DCI BRIEFING OF DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE OF SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE - 19 NOVEMBER 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Keywords: COVERT ACTION CHILE
• Keywords: CHILE
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005493022
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: August 31, 2011
• Case Number: F-2000-01886
• Publication Date: November 23, 1970

APPROVED FOR RELEASE^
DATE: 05-09-2011
OLC`?0-0831 :~ ?
23 November 1970
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: DCI Briefing of Defense Subcommittee of Senate
Appropriations Committee - 19 .November 1970
1. On 19 November the Director appeared before the Defense
Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The. session
lasted from 1552 until 1805 hours. A technical sweep of the room,
S-126 in the Capitol, was conducted and the room was kept under
technical monitoring throughout. Discussions included
material. Highlights of the session are aulnmarized below.
txanscript was taken.
No
? 2:.Present from the Subcommittee for all or park of the
buiefing were: ~ .
Allen. J. Ellender (D. , La. ), Actain~ Chairman
John Sterinis (D. , Miss. )
John O. Pastore (D. , R. I. )
Mike Mansfield (D. , Mont. )
Milton R. Young (R. , N. Dak. )
Margaret Chase 5rni.th (R. , Me. )
Gordon Allott (R. , Colo. )
Roman L. Hruska (R. , Neb. )
Ex Officio Mernbera present were:
Stuart Symington (D. , 1VIo. )
Henry M. Jackson (D. , Wash. )
Strom Thurmond (R. , S. C. )
.Present from the Subcommittee staff were:
William Woodruff, Counsel
Francis Hewitt,. Assistant Clerk
 4. ,Accompanying the Director were:
Lawrence K. White, Ex/Dir- Compt
George Carver, SAVA
John M. Maury, Legislative Counsel
5. The Director's presentation included those portions of his
prepared briefing dated 19 November 1970 (on file in the Office of
.Legislative Counsely concerning the Middle East, Indochina, Chile,
Soviet Naval Activity in Cuba, and Communist Military Activity.
(He did not'use the section on the Cuban political situation. )
6. Durine the discussion Senator Young asked
~.nd the Director said they had been
informed of them in advance and had not reacted to them. In response
to another question by Senator Young, the Director said the Israelis
could destroy the Aswan Dam if they wished.
?. In response to Senator Ellender's question the Director
said we had good reason to believe the Soviets had continued to supply
missiles and related equipment for installation in the "standstill" zone
after the cease fire in Egypt. Speaking to another question, the
Director said the SA-3's in Egypt were still largely manned~by Russian
crews.
8. .Senator Ellender asked why the Russians continued. to
supply SAMs to the Egyptians, and the Director speculated that they
wanted to protect their very substantial investment in the Middle East,
and couldn't afford to let their Arab allies- go down the drain. Senator
.Ellender observed that "this goes back to our refusal to help them with
the ,Aswan Dam. "
. 9. After hearing the Director's prepared remarks on Chile,
. Senator Ellender asked whether, and how, the Soviets had assisted
the Chilean leftists. The Director mentioned financial and propaganda
support in particular. ,Senator Ellender asked whether we had not
 supported the other side in Chile to at least the same extent the
Russians had supported the leftists.
ena or as ore as e w e er a coup was
engineered by Moscow or was a popular reaction against the status
quo. The Director suggested it was partly both. _
10. Senator Symington questioned the. Director's statement
that Chile had been moving steadily toward the left--he wanted to
know whether "toward the left" meant more democratic or more
totalitarian. The Director said he was only trying to note the trend
toward more nationalization and governmental control. Senator
Symington said the trend toward more government control could
take place under both rightist and leftist governments, so that
shouldn't be the test of who we help.
11. Senator Pastore emphasized the danger that we might
fail to recognize truly popular revolutions and label them Communist-
inspired. The Director acknowledged this danger but pointed -out the
U. S. had been trying to respond to legitimate popular aspirations by
promoting liberal reforms through democratic rather than totalitarian
means.
12. Regarding the Cienfuegos situation, Senator Jackson
asked about secret negotiations like those in 1962. The Director
said there were apparently no formal written agregments but there
were, in addition to public statements on both sides between Washington
and Mose.ow, normal- confidential diplomatic exchanges.
13. Senator Jackson said he understood that as a result of
operations in Cienfuegos the Russians could base their nuclear aub-
ma~xnes there at s.ny time. The Director said they could indeed, but .
they still didn't have the facilities necessary for maintenance and
support--equipment to remove end replace. tk~en,~zi~silea t~iems~lves,
or overhaul the reactors.
 16. Senator Thurmond came back to the question of whether
. there was a "written agreement" between the Soviets and the U. S. on
Cuba and the Director said he was aware of no specific document, but
the State Department would be the final authority on this.
17. Following the Director's testimony on Indochina, Senator
Symington called me aside to ask me to bring to his office later a
copy of the chart on infiltration which was displayed on the viewgraph.
18. Senator.Symington asked the Director what he meant by
saying we were trying to get down to "an advisory level" in Indochina.
The Director said?he assumed this contemplated a sort of residual, non-
combat MAAG. Senator Symington asked how many air strikes we were
now conducting over Cambodia and Laos, The Director said. he didn't
have the precise figures but there had been some cutback.
19, In response to a question by Senator Young, the Director
explained the former importance of Sihanoukville in Communist
logistics, noting that earlier estimates on this point had been
substantially too low. Senator Mansfield commented that since CIA,
had dot been operating- in Cambodia they.had been eaved~from respon~si?~
bility fdx'what happened. there.
 20. Follow up action:
a. Senator Symington's request to examine a copy
of the chart indicating infiltration rates in Vietnam. (This
was done on 23 November. 1970.)
1 -Subject (via DCI)
1 - DDCI
1 - Ex/Dir
1-DDI
1-SAVA
].
1-ER
~w OLC Chrono
JOHN NL MA.URY
Legislative Counsel