CIA TARGETED ON PERJURY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020100-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 100
• Publication Date: September 17, 1974
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020100-2
17 SEP 1974
CIA Targeted on - Perjury
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basis for his refusal.
Whether or not perjury was committed, Levinson
wrote, "It seems clear that the testimony of Meyer,
Counsel for the Senate Multinational Corporations 'Korry, (CIA Western Hemisphere chief William)
subcommittee have recommended that perjury pro- Broe and Helms was contumacious. The subcommit-
ceedings be initiated by the Justice Department tee, should therefore, aside from possible perjury,
against former Asst. Secretary of State Charles E. initiate contempt proceedings against all four indi-
Meyer and former CIA Director Richard Helms' viduals named above."
because of their testimony denying any U.S. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee meets
financial or other intervention into the affairs today in executive session to consider the Levinson
of Chile. report and other matters. It is understood the
Jerry Levinson, subcommittee staff attorney, in a Church subcommittee has not met on the Levinson
By Jeremiah O'Leary
star-News staff writer
confidential document prepared for Chairman
Frank Church, D-Idaho, also recommended that the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee reopen the
confirmation hearings of Secretary of State Henry
A. Kissinger because of indications that he "deceiv-
ed the committee in the course of his confirmation
hearing with respect to the extent and object of the
CIA's activities in Chile."
The controversy over whether the United States
covertly intervened in the politics of Chile against
the government of Salvador Allende has focused
anew on covert operations by the CIA.
At his press conference last night, President Ford
conceded that "our government, like other govern-
ments, does take certain actions in the intelligence
field to help implement foreign policy and protect
national security".
Ford denied, however, that the United States had
any role in the coup which overthrew the Allende re-
gime a year ago.
The President said that the CIA money was made
available in response to Allende's efforts to destroy
the free press and opposition parties in Chile and
that the monies sent to Chile were to thwart that
particular end.
He said that the so-called 40 Committee should
continue in existence but said that the Congress will
be contacted to.see-if some more elaborate report-
ing system can be divised.
Chairman J. William Fulbright, D-Ark and other
committee members for the first time today.
Levinson also recommended that the subcommit-
tee reopen its 1973 hearings on the International
Telephone & Telegraph role in Chile for the limited
purpose of obtaining the testimony pursuant to sub-
poena of former National Security Council Latin
American officer Arnold Nachmanoff and Ambassa-
dor Viron P. Vaky, Nachmanoff's predecessor, on
the forumulation of NSC policy toward Chile. Levin-
son recommended that the subcommittee hold in
abeyance possible perjury or contempt proceedings
against Hennessy.
The controversy came alive last week when Har-
rington, D-Mass, disclosed testimony of CIA Direc-
tor Colby_ at closed meetings of the House Armed
Services Committee on Intelligence. Colby reported-1
ly testified the Nixon administration authorized
more than $8 million be spent for covert CIA activi-
ties in Chile between 1970 and 1973 to make it impos-
sible for Allende to govern. These decisions were
made by the "40 Committee" of the NSC, which
clears CIA activities, under the chairmanship of
Kissinger.
LEVINSON and his staff reviewed the transcript
of the ITT-Chile hearings, Kissinger's confirmation
nearings and testimony by former Ambassador Na-
thaniel Davis and former Asst. Secretary of State
Jack Kubisch before several congressional commit-
tees.
Michael J.) Harrington summary of the (CIA Direc- The subcommittee attorneys found there was no
tor William) Colby testimony is laid against the basis for perjury in the testimony of Broe, Vaky or
transcripts of the above (previous) hearings, it ap, former Secretary of Commerce Peter Peterson. But
pears that Meyer committed perjury before the sub- he said Davis was "misleading" a Senate Western
committee in stating that the policy of the U.S. gov- ! Hemisphere subcommittee when he testified the
The Levinson report declares, "When the (Rep.
ernment was 'nonintervention' in the Chilean
political process; Ambassador Helms in the course
of his confirmation hearing committed perjury in
stating that no money was passed to opponents of
Allende and that no attempt was made in the Sep-
tember 1970 Chilean elections to prevent Allende
from becoming president.
"Asst. Secretary of the Treasury (John) Hen-
nessy, depending on the exact state of his knowl-
edge, either perjured himself or seriously misled the
subcommittee in stating that the primary considera-
tion in U.S. economic policy toward the Allende
government was Chile's credit worthiness,'
Levinson advised Church that former Ambassa-
dor to Chile Edward Korry refused to answer rele-
vant questions and ^a ve "misleading" testimony but
phrased his words so carefully that there is no basis
for perjury. But he recommended that the subcom-
mittee initiate contempt proceedings against Ko :-1,
United States did its best to maintain a correct rela-
tionship with the Chilean government.
In public testimony during the confirmation proc-
ess, Kissinger declared the CIA had nothing to do
with the Sept. 11,1973, coup against Allende. But
Levinson cited a deleted part of Kissinger's state-
men't which states, "The CIA was heavily involved
in 1964 in the election, was in a very minor way in-
volved in the 1970 election and since then we have
absolutely stayed away from any coups." Levinson
'said the impression left by the Kissinger testimony
was that there was no more than "minor involve-
ment" in the 1970 election.
Kissinger must have known, Levinson wrote, that
expending funds for destabilization in Chile had to
enhance the possibility and probability of the coup
which took place the day Kissinger testified.
The report cites the repeated testimony of Meyer
at the ITT-Chile hearings that U.S. policy was for
nonintervention in Chile and that this policy never
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ttnued
 Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020100-2
changed. Levinson said the Colby testimony
contradicts Meyer's testimony and added that
Meyer testified the policy could not have been
changed without his knowing it.
Helms testified during his confirmation hearing
for the ambassadorship to Iran that no money was
passed by CIA to opponents of Allende. Levinson
said the Harrington version of the Colby testimony
contradicts this. Korry refused to answer questions
about CIA activities in Chile or communications be-
tween the State Department and the embassy when
he was in Santiago.
?O .f 8,
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020100-2