its
own people, but which, at the time of
Marshall Tito's visit to this country
practiced blackmail against American
citizens of Yugoslav origin. by threaten-
ing reprisals against their relatives in
Yugoslavia if they engaged in any anti-
Tito demonstration.
I 'have in my possession a number of
letters, with translation:.;, written to
people in this country by family members
in Yugoslavia. The language of these
letters is remarkably similar: They all
warn the recipients that their relatiVes
in Yugoslavia will suffer if they take
part in "counterrevolutionary" or anti-
Tito demonstrations of any kind. Let
me quote one of these blackmail letters,
written by a Yugoslav mother to her
son in America, so that my colleagues
may have a better understanding of the
nature of this reputedly more benign
Communist state:
I must turn to you for very great request,
and I ask you this as a mother that you do
+~14-iG~k~S=tlfi);149FO?6OQQ010-
 CONGRESSIONAL RECO
government of the Dominican Republic
incumbent several weeks ago was. over-
thrown; A new ,government came into
control there, but our Goverilnient`-ie-
fused to recognize it. In Saigon, the ex-
isting government was overthrown, and
the indications are that the Government
of the United States will recognize the
revolutionary government there. Why
the difference? Why did8 our Govern-
ment give preferential trreatment to one
and prejudicially discriminatory 'treat-
ment to the other? That is the impor-
I now read the article
IT DEPE,,N98 ON WHO Is GETTING COUPED-
DOMINICANS RAISE THEIR EYEBROWS OVER
SAIGON
(By ffal Hendrix)
MIAMI, November 5.-1:'rom the Dominican
Republic point of view, last week's bloody
.military coup d'etat In South Vietnam has
an, inconsistent twist.
"It all depends on who is getting couped
and where," commented a Dominican
traveler upon arrival here.
The traveler, a source close to the'ruling
provisional government in Santo Domingo,
said it was interesting. to ? Dominican associ-
ates that, according to news agency reports,
Washington could hardly wait to extend rec-
ognition to a provisional regime in Saigon.
"But almost 6 weeks' have passed since the
military staged a coup in Santo Domingo
and we are no nearer getting U.S. recogni-
tion than we were 6 weeks ago," the source
said.
STRANGE
It seems strange to Dominicans-and it
must to other. Latin Americans-that the
United States `deplored the military action
in Santo Domingo but openly called for a
change in Vietnam's government and there-
by encouraged theSaig6n coup, he said.
"The visitor pointed out that Washington
officials happily reported that the Vietnam
Ngo. Dinh `Nhu- were friendly toward the
United States and stanchly anti-Communist.
By the same token, the Dominican noted,
Dominican military leaders never have been
ptember 25-in which softness toward
si,,,diess and onvarnmrnt rains werr.'h tned
"Obviously," the Dominicans concluded,
"the 'Kennedy administration and its demo-
cratic advisers in Puerto Rico had their pride
wounded when their man Sr. Bosch was
overthrown.
"It is equally obvious that the United
States is not engaged in a shooting war
against the Communists in our country like
it is in Vietnam.
"BIi#, according to the Kennedy adminis-
tration, the Alliance for Progress is supposed
to be a weapon against communism in the
Americas. Now they have cut off Alliance-
for-Progress programs in the Dominican
Republic.
"So you have to ask, if you are a Domini-
can, Is the Alliance for Progress really for
the Latin people or the favored Latin gov-
Mr. President, to repeat, from the be-
ginning to the end the people of the Do-
minican Republic were apprehensive
that Bosch, the poet, the romanticist,
the sentimentalist, was soft on commu-
nism, and they begged him to become
firm. Our State Department said'to him,
"You will run yourself into trouble."
But he would not listen, and the people
overthrew him. But our Government
refused to recognize the revolutionary
government there, although the indica-
tions are that probably our Government
will recognize the revolutionary govern-
ment in South Vietnam,
Mr. President, in my opinion, there is
no difference between the two; but even
if there is a difference, it is in favor of
the Dominican Republic Government.
