ANALYST REPORTED TO LEAVE C.I.A. IN A CLASH WITH CASEY ON MEXICO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00443R000903820032-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2011
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: September 28, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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NEW YORK TIMES
28 September 1984
?~$~~~~jst ~e~orted to Leave_C.I.A.
1~ ~ ~'~as~t ~it~ Casey on l~lexico
By PHILIP TAUBIViAN
Spedal to ILe New York Ttma'
R'ASHING?ON, Sept. 27 -The sen- ( weight given to various judgments and ,
for Latin America analyst at the Cen- I that's the way it should be."
tral Intelligence Agency resigned in She added, "All estimates are ap-
May after William J. Casey, the Direc? proved by the National Foreign Intelli-
for of Central Intelligence, insisted that gence Board, which is chaired by Mr.
he revise a report on Mexico so it would Casey and includes the heads of all in-
support Reagan Administration policy, ; telligence agencies."
intelligence officials asserted today. Mr. Horton is the second Latin Amer-
The officials said Mr: Gtsey wanted ~ ica analyst to break publicly with the
the intelligence report to portray the agency this year contending that intel-
economic and political problems of ligence information was slanted at Mr.
Mexico as a threat to its internal stabil- Casey's direction to support Adminis-
ity as well as an indirect danger to the tration policy.
overall security? of Central America ~ Relations Strained
and the United States. Relations between the United States
The officials said that when the ana- and Mexico have been strained over a
lyst, John R. Horton, refused to revise variety of issues, with Administration
the report cn the ground that intelli- officials long irritated by Mexican
gence data did not support such an .behavior that they consider exces-
alarmistconclusion, Mr. Casey had the sively accommodating to Cuba and
report rewritten by another analyst. Nicaragua and insufficiently attentive
to domestic problems.
'Pressure From Casey' Administration officials said that
~ Mr. Horton asserted today, "There is Mr. Casey wanted a tougher report
pressure from Casey on subjects that from Mr. Horton, in part to help per-
are politically sensitive to jigger esti- :suade the White House to approve a
mates to conform with li ;Program of covert and economic
Po c5'? :American pressures on Mexico to in-
He declined to comment further ;duce its support for United States poli- ;
about his departure from the C.I.A., ~ ties in Central America.
saying he was preparing an article on ?President Reagan, according to the',
his ~zews for publication next month. :officials, rejected the program in May
A spokesman for the C.I.A., Kathy ~ because Mexico seemed already to be
~:~acking away from its strong support
Pherson, said that Mr. Casey would not ~ of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and
comment on the Horton case and that ;guerrillas in El Salvador.
the agency could not discuss specific ~ 'Since Mr. Reagan met with Presi-
intelligence estimates because they ,;dent Miguel de la Madrid of Mexico in
are classified: She confirmed that Mr: ~ Washington on May 15, Administration
Horton left the agency in May, but said ;officials have said they sense an en-
he did so after his contract expired. ~.couraging change in Mexico's policy on?
Central America.
Other intelligence officials said Mr. ~' ~ protective of Rights '
Horton's contract. would ordinarily.
have been renewed, but that he decided " .Internal C.I.A. disputes rarely be-
to leave the agency. ,come public. The charges made by Mr.
In general, Mrs. Pherson said, "any. _; ; Dorton and the other analyst, David C.
estimate on a difficult sub'ect involves- ; ~ ~ . acMichael, have directly challenged
I ~. Mr. Casey s contention that intelli-
considerable give and take among ana=. ? ;gence estimates are not contaminated
lysts and intelligence agencies." ? ; ~ by politics or policy.
"Often there are disagreements on . '.Intelligence analysts, as a group, are
the appropriate questions as well as the; ? ~ protective of their right to prepare re-
;ports without political interference. In-
telligence estimates, theoretically, are
`supposed to provide a neutral base of
information and analysis for policy
makers, according to current and for-
mer intelligence officials.
Mr. Casey, who was chairman of
.President Reagan's 1980 election cam-
paign, has been a leading architect of
'the Administration's policies in Central
America, including American aid to
. Nicaraguan rebels, according to White
? House and State Departrment officials.
' Mr. Horton, according Mrs. Pherson,
was hired out of retirement in May 1983
? to be the National Intelligence Officer
for Latin America. He had worked for
the C.I.A. in the operations division
.from 1948 to 1975, according to former
colleagues.
Unlike Mr. MacMichael - who
worked for the agency from 1981 to 1983
. and openly criticized Administration
actions in Central America for the first
time in June - Mr. Horton generally.
supported Mr. Reagan's policy, intelli-
gence officials said.
