AN ABSURD WAY TO SPEND MONEY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400070071-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 27, 2004
• Sequence Number: 71
• Publication Date: March 19, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

WASHINGTON STAR (GREEN LINE)
Approved For Release 2010%/liW 6NRDPN-01315R000400070141
e
(1r1 T. Rowan
c_c
'higkiiiikrosetV,?
An absurd way to spend monye
During 15 years in this
deviously wicked city I've.
seen a lot of "leaks" -- and
some screwball reactions to:
those leaks. But never have
I seen anything as absurd
as the House of Representa-
tives blowing S350,000 of
taxpayers' money to try to
find the source of a leak.
I remember Lyndon B.
Johnson's peculiar obses-
sion with leaks.
"You're just a bunch of
goddamned puppy dogs,
running from one fire hy-
drant to the next," he told a
startled group of State De-
partment officials in 1961.
Johnson figured he didn't
need to hire a bunch of
gumshoes to find the source
of a leak. When the New
York Herald Tribune re-
ported that he soon would
tour Southeast Asia at
President Kennedy's re-
quest, Johnson snarled
angrily: "That goddamn
Chester Bowles leaked it. I
know it. Now you just watch
the Herald Trib for a while
and you're going to see .a
big puff piece on Bowles.
They'll pay. him for that
leak." ? '-
So Johnson watched the
Herald Trib, waiting for the
first praise of Bowles,'
which he would accept as
incontrovertible proof of the
source of the leak.
. ,
We could save the coun-
try S350,000 if CBS would
just let. Daniel Schorr go
back to work so we could
wait for him to do a puff
piece on some House mem-
ber, thus "identifying" that
Congressman as the source
of the leak that supposedly
has everyone upset. ?
I say "supposedly" be-
cause if I've learned any-
thing in this town it is that
everybody screaming about
leaks isn't against them.
Johnson pitched a (an-
trum in Saigon in 1961. "Am
I wearing glass pants?" he
demanded. "Well, how the
hell can that Spence Davis
(of AP) write that I've got
550 million in my pocket for
President Diem?"
Pat Oliphant, whose
cartoon usually appears OR
this page, is on vacation.
His cartoon will resume
. Tuesday.
About an hour later I
stumbled upon a cluster of
U.S. newsmen in a frantic
.huddle on a Saigon side-
walk. I peeked inside and
? there was Lyndon Johnson,
reading to them from a "top
secret" cable that he had
just received from Kenne-
Johnson was doing what
Kennedy, Richard Nixon,
Henry Kissinger and 1,000
other top officials here have
done. He was engaged in a
self-serving leak. Someone
comes along, like Edward
R. F. Sheehan, whom Kis-
singer believes is going to
glorify him and his Middle
East diplomacy, and sud-
denly that writer has access
to bundles of top secret
documents. A Walt Rostow
wants to convince the pub-
lic that the Tet offensive in
Vietnam"Was a debacle for
the Communists, so he leaks.
like a sieve "secret" data
he thinks will sell this no-
tion.
I remember how gum-
shoes .once stumbled all
over the State Department
trying to find out who
leaked to Peter Lisagor and
the late Marguerite Higgins
the content of a Conversa-
tion between President
Kennedy and Soviet For-
eign Minister Andrei
Gromyko. I had leaked it
on private and specific in-
structions from President
Kennedy.
Now, what's so different
about the leak to Schorr of
the Pike Committee report?
In terms of the damage
done to the nation, absolute-
ly no difference that I can
discover. ? .
? ? ?
There is an element of
embarrassment to the
House, whose .members
apparently take seriously
criticism that they are "a
bunch of flap-jaws" who
don't deserve access to se-
cret information.
But I rather suspect the
special problem here is that
Schorr leaked his leak to
1-sc
the Village Voice, an anti-
establishment newspaper. '
This has provoked a here-
tofore do-nothing Ethics
Committee to prove it3 pa-
triotism by blowing 350,000
bucks in search of a leaker.
When will they face the
reality that leaks are as
American as baseball, baby
showers and bribes? The
day, we go to an absolute
dictatorship will be the day
we stop leaks.