If our Government recognizes one, then
justice, fairness, decency, and security
for ou
S liountry require that our Govern-
meU!?'give recognition and grant aid to
DISMISSAL jFF OTTO O
D. Mr. Presiaenn o ay the
Y
Department announced the dis-
State
missal of Otto Otepka, a senior, experi-
enced, and extremely competent security
officer, because he gave to members of the
Senate Judiciary Committee information
concerning irregularities and probable
illegalities affecting the security of the
United States.
- I consider the dismissal of Mr. Otepka
by the Department of State a serious
_.
te
p
tvfll n
_
-.
~....,.........
over o a .,
,,: ..c.
after the coup. to tfie system of the ll. ,balances on
meat oiile1als, was' killed or Injured In the
coup, the traveler reminded.
reports from Saigon about celebrations fol-
lowing the overthrow of the Diem regime.
It recently was reported in the Newyork
press, he mentioned, that American Peace
Aslso, o, the Dominican visitor said, it should Code, title 5, paragraph 652(d), reads:
be evident now there has` been no national (d) The right of persons employed In the
-clamor in the republic for a return of Sr. civil service of the United States, either in-
Bosch or any of his cohor#s, except by rem- dividualiy or collectively, to petition Con-
natts of his revolutionary party the Marxist- press, or any Member thereof, or to furnish
`
affront to the Senate Subcommittee on
Internal Security; it is also an affront to
the Senate as a whole, and is a dental of
its powers as established by legislation.
The charges on which Mr. Otepka's
dismissal is based boil down to the simple
fact that he has testified honestly before
the Senate Subcommittee on Internal
Security on matters relating to security
in the Department of State.
-The right of Government employees to
2111
be denied or interfered with. (As amended
June 10, 1948, c. 447, 62 Stat. 345; 1949 Re-
organization Plan No. 5, effective Aug. 19,
1949, 14 F.R. 5227, 63 Stat. 1067.)
The State Department, by its action
in the Otepka case, has, in effect, nulli-
fled this statute and issued a warning to
all Government employees that coopera-
tion with the established committees of
the Senate, if this cooperation involves
testimony considered unpalatable at
higher echelon, is a crime punishable by
dismissal.
Mr. President, the high significance
of the Otepka case cannot be overstated.
Mr. Otepka was the last old-line se-
curity officer holding a top position in
t e OMj e of Security.
He has been an employee of the U.S.
Government for 27 years. He has served
as Deputy Director of the Office of Se-
curity and officer in charge of evalua-
tions. His efficiency ratings have always
been "excellent." In 1958 he received
the Meritorious Service Award from Sec-
retary of State John Foster Dulles. But
suddenly, for some strange reason, cer-
tain people in the Department decided
that Mr. Otepka had to go.
So they began, first, to restrict his
functions.
Then they installed a tap on his tele-
phone. Although a State Department
official has denied under oath that this
was done, the Subcommittee on Inter-
nal Security has proof that the tap was
installed.
Then they began to
Otepka's wastebasket.
Then they locked him out of his office
and denied him access to his files, al-
though no charge had yet been brought
against him.
No one suspected of espionage or dis-
l6 T It has to my knowledge .been
nd hu-
subjected to such surveillance and-
ni liation.
-V L._Mr, Qte.pka was not suspected of
disioyalty_or, eWA9ne.
operati,,gwith the Senate Subcomm'i'ttee
on i ecurity and of providing It
wit information that some of his su-
periors found embarrassing or objection-
able.
In the topsy-turvy attitude it has
displayed in the Otepka case, the State
Department has been chasing the po-
liceman instead of the culprit; and the
words "security violation" have come to
mean not the act of turning over in-
formation to an, alien power, but the act
of giving information to a committee
of the Senate of the United States.