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WASdINGTON POST
28 September 1984
~. ~.~~y~~ ~~ys ~ ~~~ ~~~ ~e~ ~~~~y'I
~:~~er~~ ~s R.~~~~~ ~o ~~.~~~~~~ ~o~a~y~
By Joanne Omang
Wazhington Post Staff W71te[
A former senior intelligence an-
alyst for the CIA says he resigned
his. post because CIA Director Wil-
liam J. Casey rewrote an intelli-
. gence report "over my dead body".-
to make it support U.S. policy.
John R. Horton, 64, resigned in
May as Latin American specialist
for the National Intelligence Coun-
cil, the unit that coordinates draft-
ing of intelligence evaluations
among the CIA, FBI, National Se-
curity Agency, State Department,
Defense Intelligence Agency and
the armed forces intelligence units.
In a telephone interview from his
i~far}~fand home,_ Horton? said his
account of his resignation was
quoted accurately in the Portland
(I~faine) Press-Herald Sept. 7, and
he refused to elaborate on it. .. _ ,
In that article, Horton said he
gave Casey a detailed estimate on
the military, economic, political and
diplomatic situation in "a major
Latin American country" last
spring, but Casey returned it be-
cause "he wanted it to come out a
certain way ....There was con-.
slant pressure on me to redo it."
"I refused to do it, so he finally
had the thing rewritten over my
dead body, so. to speak," Horton
said. He then quit.
Such pressures are "not wide-
spread" in the agency as far as he
knows, Horton said, "but when the
administration has a very strong
ideological feeling about one policy
or a domestic political impetus on a
policy, then you have this tension."
As a result, he said, "discussions are
too much limited by ideological
prejudices ...,. People are reluc-
tant to talk."
Horton declined to identify the
country or the policy issue involved
in fhe event that led to his resigna-
tion, but he said neither concerned
Central America.
' In the Press-Herald article, Hor-
ton said that arms shipments from
the leftist Sandinista government in
Nicaragua to leftist guerrillas in El
Salvador are "no secret" but added
that the U.S. effort to stop the arms
flow by backing "contra" rebels in
Nicaragua "hasn't worked and can't
work." Discussion of other options,
such as offering to reduce contra
military pressure in return for a
halt to the arms flow, has tended to
be suppressed, he said:
Horton said "very bright people"
in the Reagan administration, in-
~' eluding U.N. Ambassador Jeane J.
' Kirkpatrick and Defense Undersec-
retary Fred C. Ikle, "are either
against any type of compromise
-with. the Sandinistas or, if not
against it; [they are] suspicious that
State can't handle it.
"There's a real distrust of the
State Department" at the White
House, Horton was quoted as say-
'~ ing. "There's this feeling in the ad-
ministration that 'State is soft.' "
Through a spokesman, Kirkpa-
trick responded that the charge was
"absurd. The goals of President
? Reagan 'and his administration in
regard to. Nicaragua are very clear
and consistent ...and are shared
by all members of the administra-
lion." lkle was unavailable for com-
ment.
A senior State Department offi-I
cial involved with Central America,
denied that discussion is limited by
political considerations. "I know ofl
no option related to Central Amer-
ica that hasn't been discussed .... j
John ~ certainly was- never timid j
about bringing therm up," he said: ~
He added that Horton "did a good ~
joy.... ; he added a great deal to I
the debate" on Central American
policy. Another State Department
official called Horton '`a true pro-
fessional, one of the best." CIA
sources close to Casey echoed. that
view, saying Horton had been high-
ly respected.
CIA media relations chief Kathv ~
Pherson said she was "not interest-
ed in getting into a debate with
Horton in' print" but noted that "of- ~
ten there are disagreements ... , a
lot of give and take" on intelligence
estimates. -
Another C[A analyst who recent-
ly resigned from the National Intel-
ligence Council, David McMichael,
recalled Horton as "extremely well-
regarded" at the CIA, to the point
"that the word was he was such a
class act he wouldn't last long."
Horton emphasized that he sup-
ports the administration's overall
Central America policy and that
political pressures to "massage"
data did not begin with the Reagan
administration. He said he worries
that cramped discussion of options
eventually could harm the countrv
'and the CIA. ~ r
"If any cans get hung around any-
one's neck for Central America, it
won't be Reagan's or Casey's-it's
going to be the CIA's," he said.
.. -.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
28 September 1984
CIA EXPERT SAYS HE QUIT OVER REPORT ALTERATIONS
WASHINGTON
A VETERAN CIA AGENT SAYS HE RESIGNED LAST SPRING BECAUSE THE AGENCY'S DIRECTOR,
WILLIAM J. CASEY, PRESSURED HIM TO REWRITE AN ANALYSIS OF LATIN AMERICAN CONDITIONS TO
SUPPORT REAGAN ADMINISTRATION POLICIES.
