HELMS DISCLAIMS SPYING KNOWLEDGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-01208R000100250058-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2011
• Sequence Number: 58
• Publication Date: January 23, 1975
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/22 :CIA-RDP90-012088000100250058-3
WASHIIQGTON STAR NEWS
23 JAR 1975
-~e~mS -?iSCfairraS~ ~~
Sp i~g ~nowtedg~ ~-
H7James RPolk than on the charges that the
s~x...seerw~ ~- agency spied on U.S. citi-
Ambassador Richard
Helms has told a closed
Senate hearing that ~ was
unaware of aay domestic
surveillance conducted on
Americans by the Central
Intelligence Agency while
he was its director, accord-
tag to one senator.
"His surveillance stopped
at the water's edge -over
seas," said Sen. Gale W.
Mme. ~wr~?
Helms testified for three
hours yesterday in a pri-
vate session before the Sen-
ate Foreign Relations Com-
mittee, which questioned
him at length on his past.
denials of CIA misconduct.
I9ELD~1S SAID, "I think I
bad a very fair and good
hearing. and I had an
opportunity to explain
whatever discrepancies the
senators felt had been hang-
ingfire."
Neither Helms nor Lhe
chairman, Sen. John Spark-
man, D-Ala., would discuss
specifics of Helms' testi-
mony. Sparkman promised
that a transcript, edited for
security reasons, would be
made public. probablq next
week.
The closed-door session
apparently focused more on
the CIA's activities in Chile
and other foreign nations
zees in this country. "I
don't think that question
came up too much in this
bearing." Sparkmansaid.
BUT McGE$ told newa-
men that Helms had indi-
cated to the committee that
aay such doar~stic surveil-
:laace had -taken plats
without his knowledge and
without bisapproval. -
CIA DireeDor William E.
Colby has admitted the
agency watched columnist
Jack Anderson and a Wash-
ington Post reporter during
tlw period when Helms
headed the spY aB~-7-? T~
CIA also infiltrated about a
dozen agents. into protest
fi~'oups- .
The use of the CIA may
have been spurred by White
House dislike for the late J.
Edgar Hoover as Sirector of
the FBI, which has the sole
legal authority for coun-
teriatelligeace inside U.S.
borders.
McGee said, "The stub-
bornness of J. Edgar finally
forced the White FIouse to
divert some of its requests
to the CIA." But Helms had
testified to the same com-
mittee in 1973 that he "total-
lyand 100 percent resisted"
White House efforts to in-
volve the agency in this
role.
STAT
15~IcGEE, asked about
Helms' candor, . said,
There is nothing that has
,transpired today that has
impugned his integrity as a
witness."
Sparlaaan said. "He gave ~ -
us every full and frank
explanation; 'but he avoid-
ed"a direct reply to the
question of Helms' consist-
' envy and candor.
Helms said, "Why don't
- we wait for the transcript"
and. told newsmen they
could reach their own- judg-
menu then.
Helms said he will leave
Washington Sunday to re-
turn eventually to Iran,
where he has served as U.S.
ambassador since. 1973.
Asked if he.thought the CIA
controversy might cost him
his diplomatic post, Helms
replied, "I don't know
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/22 :CIA-RDP90-012088000100250058-3