I have asked for an emergency meet-
ing of the full Senate Judiciary Commit-
tee to consider the implications of Mr.
Otepka's dismissal.
I have also asked that the 10-page
memorandum on the Otepka case which
I personally delivered to Secretary Rusk
in New York, and which was signed by
all the members of the Judiciary Com-
mittee, be circulated to all the Members
of the Senate.
If the dismissal of Mr. Otepka is per-
Conkress or to mitted to stand, it will become impos-
Tnformafl6h to eitherIiouse of
I inj rolxl'inrttee' or mentSer thereoI, sliaTr not' sable or exceedingly difficult to elicit any
Sanitized Appiopat
FOIAb3
 `i W"A" A-RQP`7~5=001498000600040
AW4
CONGRESSIONAL RRZ,CORD - SENATE
op anon .from employees of the ex-
flt to reverse the decision of the Depart-
rhent: when this matter comes to his
th Senator from Connecticut yield?
? V e PRESWING OFFICER (Mr. B&y i
In the chair) Does the Senator, from
Connecticut yield to the Senator from
So th Carolina?
1 Ir.. DODD. Tam happy to yield to the
Se_Oator from'$outh Carolina,
t qMTMMMMTffZThator from Connect-
lout for bringing this information to the
attention of the Senate,
lify the law on the subject-I refer to the
law which requires an employee to state
truthfully to a congressional committee
thn facts within his knowledge about the
ittatter concerning which he is ques-
do ed-but that it also wquld nullify our
erirstitutional system of government, by
to ding to des'troy the constitutional sys-
tez of checks and balances?
r. DODD. Yes. The Senator was
not present in the Chamber when at the
op ning of my remarks I said that I con-
sidered It a most serious challenge to the
system of checks and balances under
which our Government operates. There
? 1n 'Government departments, who will
inquire?
leg slative branch of the Government
cannot do so?
Oessional committee, Senate or House,
how will we ever learn of inalfeasailce or
wrongdoing in the Government.
xf the reward for coming forward and
ho estly telling Members of the Senate
aai the House of Representatives of
wf ngdoing is dismissal, something ter-
rib a has happened in our country, and
we had better move before it is too late.
r. THtmMOND. I believe it was
Thomas Jefferson who made a statement
to the effect that no man can be trusted
with-power, but must be bound by the
chapins of the Constitution. Does the
lgei~ator construe that statement to in-
dfc~te that the purpose in the relevant
,provisions of the Constitution was to
prevent any one man of agency in the
Government from becoming, too power-
ful, and to provide that each branch of
the Government. should be a check on
function of checking on the executive
branch by calling before it a witness who
wain possession of valuable inforxna-
tiozi which the Congress desired?
.Sanitized..- Approved.-For Release CIA-RDR75-001498000600040103-1
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Mr. DODD. Yes. That is exactly
what happened., That is all the elan
did.., He gave honest information.
Incidentally, I have no doubt , of the
truth of the testimony; and I do not be-
lieve that any member of the committee
doubts the truth of it. I do not think
there, is any question about that.
Mr. Otepka has not been charged with
giving false information. He is charged
with giving the truth to a committee of
the Senate. Since someone in the De-
partment has, been embarrassed, Mr.
Otepka has been dismissed for doing so.
I cannot think of anything worse.
I try: to be temperate about these
things.
The difficulty concerning this indi-
vidual has been going on for some time.
Theme is much more to the story than I
have been. able to reveal, but in due time
I am confident that it will all be made
public. I am reluctant to raise the point
on the floor of the Sente. I would prefer
to see the investigations and hearings
go along quietly. They have all been
conducted in executive sessions to pro-
tect the reputations of people and to be
sure of our facts before it Js all, made
public-if it ever is or should be.
Now we are faced with a challenge to
the Senate and the 'House of Repre-
sentatives. Next the challenge will be
presented to, say, the Committee on Com-
merce, and then, say, to the Committee
on Labor and Public Welfare. .