Correction:I wrote a col-
umn ("Rip Van Winkle
guards the CIA dirty trick-
sters," Feb. 25) in which I
stated that Leo Cherne had
been chairman of an inter-
national group to aid refu--
gees that "indirectly got
some of its money from the
CIA." This report was
based on a statement by
Frank Weil, president of the
Norman Foundation, which
was a conduit for CIA
funds, that in the mid-1960s
he had been asked to pass
along about S15,000 in CIA
funds to the International
Rescue Committee. -
_ Weil has said he had
erred in saying that the
Norman Foundation passed
CIA money to the IRC. He
said the CIA money went to
four other groups and that
it was the Norman Founda-
tion's own money that it
gave to the IRC. I regret
having given Wail's error
wider circulation and am
happy to correct the record.
Fierh\J k
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400070071-6
'
Approved For Release 2065761W:CCUL15P88-01315R00040-0070671 b 61?j_i Al
oe 77
21 FEBRUARY 1916
14..)1" (icat,-0-
(?_.) 1,--9 1I-6,,:eli
. . e s? c-ct e. -----Ct.Z_
?Cherkiejlniti.Not-'17ipd- to CJ.A. Fund
?
By JOHN M. CREWDSON
Special to The N,at York Times
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20?
Frank Weil, president of the
Manhattan-based . Norman
Foundation, said today that he
erred in his assertion yesterday
that 'the Central Intelligence
Agency had passed about $15,-
000 through his organization
ito the International Rescue
rCommittee in the mid-1960's.
(Mr. Well said in a telephone
linterview that on checking the
'20unclation's records, he - had
' 5 diacovered that none of the
.S27,000 it gave to the I.R.C.
;from 1961 to 1965 had been
r..pec.vicled by the intelligence
im.gency. ?
f" Ho said that :the $50,000 in
,C.I.A. funds passed through the
foundation in that period had
gone instead to four other orga-
nizations- ?the American So-
ciety of African Culture, the
, African-American Institute, the
an American Foundation an
the In terrtationab Development
Foundation.: ? .
Leo Cherne, one of President
Ford's three appointees to a
new intelligence 'oversight
board siLst up to check for pos-
sible abuses of authority by
the C.I.A. and other intelligence
agencies, is board chairman of
the tor.'
Mr. Cherne,....,a -.professional
_ said-. the
work involves assistance to
political refugees round the
world. The I.R.C. project funded
by the Norman Foundation was
a- medical-service 'unit set upRoard, created by President
in the Belgian Congo to aid Eisenhower in 1956, is a group
Angolan refugees and others, of private citizens responsible
Mr. Well said today that he for reviewing the functions , of
"misrecalled" himself yester- the Federal intelligence corn
day in recollecting that "a mys- munity and reporting to the
terious gentleman" from the President on the conduct of
C.I.A. had approached him in those agencies.
1963 or 1964 with a specific The United States Intelligence
request to pass agency money Board was a high-level coordi-
to the Congo medical project. mating group within the intel-
' He said he had also erred ligence _community., presided
in recalling that the foundation over by the director of Central
had agreed to serve as a pass- Intelligence; In the -past it met
through for the funds only after as often as each- ,Week to co-
deciding that the I.R.C. project ordinate intelligence data avail-
would have been worthy of able from all members of the
a contribution from its own community.
--a related development
Freedom House, an organiza-
tion with which Mr. Cherne
he said in the interview, `-1 has also been closely associated
made a mistake. I was,-I.vrong." for many years, asked George
Although he soke to Mr. Bush, director of Central Intel-
Cherne. last night and again ligence, whether the C.I.A. had
this. morning, he said, Mr. ever given it funds "directly
Cherne "did not ask me to or- through any other- entity."
do anything" with respect to
setting the record straight. Ile
is amending his earlier state-
ments because "harm has been
done," he emphasized. ceivecl $3,500 from the 1 M.
Mr. cherne was appointed Kaplan Fund between 1962 and
In 1973 to sit on the President's 1964.
Foreign -Intelligence Advisory The Times article quoted exe-
Board, which The New York calves of the Kapran Fund
Times reported- erroneously to- as -having said that while they
day.was abolished- by Mr. Ford had. passed C.I.A. money to
this was the.. United the now-defunct Institute ? for
States Intelligence Board that International Labor Research,
was abolished by executive or- all the funds paid by- them
lder on Wednesday. to Freedom House or to the
. The President's Intelligence I.R.C. had been their own. -
endowment.
