INQUIRY TOPIC THE CIA AGENCY DOESN'T LIE, JUST KEEPS SECRETS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000500070010-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: June 30, 1983
• Content Type: NSPR

STATINTL
Approved For Release 2001/03/06 :U9JA- 91-00901
30 June 1983
~., `.,n w P P E A lED
INQUIRY
TOPIC: THE CIA I
William Colby, 63,
who was director of the
CIA from 1973 to 1976, is
the author of Honorable
Men - My Life in the
CIA. He practices inter-
national law and has
joined the public debate
on nuclear arms as an
advocate of a freeze on
nuclear weapons. Called
the CIA's -"soldier
priest," Colby was inter-
viewed by USA TO-
DAY's Barbara Rey-
USA TODAY: Is it a policy
of the CIA to lie to the Ameri-
can public as a recent con-
gressional committee Im-
piied? .
COLBY: No. The CIA does
protect some secrets that it is
required to protect, but beyond
that it does not actively lie to
the people.
USA TODAY: What types of
things should be kept from
the public?
COLBY: We are sworn to
protect our sources. A law was
passed about a year or so ago
that said that anyone who con-
sciously goes out to reveal our
sources can be punished. I
think that was a very good law.
USA TODAY: When are co-
vert operations against other
countries warranted?
COLBY: If there is a country
that is important to our country
engaged in a conflict between
a brutal dictator whom we
don't like and a ruthless terror-
ist who doesn't like us, there is
a course of action other than
choosing between those two.
That is secretly helping some
decent, moderate leadership to
arise in the country, an alterna-
tive to those extremes. Now,
that is exactly what we did in
the Philippines in the 1950s.
times when the overthrow of
a government is advisable?
COLBY: I pretty well object-
ed to that in most of the cases
that I recall being involved in. I
objected to the overthrow of
President Ngo Dinh Diem in
Vietnam The value of covert
political action is when you are
building strength, not when you
are trying to attack somebody
else.
USA TODAY: Are there
other instances of the CIA's
deciding to overthrow a gov-
ernment?
COLBY: One time the presi-
dent of the United States told
the director of the CIA to do
anything he could to make sure
that Mr. Salvador Allende was
not ratified as president of
Chile in 1970. For six weeks the
CIA did what it could to accom-
plish that and then stopped its
program and had nothing to do
with the coup three years later,
which did overthrow Mr. Allen-
de
USA TODAY: Didn't con-
gressional investigations
show that the CIA was direct-
ly involved in that overthrow?
COLBY: It was involved in
an attempt in 1970, which In-.
_voived a bungled kidnapping.
(of Gen. Rene Schneider, com-
Agency
jus. keeps secrets
army). There was a lot of other
activity in 1970, which was
stopped a very few months
thereafter. It didn't go on for
very long, and the subsequent
coup was conducted by the
Chilean military without the
CIA involvement.
USA TODAY. Congress has
reported that the CIA helped
plot the assassination of Bel-
gian Congo leader Patrice Lu-
mumba and conspired with
the Mafia In an attempt to kill
Fidel Castro. How large a role
do assassinations play in CIA
activities?
COLBY: None. Under presi-
dential directive, the CIA is
specifically directed not to en-
gage In assassination activities.
The Senate committee that in-
vestigated the CIA in 1975 for a
full year looked into every cor-
ner of the CIA's activity. It con-
cluded that no foreign leader
had been assassinated by the
CIA. That was not for lack of
trying in Mr. Castro's case.
They Included a contact with
the Mafia. It was stupid. The
action of Mr. Lumumba's
death came entirely without
any CIA connection. This was
stopped by the opposition of a
CIA officer before the action
ever got out of CIA channels.
USA TODAY: What about
recent reports that President
Reagan wanted to overthrow
the government of Surinam
and our involvement in coup
attempts in Ghana?
COLBY: I don't know any-
thing about that. Charges occur
all the time, partly because of
the hysteria with which the
subject was discussed here in.
America in 1975.
USA TODAY: It It neces-
sary to hide CIA operations In
the congressional budget?
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