JOHN R. NORTON, 64, SAID HE RESIGNED IN MAY AS A COORDINATOR OF AN IMPORTANT STUDY
OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC CONDITIONS IN A MAJOR LATIN AMERICAN
COUNTRY, [~IICH HE DID NOT NAME. '
NORTON TOLD THE PRESS HERALD OF PORTLAND, MAINE, IN AN INTERVIEW ON SEPT. 7 THAT
CASEY"WANTED THE ESTIMATE TO COME OUT A CERTAIN WAY." CASEY "KEPT CONSTANT PRESSURE
ON ME TO REDO IT," NORTON SAID, "I REFUSED TO DO IT, SO HE FINALLY HAD THE THING
REWRITTEN OVER MY DEAD BODY, SO TO SPEAK." THEN NORTON RESIGNED.
THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTED IN TODAY'S EDITIONS THAT NORTON CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY
OF THE PRESS HERALD INTERVIEW. THE NEW YORK TIMES TODAY QUOTED THE FORMER ANALYST AS
SAYING, "THERE IS PRESSURE FROM CASEY ON SUBJECTS THAT ARE POLITICALLY SENSITIVE TO
JIGGER ESTIMATES TO CONFORM WIT~i POLICY."
SUCH PRESSURES ARE NOT WIDESPREAD IN THE CIA, BUT "WHEN THE ..ADMINISTRATION HAS A
VERY STRONG IDEOLOGICAL FEELING ABOUT ONE POLICY OR A DOMESTIC POLITICAL IMPETUS ON A
POLICY, THEN YOU HAVE THIS TENSION,' NORTON SAID IN THE MAINE INTERVIEWJ.
HE COMPLAINED THAT "DTSCUSSiONS ARE T00 MUCH LiMZTED BY TECHNOLOGICAL PREJUDICES.,.
PEOPLE ARE RELUCTANT TO TALK."
DISCUSSION OF OPTIONS HAS BEEN LIMITED BY "CONSTANT CRUNCHING BACK AND FORTH," BETWEEN
THE ADMINISTRATION AND "PRAGMATIC PEOPLE" AT THE STATE DEP,~RTMENT.
"THERE'S A REAL DISTRUST OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT" NORTON SAID, ADDING THAT THERE IS
FEELING IN THE ADMINISTRATION THAT''STATE'S SOFT."
"AT SOME POINT, REAGAN AND CASEY ARE GOING TO BE IN SOME OTHER WORLD OR RETIRED FROM
PUBLIC LIFE. IF ANY CANS GET HUNG AROUND ANYONE'S NECK FOR CENTRAL AMERICA, LT WON'T
BE REAGAN'S OR CASEY'S - IT'S GOING TO BE THE CIA'S" HE SAID..
THE PRESS HERALD ARTICLE SAID NORTON WAS A CIA EMPLOYEE FROM 1948 TQ 1975, EARTICIPATING
IN OPERATIONS IN EUROPE, THE FAR EAST AND LATIN AMERICA AND WAS RECALLED TO DUTY IN 1983.
HE SAID THAT IN HIS RECENT JOB, HE WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL, THE
UNIT THAT COORDINATES INTELLIGENCE EVALUATIONS AMONG THE CIA? FBI, NATIONAL SECUR~TX
AGENCY AND THE ARMED FORCES INTELLIGENCE UNITS.
HE SAID HE HAD NO PARTICULAR QUARREL WITH THE ADMINISTRATIONS TQUGHNESS Tp[dARD THE
MARXIST GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA. THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES' WOULD BE JUST AS POORLY
SERVED BY AN ADMINISTRATION THAT REFUSED TO CONSIDER TQUGH.OPTI,QNS, HE SAID.
AND DESPITE HIS CRITICISM, HE CREDITED CASEY WITH REBUILDING THE CIA AFTER BUDGET,
FUNCTION AND PERSONNEL CUTS DURING THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION. DURING CARTER'S TENURE,
HE COMPLAINED, "OUR CIA STATION IN SAN SALVADOR WAS CLOSED DOWN COMPLETELY FOR ECONOIvII'
REASONS."
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ASSOCIATID PRESS
28 September 1984
CIA EXPERT SAYS HE QUIT OVER REPORT ALTERATIONS
WASHINGTON
A VETERAN CIA AGENT SAYS HE RESIGNED LAST SPRING BECAUSE THE AGENCY'S DIRECTOR,
WILLIAM J. CASEY, PRESSURED HIM TO REWRITE AN ANALYSIS OF LATIN AMERICAN CONDITIONS TO
SUPPORT REAGAN ADMINISTRATION POLICIES.
