HELMS CHARGES STATE'S ABRAMS PUSHED LEAK STORY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302320032-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: August 5, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302320032-0
WASHINGTON TIMES
5 August 1986
Helms charges State's Abrams
pushed leak story
6 By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sen. Jesse Helms yesterday
accused an assistant secretary of
state of circulating reports that the
North Carolina Republican or one of
his aides leaked classified informa-
tion to Chile.
"It was Elliott Abrams," Mr.
Helms charged in a hastily called
press conference. "He crept up here
in the dead of night and made these
charges. ... I am saying Elliott Ab-
rams committed a deliberate
falsehood, knowing it to be false.
"Then he slips back to his little
hole at the State Department and
calls The New York Times and says,
'Hey, I got a big scoop for you:
"This will die a silent death:" Mr.
Helms said. "The only result will be
The New York Times and the State
Department once again have man-
aged to smear Jesse Helms. That's
fine. I can take it."
News of the Chilean leaks first
appeared in Sunday editions of The
Times.
"First, the suggestion that I
leaked the story to The New York
Times is false and they can obvi-
ously confirm that:' Mr. Abrams, as-
sistant secretary of state for Latin
American affairs, told United Press
International yesterday. "Secondly, I
made no false statement:'
The FBI yesterday confirmed that
a "leak investigation," normally con-
ducted by the FBI counterintelli-
gence agents under the espionage
statute that makes it a crime to dis-
close classified information, is un-
der way.
"We are investigating, but as sen-
sitive as this thing is, we are not
saying anymore:' said Steve Ramey,
an FBI spokesman.
Justice Department sources,
however, said the investigation had
turned up no evidence that the con-
servative North Carolina Republi-
can was involved in, or knew any-
thing about, the disclosure.
The FBI investigation is focused
on the Helms' staff, the sources said.
One Helms' aide, Christopher
Manion, is under suspicion of pass-
ing the U.S. intelligence on Chilean
human rights violations to the Chil-
ean government, according to UPI.
Mr. Manion is the brother of Dan-
iel Manion, who was recently con-
firmed as a federal judge during a
bitter partisan battle in the Senate.
Christopher Manion, who serves
as the representative of Mr. Helms
on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, attended a confidential
briefing at which sensitive informa-
tion was disclosed that later made its
way to the Chilean government,
sources said.
Attempts to reach Christopher
Manion last night were unsuccess-
ful.
Mr. Helms, who has charged that
the State Department bureaucracy
is undermining President Reagan's
foreign policy initiatives, visited the
Chilean leader, Gen. Augusto Pino-
chet, last month.
While in Santiago, Mr. Helms pub-
licly criticized Harry Barnes, the
U.S. ambassador to Chile, for attend-
ing the funeral of a Chilean exile,
who while on a visit to his homeland,
was burned to death during anti-
government protests.
Mr. Helms said the funeral was a
pro-communist demonstration that
was not attended by any Latin Amer-
ican ambassadors and included only
Sen. Jesse Helms
the French and American ambassa-
dors among the official representa-.
tives from the West.
A Helms' staff aide yesterday said
three aides who accompanied the
senator on the three-day Chilean
visit early last month had not re-
ceived classified intelligence
briefings before the trip, nor were
they given any information on Chile
by the Senate Intelligence Commit-
tee.
Senate Intelligence Committee
Chairman Dave Durenberger, Min-
nesota Republican, and Vice
Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont
Democrat, released a statement yes-
terday saying the committee had
"received information" that a leak of
classified information might have
occurred and asked the Justice De-
partment to investigate.
Mr. Helms criticized Mr. Duren-
berger's handling of the investiga-
tion, saying the committee referred
the matter to the Justice Depart-
ment without conducting a prelimi-
nary investigation to determine if
the allegations were serious.
Mr. Helms also denounced the
State Department for attempting to
"silence" his criticism of its policies
and political appointees with the
leak charges, but said the tactic
would have the opposite affect.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302320032-0