DISCUSSES RESOLUTION ON CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R000900090021-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 28, 2013
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: April 9, 1956
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/29: CIA-RDP74-00297R000900090021-4
"-z----Mutual Broadcasting System
DISCUSSES RESOLUTION ON CIA
Fulton Lewis, Jr., at 7:00 P.M.
"The Senate went to work today on a resolution to set up a so-called
watchdog committee Of the House and Senate to check on the operations of the
. CENTRAL IWELLIGENCE AGENCY, otherwise known as the CIA, which has been under
increabing suspicion for some time"past. You probably don't know too much
about the CIA, which is the way the CIA prefers
"The origin of the agency was at the end of World Warn when it was
felt that there was a need for a combination of the various intelligence
operations which the government conducted during the war in order to keep the
government abreast of what was going on throughout the world. Supposedly this
was to consolidate all of the foreign intelligence functions of the various
branches of government and to bring them all under one unified head to serve
in the international field in the sane sort of fashion as the FBI serves in
the domestic field. The FBI does not function outside of the United States,
its territories and possessions, and there are those who contend that the CIA
doesn't function at all, and that's what this resolution and stir-up is all
about.
"Basically the CIA picture is completely incongruous with all traditional
operations of the United States government and, without making any accusations
on my awn responsibility--after all, I don't know bow you'd make any accusa-
tions because it's iMpcesible to getany information as to what goes on inside
of the Central Intelligence Agency--the fundamental operational pattern of the
organization, however, is dangerous in the extreme. It may be entirely all
right in its practical operations; it could, however, be one of the most
viciously graft- and sedition-ridden poison spots in the entire government
for all anybody could know about it or do about it.
"The present director is Mr. Allen Dulles, brother of the Secretary of
State, a personable enough individual as an individual. He is a Very tweedy
sort of an individual with a ragged walrus mustache, who affects eccentric-
shaped pipes and leans to extremely aromatic tobacco and never seems to be
able to keep his pipe lighted. He was in Switzerland on special intelligence
work during the war and this seems to be his chief basis of claim for this
job of CIA Director. He explains that he is remaining in Washington at con-
siderable personal sacrifice, which I'm sure is true, and when be came here
never had the slightest idea that he would remain so long.
"The key to the complaint about the CIA is not particularly what the
CIA has done, because nobody knows or is able to find out what it has done
or is doing. Some of the things one stumbles into as one goes bronzing
around in foreign countries on world travels, And the Y are surprising. For
example, it is common information that the CIA puts up a Major portion of
the financing -for the activities of so-called Radio Free Europe, which parades
as a private contribution enterprise and which I permitted to use sustaining
space advertising over the network as a public service on this program until
recently.
LDeclassified and Approved For Release @50-Yr 2013/10/29: CIA-RDP74-00297R000900090021-4
Declassified and Approved For Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/29: CIA-IRDP74-00297R000900090021-4
,
?
'It was reported tome from various authentic, European sources, however,
that Radio Free Europe broadcaets. beamed to Czechoslovakia were so sympathetic
to the Covirmniist Party line that Radio Prague recorded a number of the programs
from the airwaves from Radio Free Europe and later played thein back for their
bWri Communist propaganda purposes. One of the beet informed, most responsible
political Observers in Europe, in this country on a recent visit, told me that
he had been driving throughAustria 'just before he came "here,. Re tithed in a
broadcast in the Czech language, which he assumed all the way throw* from the
'tenor of it was from Radio Moscow, At the sign-off, however it turned out to
be Radio Free Europe.'
, "In the Far East,J found.the CIA Was reportedly involved in all sorts of
commercial operations, 'bitainesses and blinds, through which it supposedly was
conducting intelligence., operations and that it had a Very :heavy stake- in a
commercial airline flying between Formosa and Japan. AU of this May be
entirely all right; I have no way of :knowing ? But the point of it all and the
-
reason for this resolution that went underdebate today is that the organization,
with virtually unlimited funds at its disposal from the United States Treasury, .
is a complete law Unto .-itself
"It is not subject to any audits by the Comptroller general; no audit by
anybody of its books, its funds, or its 4penditures. It is not accountable
? to Congress for anything. Mr. Dulles reports directly and only to the Presi.?
? dent of the United States Who, .after i1 is' hardly able to conduct -his own
personal detailed check on what Mr:. Allen ,Dulles tells hit is gang on in CIA.
I don't mean to question for a single moment the personal integrity of Mr.
. Allen Dulles. or any of his aides, for that matter', but Mr. Allen Dulles did not
staff this organization- rather he inherited the organization. and its staffing -
from predecessors, including one general Waiter Bedell. Smith.l.
"And, With the untold hundreds of millions of dollars' which the *organiza-
tion has to--spend every year, the sponsors of this organization in Congress say,
or this resolution in Congress say, that it is an extreinely. unhealthy thing for
this operation to continue on a blank check basis with no information at all
by Congress or the public as to what's going on.
"What the resolution proposesto do is to have this watchdog committee
operate in much" the same .manner as., the existing Joint Atomic Energy Committee
?which keeps ,a watchful eye on the functioning of the. necessarily confidential
atomic" energy program, and to keep that eye on a strictly Confidential basis.
It would not control the operations of the CIA; it would not even. interfere
.with the CIA program, but at least,, the congress would know what is going on,
or an agency of the Congress would, and whether the agency ia'funationing
effectively, which' is more than anybody? knows at thepresent time.',Even the
personnel lists of the CIA. are strictly confidential and Congressis unable to
get any information about who is employed, or how many people areimPloyed or why
, $
and what their jobs are."
Declassified and ApprovedFor Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/29: CIA-RDP74-00297R000900090021-4