JOHN R. NORTON, 64, SAID HE RESIGNED IN MAY AS A COORDINATOR OF AN IMPORTANT STUDY
OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC CONDITIONS IN A MAJOR LATIN AMERICAN
COUNTRY, WHICH HE DID NOT NAME.
NORTON TOLD THE PRESS HERALD OF PORTLAND, MAINE, IN AN INTERVIEW QN SEPT. 7 THAT
CASEY"WANTED THE ESTIMATE TO COME OUT A CERTAIN WAY." CASEY "KEPT CONSTANT PRESSURE
ON ME TO REDO IT," NORTON SAID, "I REFUSED TO DO IT, SO HE FINALLY HAD THE THING
REWRITTEN OVER MY DEAD BODY, SO TO SPEAK." THEN NORTON RESIGNED.
THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTED IN TODAY'S EDITIONS THAT NORTON CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY
OF THE PRESS HERALD INTERVIEW. THE NEW YORK TIMES TODAY QUOTED THE FORMER ANALYST AS
SAYING, "THERE IS PRESSURE FROM CASEY ON SUBJECTS THAT ARE POLITICALLY SENSITIVE TO
JIGGER ESTIMATES TO CONFORM WITH POLICY."
SUCH PRESSURES ARE NOT WIDESPREAD IN THE CIA, BUT "WHEN THE :~II2MINISTRATION HAS A
VERY STRONG IDEOLOGICAL FEELING ABOUT ONE POLICY OR A DOMESTIC POLITICAL IMPETUS ON A
POLICY, THEN YOU HAVE THIS TENSION," NORTON SAID IN THE MAINE INTERVIEW.
HE COMPLAINED THAT "DISCUSSIONS ARE T00 MUCH LiMI,TED BY TECHNOLOGICAL PREJUDICES...
PEOPLE ARE RELUCTANT TO TALK."
DISCUSSION OF OPTIONS HAS BEEN LIMITED BY "CONSTANT CRUNCHING BACK AND FORTH," BETWEEN
THE ADMINTSTRATI.ON AND "PRAGMATIC PEOPLE" AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. _
"THERE'S A REAL DISTRUST OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT " NORTON SAID, ADDING THAT THERE IS
FEELING IN THE ADMINISTRATION THAT E'STATE'S SOFT."
"AT SOME POINT, REAGAN AND CASEY ARE GOING TO BE IN SOME OTHER WORLD OR RETIRED FROM
PUBLIC LIFE. IF ANY CANS GET HUNG AROUND ANYONE'S NECK FOR, CENTRAL AMERICA, IT WON'T
BE REAGAN'S OR CASEY'S - IT'S GOING TO BE THE CIA'S" HE SAID.,
THE PRESS HERALD ARTICLE SAID NORTON WAS A CIA EMPLOYEE FROM 1948 TQ 1975, EARTICIPATING
IN OPERATIONS IN EUROPE, THE FAR EAST AND LATIN AMERICA AND WAS RECALLED TQ DUTY IN 1983.
HE SAID THAT IN HIS RECENT JOB, HE WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL, THE
UNIT THAT COORDINATES INTELLIGENCE EVALUATIONS AMONG THE CIA? FBI, NATIONAL SECURITX
AGENCY AND THE ARMED FORCES INTELLIGENCE UNITS,
HE SAID HE HAD NO PARTICULAR QUARREL WISH THE ADMINLSTRATzpN'S TOUGHNESS Tp~RD THE
MARXIST GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA. THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES' WQULD BE JUST AS. POORLY
SERVED BY AN ADMINISTRATION THAT REFUSED TO CONSIDER TQUGH.OPTZONS, HE ~AZD.
AND DESPITE HIS CRITICISM, HE CREDITED CASE' Wi~H REBUILDING THE CIA, AFTER, BUDGET,'
FUNCTION AND PERSONNEL CUTS DURING THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION. DURING CA,RTER'?S TENURE,
HE COMPLAINED, "OUR CIA STATION IN SAN SALVADOR WAS CLOSED DOWN CQMPLETELY? FOR ECONQMY
REASONS."
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NEW YORK TIMES
28 September 1984
~~~~,~.:j~ ~e~o~~ed ~o Le~~e_C.I.A.