N ei , commnittee., of the Senate will be
safe from interference, if an employee of
the Government cannot come before a
committee and tell the truth about any
situation prevailing in the Government.
In my judgment, no more grievous
threat to, our system of Government has
been postured before us, in my recollec-
tion.
It is not merely a problem for the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, or for the sub-
committee. It is a problem for the
Congress and the American people.
.That is why I have presented the facts,
as I have done this afternoon.
Mr. THURMOND. If Mr. Otepka had
not told the truth to the Subcommittee
on Internal Security of the Committee
on the Judiciary, would he not then have
been, guilty of perjury?
Mr. DODD. Of course. Our witnesses
have, been. under path. I pointed out
earlier-and again I. am, quite sure that
the Senator from . South Carolina was
not present at the time-that we know
the Department of State tapped Mr.
Otepka's telephone, but an employee of
the Department of State came to our
subcommittee and, under oath, said that
the telephone had not been tapped-
which was an untruth. That is the man
who ought to be subject to charges.
When employees of the Government
come before a congressional committee
and either make wilful) mistatements or
tell untruths under oath I believe that
dismissal charges should be preferred
against them. But up to the present
hour the man who has been dismissed
is the man who told the truth, and so far
as I know, the man who told the untruth
has not been moved against.
Mir THi1RMOI D , I)oe
tee have any plans to cite for perjury the
man to whom the Senator referred?
Mr. DODD. I have not asked any
questions about that. As. I said, I asked
for an emergency meeting of the Judi-
ciary Committee so that all the implica-
tions of the situation might be fully ex-
plored and the committee might make a
decision with respect to what it should
do, howit, should advise the Senate, and
what it should report to the. Senate.
Mr. TH URMOND. If his becomes ac-
cepted practice, in the future will not
a witness called before a committee face
one of two courses: If he tells a false-
hood, he is subject to being prosecuted
for perjury; if he tells the truth, as
Mr. Otepka did, he will subject himself
to the wrath of his employers, and be
in danger of dismissal?
Does that not put an employee of the
Government who may be a witness in
the difficult position as far as knowing
which course he must tare-to tell the
truth and be subject to dismissal or tell
a lie and be subject to being cited for
perjury?
Mr. DODD. Of course it does. It is
very obvious that it does
Mr. THUl ,MOND. Should the em-
ployees of our Government ever be placed
in such a position? Should not the
State Department have commended Mr.
Otepka for telling the truth, and pro-
moted him because he had the courage
to tell the truth and brie g .those- matters
to our attention? Inster,d, the State De-
partment is taking the position that he
should be fired-because he came bef"gre
a duly constituted congressional subcom-
mittee and told the truth.
Mr. DODD. Yes. I speak for myself
only. I have never considered our func-
tion on the subcommittee as an adversary
position.
I do not believe that we of the legisla-
tive branch should be in an adversary
position with respect to the executive
or the judicial branch. We are in a co-
operative posture. We should be. We
should be working together. I tried, to
conduct myself on the subcommittee in
that way. I believe the other members
have, too. I know they have. So we
are not in a contest. We do not want to be in a contest. We want to work to-
gether. If something wring is brought
to our attention through a Government
employee, we want to tell the Secretary
of State, the head of whatever depart-
ment is involved, or the proper officials.
Then something could be done about it.
I have never believed that the subcom-
mittee should seek large headlines in an
effort to make a case against the ex-
ecutive department. I do not believe
that is our task. There has been too
much of it in the past. We are a part
of the Government, too. We should be
working with the other two branches.
How can we do so if another branch dis-
misses an employee who comes before us
and tells the truth about a situation in a
specific department?
Mr. TH:URMOND. It is the duty of
the subcommittee to.. make inquiry.
That is what I understood the subcom-
mittee did in the present instance. It
made a legitimate inquiry during which
,