THE DICTATES OF DIPLOMACY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000403680012-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: November 28, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000403680012-9
Z AR i C; E LP? E'
C MAG. 16
Letters
BOSTON GLOBE
28 NOVEMBER 1982
lar to those I had conduct merans
^~ ' with the Vietnamese and Chinese, were
in progress. When I learned otherwise, I
refused to restrain the FBI probe in any
The dictates of diplomacy .
eff Stein was kind enough to send
me a copy of the cover story he
wrote about me ("Mystery Man
of American Diplomacy," August.
29). In his accompanying note, he of.. stantial impairment to the investigation
fered to interview me or to allow me With respect to the overall Water-
space to comment upon his article. As gate matter, I can only say-that-every
he pointed out in the article itself, I nor- step I took at that time. was scrutinized
orally refrain from interviews and -sel- in numerous and endless public hear
dom comment on stories. I do so not -' ings. Nevertheless, I remained in office
because I am particularly opposed to until 1976, four years after the break-in
publicity about me. Indeed, during the .- occurred.-In 1974, Director of the CIA
five years from 1976 to 1981, as a pri- James R. Schlesinger, a man respected
vate citizen, I wrote a book, Silent Mir for his integrity, intelligence, and so-
sions, not Secret as Mr. Stein's research phistication, awarded me the Distin-
suggests. Not a single US secret is con- guished Intelligence Medal for showing
tained in the book. It was published in "the highest qualities of moral integrity
six languages. I traveled widely and and rigid adherence to his constitutional
appeared on national and international responsibilities despite a number of se-
television and radio programs --hardly
the activities of a shy or reclusive man.
I shun publicity because the nature of
my duties as Ambassador-at-Large re-
quires me to move discreetly and incon-
spicuously in quiet pursuit of our coun-
try's foreign policy. Publicity under-
mines my ability.. to do this.
Nevertheless, I feel compelled to re-
spond to some of the allegations con-
tained in the Stein story because they
call into question my personal integrity
during my tenure as Deputy and Acting
Director of the CIA. I. feel strongly that
the Amencan people must have confi-
dence in the integrity of their public
servants and that to allow Mr. Stein's
allegations to go unchallenged is to
shake that confidence.
The first allegation relates to an old
matter: Watergate. Mr. Stein, like oth-
ers, continues to play the "who-knew-
what-when" game that has always left
even the most informed observers -,
i befuddled. I do not intend to rehash the
matter- here. I would' simply like to
stress that when it became clear to me I
that no CIA assets were endangered by
an FBI investigation, I refused, as Dept
uty Director, on behalf of the CIA, to
have any involvement whatsoever in the
matter. When John Dean first asked me
to stop the FBI investigation into the
Mexico money, I thought perhaps that
way. Indeed, I threatened to resign if
ordered to do otherwise. John Dean has
acknowledged this refusal in his own
testimony -before Congress . The delay
caused to the FBI, while I checked our
sources in Mexico, resulted in no sub-
m on because I speak eight , Ian
guages, some felt it important that I
convey to -these men in their own lan-
guages the commitment of the United
States, and particularly of the American
intelligence community, to continue the
struggle against our enemies even in
times of great domestic turmoil for us.
Never in any of the meetings with
Colonel Cont. reras, the bead of Chilean
Intelligence, .did the subject of Orlando
Letelier or Chilean passports ever arise.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is mis-
taken The-last time I saw Contreras
was overl:a-..year before Letelier was .
murdered. My trip to Paraguay, just be-
fore .I retired in July, had nothing to do;
with Chile or passports or Letelier. I am
still, however, not at liberty to discuss
the nature of my trip,
After I retired from the CIA, I had
nothing to do with Chile or Paraguay. I
had never even beard of Ambassador
Landau's cables until August 1976,
when the CIA brought them to my
vere pressures to lead him to-a contrary-' attention. I answered that I knew noth-
position." Mr. Schlesinger is not known 1-ing about passports for any Chileans.
as a man who passes out encomia freely. Furthermore, I explained that I had no
When I retired, moreover, President reason to become involved with official
Gerald Ford, another man respected
for his straightforwardness, awarded
me the National Security Medal, only
twenty of which had ever before been
given. Mr. Stein's impressive research
US business with Chile or Paraguay be-
cause I was, then, a private citizen. No
mention, -moreover, was ever made of
Orlando Letelier.
apparently failed to discover these two C "I I ' =~D
awards, although both are mentioned in
Silent Missions, from which he. quotes
extensively.
With respect to Mr. Stein's allega-
tions about the senseless murder of Or-
lando Letelier, I repeat here what I told
the FBI and the Justice Department in
1976: I knew nothing whatsoever of the
matter.
As Deputy Director of the CIA, I
met with most heads of foreign intelli-
gence services when they visited Wash
clandestir Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000403680012-9