IFS ~ ~~~~s~ ~~~~i Casey o~ Mexico
By PHILIP TAUBMAN
S,xdn] to The New Yozk T1mes'
~1'ASHIN G i ON, Sept. 27 -The sen-
ior Latin America analyst at the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency resigned in
May after ~i'illiam J. Casey, the Direc-
tor of Central Intelligence, insisted that
he revise a report on Mexico so it would
support Reagan Administration policy, .
intelligence officials asserted today. ,
The officials said Mr: Casey wanted !
the intelligence report to portray the
economic and political problems of
Mexico as a threat to its internal stabil-
ity as well as an indirect danger to the
overall s`,.u.*ity of Central America
and the United States.
The cfficials said that when the ana-
lyst, Jo'?~ R. Horton, refused to revise
the report cn the ground that intelli-
gence data did not support such an
alarmist conclusion, Dir. Casey had the
report re~-ritten by another analyst.
`Presses^e From Casey'
bir. Hcrton asserted today, "There is
pressure from Casey on subjects that
are politi:,ally sensitive to jigger esti-
mates to conform Kith policy."
He dF-dined to comment further
about his departure from the C.I.A.,
saying he F-as preparing an article on
his views for publication next month.
A spokesman for the C.I.A., Kathy
Pherson, said that Mr. Casey would not
comment on the Horton case and that
the agency could not discuss specific
intelligence estimates because they
are classified. She confirmed that Mr:
Horton left the agency in May, but said
he did so after his contract expired.
Other intelligence officials said Mr.
Norton's contract would ordinarily
have been renewed, but that he decided '
to leave the agency.
In general, Mrs. Pherson said, "any.:
estimate on a difficult subject involves ;
considerable give and take among ana=.
lysts and intelligence agencies." ? ;
"Often there are disagreements on .
the appropriate questions as well as the,
weight given to various judgments and
that's the way it should be."
She added, "All estimates are ap-
proved by the National Foreign Intelli-
gence Board, which is chaired by Mr.
Casey and includes the heads of all in-
telligence agencies."
Mr. Horton is the second Latin Amer-
ica an4lyst to break publicly azth the
agency this year contendi-tg that intel-
ligence information was slanted at Mr.
Casey's direction to support Adminis-
tration policy.
Relations Strained
Relations between the United States
and Mexico have been strained over a
variety of issues, with Administration
officials long irritated by Mexican
behavior that they consider exces-
sively accommodating to Cuba and
Nicaragua and insufficiently attentive
io domestic problems.
Administration officials said that
Mr. Casey wanted a tougher report
from Mr. Horton, in part to help per-
suade the White House to approve a
;program of covert and economic
:American pressures on Mexico to in-
duce its support for United States poll- ,
ties in Central America.
?President Reagan, according to the
:,officials, rejected the program in May
'because Mexico seemed already to be
.racking away from its strong support
of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and
;guerrillas in EI Salvador.
'Since Mr. Reagan met with Presi-
,; dent Miguel de la Madrid of Mexico in
W ashington on May 15, Administration
;officials have said they sense an en-
~.couraging change in Mexico's policy on'
Central America.
Protective of Rights
' .Internal C.I.A. disputes rarely be-
;'come public. The charges made by Mr.
Horton and the other analyst, David C.
NfacMichaei, have directly challenged
~.7JIr. Casey's contention that intelli-
Bence estimates are not contaminated
by politics or policy.
' Intelligence analysts, as a group, are
protective of their right to prepare re-
ports without political interference. In-
telligence estimates, theoretically, are
'supposed to provide a neutral base of
information 2nd analysis for policy
makers, according to current and for-
? mer intelligence officials.
Mr. Casey, who was chairman of
.President Reagan's 1980 election cam-
paign, has been a leading architect of
' the Administration's policies in Central
America, including American aid to
. Nicaraguan rebels, according to While
? House and State Departrment officials.
Mr. Horton, according Mrs. Pherson,
v: as hired out of retirement in May 1983
? to be the National Intelligence Officer
for Latin America. He had worked for
the C.I.A. in the operations da~zsion
from 1943 to 1975, according to former
colleagues. '
Unlike :sir. MacMichael - who
worked for the agency from 1981 to 1983
. and openly criticized Administration
? actions in Central America for the first
time in June - Mr. Horton generally
supported :vir. Reagan's policy, intelli-.
Bence officials said.
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~iY~R~~~
~ ~~~~.~~LC2CUIVZBT
~A~-CiA=
~f~iJ~ CiF f~rL~~ ~ ~~i ~ ~ u'~f~ ~fr,IfG nfr ~r.; ~ rAi~f~S ~~~
;~tiSti=~liTC~if SEFT ~~~ KEUTER - A SENIOR ~:. S. INTELLIGENCE
AiiALYST RESIGNED IN SAY BECAUSE CIA DIRECTOR ~4ILLIAM CASEY
IetSISTED THAT HE REVISE A REPORT ON AEXICO TO SUPPORT KEAGAN
fiL~hSitiISTRATION POLICY) RCCORDING TO REPORTS FUfiLISHED TODAY.
