BOARD VOTES AGAINST CIA, FOR AID HELP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00475R000200160001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 18, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 28, 1967
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @50-Yr 2013/12/18: CIA-RDP73-00475R000200160001-8
28 August 1967 ?
A statement opposing acceptance of Se-.
cret funds but,endorsing use of public funds ?
;for overseas and domestic cooperative de-
ivelopment was adopted by the Co-op's Board.
of Directors at its meeting Monday, ;lune 12,
:at Geary Road. The vote was six in favor and :s
three opposed.
Submitted_ by Gerald Rubin of Marin ,
? -.?
; County, who first raised the question of CIA Fr
' involvement in contributions to the Coo- pera- * ;
tive League of the. USA via various conduit ? 1
? foundations, the statement proposed the fol-
lowing:
i ? That the Cooperative League, the Fund:
for International Cooperative Development, ?
1 and all other related agencies immediately
De discontinue any further assistance from CIA
i or other secret government sources, if they
have not done so already.
? That the League continue and extend
the present public agreements with federal
agencies to the extent necessary and possible
so as to continue its worthwhile work here
and overseas.
? -
? That the League, if necessary, seek -
'sponsorship of legislation to make further .1
public funds available for overseas and do-
mestic cooperative development. .
? That the League seek as a long term
goal the transfer of overseas cooperative de-
velopment work to the International Coop-
erative Alliance or other international agen-
cy, so that the international spirit of aid can.
? be more clearly expressed.
? That the League seek additional support
from private agencies and co-op members
!?everywhere, including our 41,000 members,
! to supplant the rejected secret funds.
? That Robert Neptune as our regional
- representative on the board of the Coopera-
tive League be asked to pursue vigorously ?
? adoption of the above policy.
? That this statement be sent to all board
members of the Cooperative League and be
'published in the Co-op NEWS.
? Directors who voted for the statement
I were Ed Barankin, Anne Dorst, 'Oliver Gil-
I bert, Marge Hayakawa, Carroll Melbin, and
Clinton White. Those who voted against it
! were Bob Arnold, Maudelle Shirek, and Bob
Treuhaft.
, In his preamble to the proposals Rubin:
said, "We- have every confidence in Jerry .
Voorhis and the leadership of the Fund for
? International Cooperative Development.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
They have declared that they did not know
that the primary source of the funds was
- CIA, although they were channeled through
, private foundations. Indeed._ it would be
highly unusual for any recipient of founda
lion funds to either have this informatio
or even to request information as ? to wh
the primary donors were.
"However, when secret government funds ..
are involved there can be very serious con-
sequences. There can be the -suspicion that ?!
there is an ulterior purpose, other than de-
veloping cooperatives: There can be suspi-
cion on the part of the recipient about wheth.:
er he is being aided or being used."
? In the debate on the motion to accept the
statement, Treuhaft, speaking in opposition,
said he approved the statement insofar as it
'Attacked secrecy, ? but he was opposed also.
to the use of government funds openly used,.
namely the funds made available to? the. .
League through contracts with the Agency
for International Development (AID). He ?
said that In using these funds the League was ?
"fronting" for the State Department, which
could' not get governments in the developing ?
nations to accept its largesse, but which
would accept it if it appeared to be "people
to people." He said the State Department.
wasn't interested in building co-ops in South
America or in Southeast Asia.
Arnold opposed the statement because he
felt the League should not work with any
government.
Alternate Dave Bortin supported the Ru-
bin proposals because he felt the League
should not be subveited through secrecy,
secret strings, or secret influence. But he felt
that international cooperative development
was a legitimate objective of cooperatives
and of governments: He said he was for
using the money of the wealthy nations to
foster cooperatives in developing nations.
"We should not begrudge the small portion
of our tax funds used for this purpose." He
said if Treuhaft could locate the source of
. AID funds any other government could be-
cause there was no secrecy involved.
Barankin, in supporting the motion, said,
? "In, this instance, the cooperatives are not
the agents of the government; the govern-
ment is the agent of the cooperatives. The
State Department or government isn't doing ?
this directly because they would get objec- .
tion from people back home who don't like
cooperative development, not objections
-from the other country."
A subsequent motion, made by Treuhaft
' and seconded by Arnold, to appoint a com-
mittee to investigate use by the League of
- State Department, AID and CIA funds was.
defeated for lack of a majority. Treuhaft,
Arnold, and Mrs. Shirek voted for it. Gilbert,
Barankin, and Mrs. Hayakawa voted against
' it. Mrs. Dorst, Melbin, and White abstained.
?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/18 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000200160001-8