THE CIA SPEAKS UP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R001200700001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 9, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 16, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2001/03/04 :CIA-RDP80-
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STATI NTL
It's the unhappy lot of the nation's
Central Intelligence Agency that it can
net?er do anyihing right-publicly, that
+is.
For it? its assigned task of operating
=a tti~orl&;~:ic?e int?lliaence system, the
CIA takes no c??edit for its triumphs and
makes no apologies for its fail;?res.
Before the CIA was created to coor-
dinate the Federal Government's intel-
ligence output in 19'7, tl?e several mili-
tary services and the. State Department
pretty much went their o;vn ~. ay in
studying and analyzing activities of for-
e eign governments for activities that
might be hostile to the t'nited States.
llIany students of history arc con-
~~inced that if there had been a CIA at
work in December, 2911, the surprise
~3apanese attack on Peari Harbor ;;rould
hay?e been predicted or at least ;earn-
ings sufficiently distributed to insure
less surprise and better American de-
fense.
_ The fact that there have been no
Pearl Harbors since does not lessen the
viciousness of the attacks continually
mounted against the CIA whenever a
miscue in its e~tei?sive clandestine op-
:erationscomes to light.
No;v comes disturbing evidence that
President Ninon is personally con-
cerned that these unprincipled as-
saults on our intellibonr_e operation can
actually ei?danger the nation's secui7ty.
Fie directly approved an appearance
jVednesday of CIA director Ric`?ard .
Helms before a ZYashington convention
of the American Society of iti'e;:~spapar
Editors.
In hip first public appearance since
becomi:ig CiA head in 1SS6, fielms vig-
orously d~-fended his agency's ~opera-
t'ons as bpi. o necessary to the survival
of o~.~r d~n~:~cratic society.
lIe as'.;ed the nation to "take it on
i;:it?7 that n?e are honorable men devot-
fa her service." On the record alone,
':::~~ is ro valid reason why this plea
c :!r.at be 1-~o:~ored.
'l~ne CI:1 does not, of course, operate
in total ajatonomy. There aye co:,gres- ;
SIo*t~:1 r.atcl?~:og committees, a?:d every
president since Harry Tn:?7i:.,n has
kept cIc?satabs on ager.-~y activities.
i?Iista~.~s no doubt lave teen occa-
signally mr:pie, for s,~yin;; i; a dirty
business t~!at a?o:r; no r-a'as, but most
of the attacks c.. `.~:~ ?Llf~`ure specious
and unwarrante::..'s ..i;n time Helms
spoke up. ,~ ..r '
Approved For Release 2001/03/04 :CIA-RDP80-016018001200700001-4
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Approved For Release 2001/03/04 :CIA-RDP80-016018001200700001-4