THE ~tEW CORK TIMES AND THE WASHINGTON t'OST REPORTED THAT
ANALYST ~OHN NORTON COtiFIRMED HE LEF7 THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY ICs P.} AFTER THE DISRGREEMENT.
THE TIME1 SAID THE INTELLIGENCE REPORT IN @UESTIO#i INVOLVED
;~EXICO. THE AOST SAID IT WRS A MAJOR LATIN AMERICAN tiRTION.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS TOLD THE LIMES CASEY WANTED THE REPORT
TO PORTRAY ~'EXICOsS ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PROELEMS AS R THREAT
TO ITS INTERNAL STABILITY AND AN ItiDIRECT DA:iGER TO SHE
SECURITY OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE ~fNITED STATES.
4
jHE OFFICIALS SAID THA3 WHEN MORTON REFUSED TO REVISE THE
REPORT ON THE GOUND THAT INTELLIGENCE DATA DID tiOT SUPPORT SUCH
A3i ALARMIST CONCLUSIONS CASEY HAD IT REWRITTEN SY A?30THER
A?dALYST.
ttTHERE~IS PRESSURE FROM CASEY ON SUBJECTS THAT ARE
POLITICALLY SENSITIVE TO JIGGER ESTIMATES TO COtiFORM WITH
POLICYs=~ ~ORTOti WAS @UOTED AS SAYING.
A sFOKESWOt~AN FOR THE CIA3 ~ATHY AHERSOri~ SAID CASEY WOULD
HA'dE ND COMMENT ON THE STORY. SHE SAID tfORTON HAD LEFT HIS POST
AS A SENIOR LATIN AMERICA INTELLIGENCE AtiALYST AFTER HIS
COtiTRACT EXPIRED.
THE TIMES SAID ADMItiISTRATION OFFICIALS SAID CASEY WAtiTED A
TOUGHER REPORT FROM riORTON~ IN PART TO HELP PERSUADE THE iiHITE
t7OUSE TO APPROVE A PROGRAM OF COVERT RND ECONOMIC AMERICAN
PRESSURES ON MEXICO TO INDUCE ITS St#FPOPRT FOR if. S. POLICIES 3N
CENTRAL AMERICA.
1~EAGAN7 ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIALSf REJECTED THE PROGRAM IN
~AY BECAUSE MEXICO ALREADY APPEARED TO SE SACKING RWAY FROM ITS
STROtiG SUPPORT OF THE SANDItiISTA GOVERNMENT IN ~lICARAGUA AND
AtiTI-GO',IERNt4ENT GUERRILLAS IN fL SALVADOR,
~EANWHILE3 TWO KEY {~.~. SENATORS YESTERDP,Y INTRODUCED
LEGISLA3ION IN CONGRESS TO REQUIRE THA7 TOP CIA OFFICIALS BE
PROFESSIONAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS AND NOT POLITICAL
APPOINTEES,
T
1HE BILL WAS FILED BY CHAIRMAN ~ARRY i~OLDWATER AND DICE
CHR3RMAN ~RNIEL ~OYNIHAN OF THE SENATE 1NTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.
IT WAS AN OUTGROWTH OF THE CIA`S FAILURE THIS YEAR TO NOTIFY
THE COMMITTEE IN ADVANCE OF ITS DIRECT INVOLVEMENT WITH
ANTI-GOVERNMENT REBELS IN THE MINING OF ~#ICARAGUAN HARBOURS.
~DYNIHAN @UESTIONED IF THE ~~MISABVENTURE~~ WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED IF CASEY3 WHO HEADED ~4EAGAti#S i~S~? PRESIDENTIAL
CAMFAIGN~ HAD BEEN R LAREEfi i~IA OFFICER.
`~rUR NATIOtt I5 SEST SERVED BY APPOINTING PEOPLE TO Ti~EESE
FOSITiONfi WHO DO NOT REGUIRE ON-THE-JOS TRAlrritiG3 ~ ~ ~lOYtiIHAN
SAID.'
~t~~! t~ ~I ~S
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PORTLAND PRESS HERALD (ME~
7 September 1984
`Covert plots' described
as small part of CIA
By CLARK T. IRWIN JR.
