TWO ITT OFFICIALS CHARGED WITH PERJURY ABOUT CHILE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000030071-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 5, 2011
• Sequence Number: 71
• Publication Date: March 21, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ARTICLE APPEAR] Approved For Release 2011/08/05: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000030071-4
ON PAGE 21 MARCH 1978
Two ITT officials charged
with perj~r.y;abut Chile
By,tirt MANN`
Washington Bur~au of The Sun
Washington-The Justice Department den, Jr. (D., Del.), who heads a Senate in-
filed perjury charges against two officials telligence subcommittee on secrecy, said
of the International Telephone and Tel- yesterday's action proved "the Justice De-
graph Corporation yesterday. but also in partment is no longer willing to throw up
dicated that it would not prosecute Harold its hands and forego prosecution in sensi-
S. Geneen, ITT's chairman five national security cases."
Both Mr Geneen and the two men During their consideration of the
and -Rob. ert a Helms case, Justice Department officials
.charged senior r vice president Gerrity.
public of_ repeatedly expressed concern that bring-
Berrellez. sen 58. a regional pinvestigation of
ficialial-58, a regional in in ing the former CIA director to public trial
have been under could jeopardise national security. In
connection 1973, a about bout ITT they actions gave in in seeking to defend himself, they reasoned,
Congress in j973,
Chile ,. . '. . Mr. Helms might ask to make use of high-
Acting . . ,
on the last day before the five- ly confidential information about high-)ev-
year statute of limitations ran out against el government deliberations and covert
Mr .Gerrity and Mr : Berrellez, federal operations.
prosecutors filed criminal informations Last week, Adm. Stansfield Turner, the
against the two men in U.S District Court . present CIA director, met with Griffin B.
here The informations charge the two Bell, the Attorney General, apparently to
men with six felony counts each. discuss the CIA's concerns with prosecu-
A department press release then an. tion of any of the ITT officials. But the
nounced. "No other actions arising from meeting failed to deter Mr. Bell from pro-
this investigation- are.. contemplated." ceeding against Mr. Gerrity and Mr. Ber-
Since Mr Geneen was known to be under rellez.
scrutiny in the same investigation, the Both Mr. Helms and the ITT officials
statement appeared to rule out any action were called before the Senate Foreign Re-
against him. The statute of limitations lations Committee's subcommittee on
runs out for Mr Geneen April 1.: multinational corporations in 1973 to re-
Last fall, in an earlier action arising spond to allegations that the CIA and ITT
out of the same investigation, the Justice had worked to prevent the election of Sal-
Department permitted Richard M Helms, vador Allende Gossens as president of
former director of the Central. lhtellig- Chile in 1970.
ence Agency, to plead no contest to a mis- Mr. Allende, a Marxist, vvas elected in
rdemeanor charge and to receive a sus- 1970. but three years later was over-
pended sentence in connection with his thrown and killed during a successful coup
failure, to give accurate testimony about d'etat.
'Chile to Congress in. 19-73 :; ., The informations filed yesterday
Thus, the result o the Justice Depart; charge that Mr. Gerrity and Mr. Berrellez
meat's investigation is that the ITT chair. provided Congress with false or mislead-
man :and1Jie former CIA_ director will not ing`.infotmation about money which ITT
be prosecljtei on felony charges, but that spent YCrhile at the time of the 1970 elec-
two loan, rankui ITT officials will. pons:
Mr-Gerrity,. of Larchmont, N.Y. was Both nia are also charged with mak--
charged with three counts of perjury, one ing false statements in June, 1974, before
count of subornation of perjury, one count a panel of arbitrators of the American Ar-
of making false statements and pne count bitration Association, which was examin-
of obstructing government proceedings If ing a dispute between an ITT subsidiary
convicted on all six counts, he would face and the Overseas Private Investment Cer-,
up to 30 years in prison and 'fines of up to poration. ITT subsequently was paid back
$23,000.:. by OPIC for financial losses on its invest-
Mr Berrellez, of ? Chatsworth, Calif , ments in. Chile.
ITT's manager of public relations and civ- Both Mr. Berrellez and Mr. Gerrity
it affairs-for the corporation's southwest must enter pleas in response to the infor;
region, was.charged with three counts of mation within the next 10 days. ,
perjury, one count of conspiracy, one ` '^r
count of obstructing government proceed-
ings and one count of making a, false state-
ment If. convicted on all the counts, he
could face up to 30 years in prison and
fines of up to $26,000..` :..:.
In New York city, an ITT spokesman
,said--last night, the two indicted officials
"both continue to serve as valued execu-
tives of TTT:,;Wt are fully; confident they
will be found innocent,'
to Washifrtonc ;Senatoi . Josenh..R Bi
Approved For Release 2011/08/05: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000030071-4