'GOOD' AND 'BAD' SECRETS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100038-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 11, 2012
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: January 20, 1975
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

CTAT % I I
Si Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/11: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100038-0
1 20 JAN 19T,5 1 1
`GOOD' AND `BAD' SECRETS
CIA director William Colby sat
down with NER-SWEEK's Evert Clark
and Bruce van Voorst last week for
his first interview since the domestic-
spying scandal-and, true to his call-
ing, he sometimes dodged and be-
trayed no trade secrets. Excerpts:
Q. Looking back at the recent trou-
bles, do they suggest you have
reached the point where there should
be a full-fledged review of the agen-
cy's functions?
A. Various reviews of the agency's
activities are of course already taking
place and I would be delighted if
they can clarify some of the gross
misunderstandings of intelligence. I
think that the image of intelligence in
the normal observer's mind is very
heavily that of the traditional intel-
ligence spy, whereas intelligence to-
day is far beyond that in terms of
what it really is and what it does.
Any kind of review that increases
public understanding of the real na-
ture of intelligence today I think is
very welcome, because then things
fall into proportion.
Q. Is it possible, given your clan-
destine operations, to let Congress in
on everything?
A. We've done it for years.
Q. Do they really know everything?
A. Well, we've done it in varying
detail for varying things, let me put it
that way. In other words, when we go
up for appropriations presentations
every year, we obviously summarize
... But you71 get the question how
many people do you have in country
X, and we'll answer it. Or, what kind
of activities are you doing in country
Y, and we'll answer it ... Now we
haven't gone into every detail, no.
Q. Does the fact that today's spy is
no James Bond mean that there's less
need for secrecy in some areas?
A. Oh, we need secrecy. There are
Some "traditional" secrets that don't
need to be secret any more ...
There are some "bad" secrets-mis-
takes we've made, things that have
gone wrong, sure. But there are
some "good" secrets, necessary se-
crets ... We have people whose lives
and reputations depend on our se-
crecy. We have technical systems
whose effectiveness can be annulled
if it comes out we are doing a par-
ticular thing.
Q. Does detente, the changing dip-
lomatic atmosphere. make your job
any easier?
A. The openness of relations with
countries obviously helps the modern
intelligence business because this
business is based upon the flow of in-
formation. The more information that
can flow normally, the less you have
to go after in the hard way ... At the
same time, of course, there is a cer-
tain lessening of the intensity of feel-
ing that I think led to a much tighter
discipline about our own secrets at
the time when we were under ma-
jor threat. And I think that people
who twenty years ago would not have
talked to a newsman, today will ...
Actually, quite frankly, I think that's
one of the crying needs we have for
legislation right now-some better pro-
tection of our secrets, I mean, be-
cause the present legislation is just
hopeless ... We're talking about the
question of how, and consequently
whether, you can run an intelligence
service in our free society.
Wa11y Mc\.,mee-\,w.sv. k
CIA chief Colby: `A difficult time'
Q. Is that question becoming even
more serious to you?
A. It does become serious when
the stuff leaks out and when ex-em-
ployees are free to tell what they
knew ... I think it's terrible, frankly,
because this puts people's reputations
in bad shape, it puts people in phys-
ical danger.
Q. Would you go further and sug-
gest that we have a British-like system
restricting what is printed?
A. No ... It could only apply to
people who consciously join the intel-
ligence business ... It would not apply
to the journalist or any publisher.
Q. Speaking of being hurt abroad,
are there measurable ways of defin-
ing whether what's happened already
has influenced the agency's operations
in liaison or recruiting?
A. We have some pretty clear in-
dications. I can't give you any num-
bers but we have had individual
agents who have said, "Thanks, but no
thanks. I really have to quit." And
we've had various foreigners who
have spoken to me about their con-
cern about whether we can keep
their secrets. The next step on that is
they start to hold up on the sensi-
tivity of what they give you ... It's a
very difficult time for the people in
the agency. Most of the accusations
are grossly overblown and exaggerat-
ed, and the problem [is] how can we
keep our secrets ... in this state of
constant hullabaloo ...
I mean ... take my time-what is my
time really supposed to be spent on?
It's supposed to be spent on what's
going on in the Soviet Union and
China and all those places around
the world, and making sure that this
information is funneled and accurate
and considered and gets to the right
places. And you know [instead] I
spend a substantial part of my time
bouncing around with problems.like
Watergate, the Chile expose, the
Marchetti thing [ex-agent Victor
Marchetti's book, which the CIA tried
to censor]-and now this.
Q. I'm still very much concerned
with this whole question of gray areas
because it's my impression, even from
what little we've picked up from the
Colby report, that the agency has
done some questionable things.
A. I think you have a spectrum
from something which is, you know,
absolutely clear-there's no question
about your ability to do it-to some-
thing over here which is absolutely
wrong, no question about it, it's crimi-
nal action. Now some of the things
that are alleged ,may have been in be-
tween-you begin to get a little policy
judgment. Well, it's a bit wrong, but
is it really? You need a criminal in-
tent to actually be at fault, and if you
did it under certain circumstances,
you know, nobody in his right mind
would prosecute or do anything.
Q. But I've been told that your
report concedes the possibility that
things were done, and I read possi-
bility to mean again a question of
interpretation.
A. Well, not to talk about the re-
port, because I really can't talk about
that, but what I could say is that in
the 25 years' history of this agency,
just like the 25 years' history of almost
any other agency or corporation or
even perhaps publishing house, vari-
ous things happened that maybe
shouldn't have happened, you know,
but they're exceptional, few and far
between, that kind of thing.
Q. But you think that the agency
has recovered from whatever might
have gone on and that you're quite
able now to face up to Congress and
investigation.
A. Yes.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/11: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100100038-0