Was Wrong'
."Let me make it very clear,"
The request was in' a letter
sent to. Mr. Bush that men-
tioned a report, also in today's
Times, that Freedom House, re-
ce to
-
6 1 F- e e-Ap44,
CGA (11, 1, 14t1
kis-f-i fore
Approved For Release 2005/01/12: CIA-RDP88-01315R000400070071-6
-
Approved For Relit44_41p051001;KcipivRogo315R00040007007_14)
I. co_
?
rotio CO. 0).7 C.I.A. ,TH_Joard Nominee
o
.7 1 . r-i , .1. 0 ji c4 it fir,
- i Tne Norman YU:Ind.-neon, for-? its sources of financing to make, Mr,oeht:rno is chairman or'
'.**i"5''''''''''' -F,, Li?ki (..) A- 7
..._ __. ?. ..._______ .
By JOHN )1. CREV:DSON rner1Y ,-----..0'-'?-n as th-a Aaron E. certain "i_it. the committee had Ir ii Moose's executive',
:Norman Fund, was among the .not tinv...Itin;d.;?ta%en any C.I.A. committee, and has been as so-
WASHINGTON. Fi..sb- 19 ? A :i.nstitutions irientified publicly nionev?%lr. Cherne repli'ed that ciatcd with the orgailization '
private humanittirian organiza- ill li as tho:3e- tliat bad that was the "siiiiest uuestion since 1945.
tion headed: bv Leo Cherne, one .served as "conduits" for C.I..-", I've ever lie,tird." ! An executive or ;he 'Kaplan
of pre"titcierA -Ford's appointreS ,..,..,.1._.,,,, 01 . a ninnlyr of do-. It would have been next to Fund said today, hov.-ever. that
_fin,: -?'-,
tO Et new committee that will .-1,41'.'t,'4..--4:',.''''.19-ln-z.lonss-prine-ipal-; imnossible, ,it' said. to cult the his foundation's co..eieration
investigate possitde abusies? of. .iy tne. ;itit,inal Student Asso-: co:;.tribation records of an or with the. intelii,e_nce agency
authority by the Central Intel-, icianC1. . ! ganization that raised in the hail been limited to tile uncler--
ligence Awncy, reportedly re-; ' .-11rose dkdosures proninted r.. i)( f f.?-'3 ;Milian eacliewritinit of a single program in
ceived some S15,000 of C.I.A.' ,Prosident Johnson to esttibliSh ',..!Etr to examine them for dona- the H1;30's, and that none oi.
funds? in the mid-toso,s thlt, .i.m. ,ii-xcEnigating committee. to?-tions that might have initiatecl.the S21,500 given ii-,v it to the;
Were channeled -. through, a. ,iVON: i.Eliti. ti1e. af,,ency's it 0" with?the C?1?A. hut reached the:rescue committe.e or the S3.500
New' York City phi!anth;:opic s:liPs with domestic grotins,i cotarnit:ca-"twei or three tintesigiven to l'reedoin House had;
organization. t (mat Mr.. Johnson siii):eutientlyi removed." , . ? ? -1b2en stipplied by the intelli-i
?orocred .all Fedora/ agi-mcies to ?7,1.a.?, Chorne,-who sounded dis-!e,e.ice 1.p.,eIicy. -- -
!------Frank.....-NVell;e-Pre.sident.:-.-ofi . ? -
halt tater .coi.,ert fientMg - I
: isuch organizatiOnS. - . Of. tressed at the disclosure. hi The Kaplan Fund, accordingl
the. Maiihattan-based Norman: .
Keeping Independence . Mr. SVeil, later spoke with GiPto tax. records cornpiled by 4
? ,/
Fotmciation, said in a teleplione.i
interview today that he was! ? Jones, whom be identified rtsGroup Research, an rirganiza--
? 't
approached by "a mysterious, Mr. Cherne, who dc.scriborl th.:-. I.R..C. fund-raise throughlion here that monitors tc.ej
gein:enai.n i.unt to C.I.A. in! ;the-committee as. on, 0( his- I.vr!--7.1 tne.1';urula,:t in.on.ray wiiis.activities of privre.e fotinda-1
4, --, " ?-?..-- i??-,
li b"-- ? id 1 ? ? ,rece:verl, and n!oortert that Mr. :tions, !_lave the I.R.c. S10,0001
Tc'.e-001 C v T 0 t td t?' 1-1 (.5-ency
.1.
1953 or 11(1-1 and asked to pass
about S15,01-i0 in Government
funds to the International
cue Committee, of whiell Mr.,
Clierne was then- chairman ofi
the board?-
-- Mn. Wel! recalled. that the
. funds had been earmarkcd for
a medical services projet in-
iwhat was then the EJge '
!Congo that was being stile3nit.: ti!
by the rescue committee. But.;
he said he was uncer,_ain!
whether Mr. Clicrne or anyone:
else there had..bcen told that
the money v.-as from the C.I.A.
and not front the foundation's
endowment. - .. .