Staff Writer
For a lot of people -including some congress-
men -the phrase "CIA operations" conjures up
~ images of assassinations, clandestine armies and
~ sinister plots. .,
Those "covert operations," such as the famous
plan to slip Fidel Castro a poisoned cigar, "are tl-e
most discussed, but probably the least important of
all," according to retired CIA officer John R. Horton.
Horton served in the CIA from 1948 to 1975, re-
turning. to duty in 1983 to supervise preparation of
intelligence estimates for Latin American countries.
He participated in covert operations during that
career. recruiting East German spies and monitor-
ing Cuban and Soviet links to the American peace
movement from his Mexico City post during the
Johnson and Nixon administrations, for instance.
He has served in the Philippines and Japan and
was "chief of station" in Hong Kong, Montevideo
and Mexico City; "Espionage and counter-espionage
was mostly what we did."
However, "The CIA, as faz as I know, has never
assassinated anybody," Horton said.
"But there were a lot of assassination plans that
did not originate with the CIA. They originated with
John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and so on down the
line," Horton said.
"They were more than contingency (plans)," he
said. Vazious political leaders "wanted peopple
killed, like Castro, Lumumba" -the latter refer-
ence being to the late Patrice Lumumba, a Conga
lese waz leader of the eazly 1960s.
But such plans are a minor part of the CIA's
duties, Horton noted. "The greatest number, by far"
of CIA employees work in Washington and are con-
cerned with the agency's other three roles:
/Intelligence-gathering, whether from spies,
conversations, satellite photos, communications
monitoring or reading other nations' newspapers
and technical journals.
Intelligence analysis, or evaluating the infor-
mation.
/ Producing national Intelligence estimates that
synthesize information on particular countries to
judge capabilities and intentions of interest to U.S.
policy.
The CIA gets the most press, Horton noted, but
the largest American intelligence operation is the
National Security Agency, which specializes in
codes and electronic intelligence-gathering. The De-
fense Department, the armed forces, the FBI and
even the Commerce and Treasury Departments also
have intelligence sections.
Whether .the United States should indulge in
covert or paramilitary operations may simply reflect
the political tastes of a particular administration,
Horton said.
But all- modern American administrations have
supported basic espionage and counter-espionage
efforts.
"If we had open societies around the world,"
Horton said, "there probably wouldn't be any need
for espionage, for secrecy.
In the meantime, he added, the only way to deter-
mine whether countries like the Soviet Union are
abiding by arms control treaties, for example, is to
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PORTLAND PRESS HERALD (ME)
7 September 1981+
~Zealotry'called CIAcri mp
By CLARK T. IRWIN JR.
Staff Writer
American policy in Central
j America is being decided in an
atmosphere where White House
"zealotry" and "very strong ide-
ological .clamps" prevent full
discussion of options, a former
Central Intelligence Agency offi-
cersaid Thursday in Portland.
In his first interview since re-
signing as Latin American spe-
cialist on the National
Intelligence Council in May, ~'
John R. Horton told the Press
Herald that "Where . there's a .
strong political feeling in the ad-
ministration, there's pressure to
skew intelligence estimates."
Horton was interviewed at the
home of his son, lawyer Mark
Horton, before a talk for the
World Affairs Council of Maine.
Despite his resignation,
Horton said he has no policy
fight with the current adminis-
tration. ,
"I think our broad policy in .
Central America is completely
correct," he said, describing that
policy as supporting a restora-
tion of democracy and civilian .
government in El Salvador, re-
sisting rebels supported by Nic-
aragua and Cuba and "opposing .
the attempt of the Sandinistas
(the Nicaraguan revolutionary
junta) to close their society up
completely."
i=fis objection. he exrla~~~~; is
to po7ittca7 oressures~or ~irite7l%
Bence. officers to massage their
"national intehigence eshmatea"
tts conform'to political goals and
the "inferior quality ~f dis?.
cussi~n5'' resulting from ~ "the
souelchina of some ~poiiifs of
the National Intelligence Coun-
cil. The council's members rep-
resent the CIA, the State
Department, the Defense Intelli?
gence Agency and the armed
forces.
As chairman of the -team
doing Latin American estimates,
Horton gave Casey an estimate
on the political, economic, mili-
tary and diplomatic strength and
capabilities of a major Latin
American country important to
U.S. policy concerns.
But the CIA director "wanted
the estimate to come out a cer-
tain way" to strengthen the case
for administration policy,
Horton said, "anti kept constant
pressure on me to redo. it."
"I refused to do it, so he finally had the thing re?
written over my dead body, so to speak," at which
point Horton resigned.
That experience, he added, is not typical ~of the
estimating process, which he believes is producing
more and better readings than during the Carter ad-
ministration.
