CASEY'S POWER PLAY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100110062-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: May 8, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/09: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100110062-1
QUINCY PATRIOT LEDGER (MA)
8 May 1986
Casey's power play
The director of central intelligence. recommend that you be prosecuted its government sources.
Prominent editors of an influential under the intelligence statute." On the face of it, the government
newspaper. Classified espionage infor- 'To drive the point home, Casey would have a hard time convincing any
mation. Threats uttered over the dgngled the threat of seekin
luncheon table. g prosecu- court that reporting U.S`. interception
Good stuff for a novel of hi h-level dons against the Post and other publi- of Libyan communications damaged
intrigue and power play along the cations, apparently for reporting that the national interest. In-fact, there is
Potomac. tie U.S. had intercepted messages good reason to believe administration
But the ha fzbm Libya to its missions in East sources leaked the information to give
y ppen to be the real-life (ae' rmany and elsewhere in Europe substance to ~U~./
ingredients of the latest skirmish be- dealing with the bombing of a disco absolutely cond!liL~ingl evidence linking
tween government and press over se- theque in West Berlin. "We've ahead! Libya to the Berlin bombing. And as
crecy, national security interests and got five absolutely cold violations,' Post Managing itar-Downay
o
the right to publish. Casey said. The other alleged violator, ed out, "The President himself first
The principals are William J. Casey, he named were The Washingtor revealed the nature of these intercept-
director of central intelligence, the Times, The New York Times,
Justice Department,~'~liors of The News ed messages. What we reported subse-
ustice Depart m two other news a- week and Time magazines. Casey kneK quent to that-details of the inter-
Washington editors would munch and tell, anc cept-did not do anything more to
pers and two news magazines. that his warning would get around. reveal our intelligence capabilities
Casey evidently believes the publica- His immediate target reportedly is than the president himself did."
tions have classified information they to stop publication of information
shouldn't print. He is also aware the dealing with the case of Ronald W.
chance of stopping publication by Pelton, a former employee of the
direct legal means is very slim. National Security Agency accused of
American courts have a proud tradi- selling secret information to the Soviet
tion of upholding freedom of informa- Union about covert intelligence pro-
tion and of the press by rejecting jects.
"prior restraint"-blocking publica- An FBI agent has testified that
tion of material the government, for Pelton provided the Soviets "specific
various reasons, wants to suppress. information relating to a United
One of the classic cases was the U.S. States intelligence collection project
Supreme Court's 1971 decision up- targeted at the Soviet Union," and
holding The New York Times' right to that he had access to "extremely
publish the Pentagon Papers, key sensitive information relating to that
secret documents accompanying the project."
government's history of the Vietnam Casey could have reason for concern
war. if disclosure of the information he is
In order to have any chance at all of worried about would jeopardize impor-
sto in tant ongoing intelligence activities or
pp g publication, Casey doubtless techniques the U.S. might want to
knew the U.S. would have to prove the employ again. (It would be interesting
publications had possession of the to learn how the intelligence chief got
material, and persuade the courts that. his information about the material he
the information was so sensitive as to thinks the Post possesses.) The press
cause irreparable injury to the national should weigh carefully the potential
defense-which means judges would impact on U.S. security interests vs.
have to review the material. the public's right to know in cases
So Casey decided on another tac-
tic-the scare-'em-off approach. The involving has a peclassified rfect right to warn editors
U.S. spy chief arranged to have lunch about the possible consequences of
with Washington Post editors Benja- publication.
min C. Bradlee and Leonard Downie But threatening prosecution for al-
Jr., at which he warned he. would seek leged previous violations of U.S. law to
criminal prosecution against the paper head off possible publication of other
ifit published a story dealing with U.S. information is a nasty tactic, and the
intelligence operations. Justice Department should not go
"I'm not threatening you," Casey along with Casey's attempt to recruit
told the Post editors, "but you've got to its help in intimidating the press-and
know that if you publish this, I would
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/09: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100110062-1