- Mr. Cherne, reached at his
New York City office, said that
neither he "nor any official of
the I.R.C. had the slightest
knowledge that any of those
funds were C.I.A. funds."
He said that the committee,
which he has headed since
1951, had "never sought C.I.A;
funds" and would not have
"welcomed" them if they had
'been offered overtly.
On Previous Board
President Ford announced on
Tuesday ?thrit he was naming
Mr. Chortle to the newly estab-
lished intelligence , oversight
board, set up as part of Mr.
Ford's reforms. of intelligence
community operations to moni-
tor the C.I.A.' s - activities for
possible. Illegalities or impro-
. .._
oric.'iaes.-
? Mr. Cherne had previously
been a member of the Presi-
dent's Foreign Intelligence Ad-
visory Board, which Mr. Ford
abolished yesterday.. .
' '. ? ' -dI 110 '''' '''' 'June.: had not "the foggiest"'in 1903 for assistance to reful
diligently over the YeIrs "to'
O the indepe;vient sta- Lica thet the or Fotinde-igees fleeing Cz,-ancslovakial
.tfacui had not. been the initialiafter the Soviet invasion Iii it
tus" of the organ/ ition sly.. sre f mone
i,, I A f.',ust.
in gthat he believed that its iree o' the y. u
freedom from government Is : ..?''-- Cil`'rric' is an r':?nn:!nis'- I The coniniittee received an-
sociations was crucial to its or
f!nd. c.ieci.i.t,iSt-.e,!vsheir fS,1.0,,09,C;),.fri-,c,,e,%tiLioe 1,zti.ridoliiiii.
iivolk abroad. i dea...ctor or the hesearca Iii.,.t-i ..); el t.t543.44.:1_ . x._ .4.4.
,, of
tt ne of America, which pub-trait:gees (lisp:a:cu., by toe Pahl-
A5!' d whY' in the \Yak- - ''ll.?1-- ----sletter; ;nd advisci.-1.1staid ar, P.-id S1,000 i:1 la:1 10
:hEt 10,;7 disclostires, he .1-Kii. : ..--si Y`i:' f ?-Iii---,;esrimen. - laid r'fr,ii.e. in Sou'i- Vie-nem
iot asked the I.R.C. to recheck .1),:11nP-Let-s c- .1- s.. . ,
was vice chairrnan mi. Weil Is Disputed
,. . I972 of Democrats for Nixoul -Ir. weirs r,,...coli.?..tiort that
1 s been associatedwe-' 1- ?...
h , - ,,
ie .1.A. money gi Cu. to the
;Committee had beee used to
F.,,,.?) c..rganizations :s the Citi-
zeos' Committee f'. a r ? reeisunpart the Belai,in C'.,:lgo
Cuba, the Council Against Com--!IwAical orogram, v..i...ch offered
TrItiliSt . Ar!gression and thcins
t;erV;CC'S to ?Au-i-,--lan ro1.11-
Citizens' Committee. for Peace.,.,es and ot!lers ,, ,..?, ,,,,,,,,,,
witI Freedom in Vietc.am. ac--,,: dis,inted by ."\"nu-r"e?.?, `'if`4..
co:dim; to the records of Grouillina'n, '
also an officer of the
Research. 1N0rman Foundation.
?One of the foundations iden-1 Mr. Norman said he recalled
tiled in 11)77 Its h ,c1. avi" cn-ohat the agemey monc-v passed
operated with the C.I.A. in co-ithrough his fo-undatioit to the
w
vert financing efforts as theIR.c: had gone to sonort
3. M. Kaplan Fund, also --ro ;
:soine effort in Latin America.i
Nev.. York, and which over thethe details of which he said
years has contrileited not onlyili, couid not remember, andi
to the rescue group but alsoithat the amount involved had!
to Freedom House, an organi-tbE-en a "nnximum of $15,000."h
zation that monitors and re-:
i 7__
_ .
ports on the degree of freedom,
that exists in other countries
of the world. ..
I
() k - /19-1:::: :7 u
714.7A
e / :7/ 1::,1-e-:
f,-- j , Pt I, k 4-P(41-I
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000a0M0t71-1?
?
Cu