The more general concern, he said, is that incom-
plete-discussion of options for carrying out policy
could lead to decisions that will eventually harm the
country's intelligence services.
For example, he said, "It's no secret" that Cuba
and Nicaragua are supplying arms, communications
assistance and espionage data to the leftist rebels in
El Salvador.
Since "Interdiction (military attempts to cut sup-
port~ hasn't worked and can't work," and since no
one is seriously proposing to remove the Sandinista
regime in Nicaragua; forcibly, .Horton argued, it
might be prudent to discuss offering Nicaragua a
deal of reduced pressure if they stop supporting the
Salvadoran revolutionaries.
But Casey's final vote at National Foreign Intelli-
gence Board meetings -this being ~a group which
reviews the` National Intelligence Council's .esti-
mates -and "constant crunchin back d f "
~~ew.
CIA Director William Casey
called Horton out of eight years
of retirement last year to help
prepare intelligence appraisals
of.Latig. American countries for
between the administration and "g an orth
at the State Department tends to suagmatic people"
cussion, Horton said. PPress such dis-
On, the administration side, he said, there is a
group of "very bright people" including U.N. Am-
bassador-Jean Kirkpatrick, Casey and Undersecre-
~, Lary of Defense Fred Ikle, "who are either against
f any type of compromise with the Sandinistas, or if
not against it, suspicious that State can't handle it.
Horton said, "this feel ng n the admiriistprat~aon that
'State's soft.' "
Aside from the risk of the country's being given
flawed policy decisions because of unexamined op-
tions, Horton said, there's the "institutional risk"
that the CIA will be left holding the bap.
"At .some point," he continued, 'Reagan and
Casey are going to be in some other world or retired .
from public life. If any cans get hung around any-
one's neck for Central America, it won t be Reagan's
~ or Casey's -It's going to be the CIA's."
That could. lead to a repeat of the post-Watergate,
post-Vietnam backlash against the agency and aggain
impair the country's abili~ to supply its decision-
., makers :with the hest inte ligence information and
analysis possible, Horton fears.
A registered Democrat, Horton also said, "I want
to be fair about this thing.... It's not just this ad-
ministration."
When the Sandinistas seized power in Nicaragua
in 1979, he said, President Carter's National Secuti-
Cori~imted
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ty Council decided to seek continued economic aid
and amiable relations in hopes that the Sandinistas
might be kept out of a "marriage" with Cuba and the
Soviet Union.
"It was worth trying," Horton said, but the CIA
was even then reporting the Sandinistas were seek-
ing "very close ties" with the Soviet bloc aid and
displaying pronounced Marxist tendencies.
The Sandinistas, he said, "are probably not .all
Marxist-Leninists, but they're certainly putting a
Leninist form of government in Nicaragua as fast as
they can."
However, .'"The people in the NSC during the
Carter time did not want this reported" in the CIA's
National Intelligence Daily lest it outrage Congress,
which was still voting aid to Nicaragua.
The CIA refused to suppress its findings, be said, ,
but agreed to a compromise that restricted publica-
tion to a more limited-circulation typewritten
report.
Horton also said hls quarrel wlth Casey and other
administration officials is not simply that they resist
discussion of unpalatable "soft" or "pragmatic" op-
tions toward Nicaragua. The intelligence services
and ?national decision-making would be just as
poorly served by an administration that refused to
consider "tough" options, he said.
However,. he also praised Casey for rebuilding the
CIA after budget, function and personnel cuts
during the Carte; administration. .
Many of America's problems in Latin Central
America,. he argued, result from a diminished pres.
ence of Intelligence officers, diplomatic personnel,
military attaches and U.S. Information Agency ogi-
cers.
During the tenure of Carter administration. CIA
chief Stansfield Turner, "our (CIA) station in San
Salvador was closed down completely, for economy
reasons," Horton said.
Such non-partisan criticism, he cheerfully ad- ;
miffed, reflects "my own institutional bias. As an in-
telli~ence .officer, I don't .work for an
admininstration, Iwork for the government."
Horton also cheerfully said his resignation re-
quired "no sacrifice," he is "no martyr," since he
merely resumed life as a retired CIA official. Aside
fmm admiring his grandchildren, his only current
-duty is harvesting the crop of red grapes at his
Maryland home.
In his CIA career, however, Norton's duties in-
cluded recruiting spies from the ranks-of disaffected
Soviets and East Germans, running CIA missions in j
Mexico City and Montevideo, Uruguay, and rising to
the post of deputy chief of the Latin American Divi-
sion at the CIA's Langley, Va., headquarters.
Hid work has earned him the Distinguished Intel-
ligence Medal.
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