THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000800160005-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: May 19, 1966
• Content Type: OPEN

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Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA*Ib
r THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE The "leak" from executive sessions to
favored newsmen 1s an allclent Institution
AGENCY on Capitol Hill. But them have been no
ties such as it has, always will be. tion, carefully cultivated over a long period
1 of time, would vanish, not to mention the
Mrsent. t President, I ask inserted in the unanimous b con- Informants themselves. Consequently, in
y , the absence of a substantial showing of need,
of the RECORD as a part of my remarks and there has been no such showing, we
an editorial on the subject of the CIA in hope the Senate will turn down the bid by
the May 18, 1966, Issue of a very rep- Foreign Relations to "muscle In". (Senator
utablo newspaper _the Washingtgp Eves RUSSELL'S words) on the watching process.
Mr, YOUNG of North Dakota Mr. leaks from Senator RUSSELL'S watchdog com-
mittee. The tightness of its security has been
Pr Sid8mt, the Central Intelligence Agen- remarkable. And this is as it should be.
cy has always been the subject of some Why? Because secrecy, like It or not, Is
controversy and it islinevitable that an essential to the successful operation of the
Agency with the duties and responsibili- CIA. Without It, vital sources of fnforma-
a
c
r
a wa a over y e es-em and the: chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
National Security Council. By designation) Committee, is that the people in the CIA-;
of the President, a non-governmental groups .very greatly Influence foreign policy."
headed by Clark Clifford_ closely scrutinizes But, In rebuttal, Senator RICHARD 8.'
entitled "Danger Seen in Proposa O Innocent-looking proposal to allow the squabble "has a tendency to chill" some of
Senate Foreign Relations Committee to add the CIA Informants even in the national
There y ing no objection, the editorial I three members of its own to the "legislative capital.
and article were ordered to t printed in oversight" committee of the Senate which, It takes many years to develop contacts in
in a confidential way, keeps in touch with foreign countries, where the CIA operates
the RECORD, as follows: the operations of the Central Intelligence almost entirely. To require the agency to
[From the Washington (D.C.) Evening Star, Agency, reveal much of its information to members May 18, 1966) Just why, for instance, should the Senate' of the Senate who are themselves Involved in
WATCHING THE CIA Foreign Relations Committee wish to check foreign-policy controversies could result in a
It would be difficult to find any cloak-and up on the special committee now composed substantial drop in the efficiency of We orsa?
of
IIladtion.
dagger organization that Is more closely: a small group from the Senate Armed
Services Committee and the Appropriations
supervised than the Central Inteiligeaco Committee? The reason given by Senator J.'
Agency.
h b WILLIAM FULRSIGHT, Democrat, of Arkansas,'.
It i t
d th P
[From the Washington (D.C.) Evening Star,
18 May 19661
DANGER SEEN IN PROPOSAL ON CIA -
13t t8'ha've inserted as a part of my
remarks a column in.,the same issue of
the Washington--?E,vefing Star which
auu aw GErlGl1LL14LL1CU, V WU5ll 1:U11(vK uu, 11OYO; the special committee which now supervises
to run the gantlet of two congressional com CIA operations, says that "it is just pure
mittees. In the Senate, this committee to poppycock that the CIA fixes, and makes,
made up of three representatives each from ~ foreign policy."
? the Armed Services and Appropriations tom- On the surface, it might seem that the.
o
e
Because there are already so many watch-! s g y
ers, it might be wondered what valid objet- be imperilled If members of the Senate who
tion there is to adding three more, especially are primary interested in arguing about for-
1f they come from Mr. Fulbright's committee sign policy were entrusted with the secrets
since CIA activities undoubtedly influence,, of the agency.
foreign relations. It is customay for various senators every
The reason for the objection was s not quite now and then to divulge things they have i
spelled out reason for the Monday's debate. But its et- I learned In confidence about domestic policy. I '
sense emerged clearly enough. But tl with respect to what's going on in for-
the nstra For . t
Ohio's Senator LAUSCHE, himself a mem- j it the countries information there has obtained be restraint.
ber of Foreign Relations, said that commit- d Inform, CIA to
~ dealt with casually and "leaked" to the press {
tee "has also distinguished itself for the fre-, like domestic news, this could cause serious
quency of leaks that come out of their (ex- damage to American Interests around the
ecutive) hearings." world.
Later on, Senator MORSE, who thinks the. The risks in changing the nature of the
CIA is a "police state institution," said: "I; membership of the special committee that
f do not accept the major premise that the, keeps in touch with the CIA are considerable..]
elected officials of the American people' ,The public knows hardly anything about the !
should not have an opportunity to be briefed devious efforts of foreign governments to get
In executive sessions of their committees in, secret data In Washington. They employ go-
regard to what their checking committee has; betweens who themselves may not know just
found." who is behind the request for Information
This lets the cat out of the bag. While no, that comes to them. After long experience
senator would stand up on the floor and say] with the technique of keeping things really
so, the obvious fact is that the opponents secret, the CIA has concluded that the fewer
of enlarging the watchdog committee are[ the people who know anything. about the
afraid of leaks If representatives of Foreign, operation, the better In the long run.
Relations should be added to the watchdogs After World War II was over the late Ad-
"My job," he said, "wan strictly within the
armed services, and if the secretary of the
Navy wanted to find out what was cr mine:. he
could always ask the commander In chief-
namely, the President of the Unites. States."
This kind of caution 1s just as trnportant
in a "cold war" as in a "hot war." 7 he Presi-
dent, of course, has access to everything the ..j
CIA is doing.
Senator FRANK J. LAt,scne. D-Otifo, says
that, while Senator RUS+,ELL's subcommittee
has "distinguished Itself" by not leaking in-
formation, the Foreign Relations Commit
tee-of which he Is rt member -"dirtin-,
guishes itself by the number of leaks that
have Come out of that committee.
Senator RUSSELL thinks that overexposure
of the CIA would make difficult the lathering
of Information, because it`would cause many
people to hesitate to help for fear of eventual
reprisals If their identity became known.
The Georgia senator, in his speec^t to the
There would seem to be no need for anyi and thattheoretically some representation
additional watchers. Senator Fulbright's
from the Foreign Relations Committee, along
Foreign Relations Committee, however, wants; with members of the Appropriations Commit-
to add three of its members to the watching; tee and the Armed Services Committee, would''
group. Senator Russell, who heads the super- be logical. But the truth is that the opera-
visory committee, is strongly opposed. ti
ntral Intelli ence A ens could
n of the C
group. And this would be especially true !t m1ra1 Ernest King, chief of naval operations,
all 19 members of Mr. FtrLbslaHT'S committee told this correspondent that in two of the
would be briefed, as Senator Moasi advo- important en gements In the Pacific he
cater, "on what their cheoking e
hY found out. ommlttee never even told the secretary of the Navy
.. ,;.: '.: hhpad of time that a certain battle plan wan
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000800160005-5