C.I.A. CHIEF SAYS COVERT ACTIVITIES AREN'T VITAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000200010015-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 22, 2004
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: September 14, 1974
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2pg4i9flFOll lA-RDP88-O1315ROOO' O6Oh o 9 lb y1 UJ,`
By SEY90UR M. lIERSII!
StxctAl to Th? New York Trmen
WASHINGTON., 'Sept. 13-
William? E. Dolby, N rector of
Central Intelligence, said today
that there would be no "major
impact''-' on the nakion's's$curlty
if the. United, States, ceased all
cloak- and- dagger ,operations
against foreign countries.
"The current-;.$tatva of the
world is sucti that we do not
appeac'to be threatened at this
time, ' ;Mr. L Colby *told - a :con-
ference on:the,Ceptral' Intelli-
gence Agency. and . covert
activity. "The Capitol will still
stand ': whetljer anyj particular
action' does nr' does not take
place ri.; s,.. :.
,'The 'C I.A. -director spent
mara.~ than ::three: hours making
a .speech and answering -often
hostile questonsfrom the panel-
ists and audience at the two-
day conference,. sponsored by
.the newly formed Center for
National Security Studies.
ARainst? Curtal.lment
{e :nad .it clear, both,in his
prepared address, and during
the question-and-answer ses-
sion, that he did not wish to
, P - NS ,), -) etyn clu`
Ellsberg's'psychlaCris t. - t
Earlier, in response to a ques-1
Lion from Dr. Ialsber,n, ?4r.?Co!-t
by had ackngwledged that the;
C.I.A. may have had advance
information about the' impend-
ing coup 'd'etat' in Chile' that
was rwt forwarded to the At-
i-ande Government - - -
Mr.' Colby, who had agreed
to attend the two-day confer-!
ence before the' press dis-,
closures of the covert activities
in Chile, pointedly noted in his
prepared remarks that such .ac-
tivities were conducted "onlyi
when specifically authorized by;
the National Security Council.."i
"Thus," he added, "C.I.A. co-
vert actions reflect --national
policy."
A number. of.. high officials
have told The New York Times
this. week ? that much of ?. the .
impetus --for the . clandestine,
policy against the Allende Gov-I
ernmerrt was supplied by Sec-1
reta-ry of State Kissinger; who
was serving as former Presi-i
dent Nivon's nationaly. security;
adviser in 1970. i
- Arguing today in favor of
covert actions, Mr. Colby said':
that. 'a sovereign nation must'
look ahead to changing circum-
stances.
orations curtailed. Those op the Crowded Senate.;hearine " "'harpcat arpest esi "ro o " the
erations, officially, known as room, "but by audience lections in 1976." aue scame during a'f series
e
covert actions, have been the
Alkhough,:he, had, announced of questiors a6out his a series
partlci a.-i
. focus of dispute this-week is that he would not discuss any Congress because of the- dis- tion l the his ir pacification
rspecific details 'concerning the program and d his direct t role with
with
r?losude that the C.I.A. was au- C.I.A.'s clandestine involvement Operation Phoenix, 'a C.LA.-
tiu rized to-spend more than in Chile, Mr. Colby all but spe- involved program. designed '.'to
$8-million from .1970 to. 1973 cifically confirmed that the root out the Vietcong infra-
in an effort to make it difficult agency, had been heavily ?.in, structure" that has been widely
for President Salvador Allende volved. criticized. It has been charged
Gossens of Chile to govern. Insisting that Congress had that the program resulted in the
More than $7-million of the been kept informed about the deaths of. more than 20,000
authorized funds was spent. clandestine activities there, Mr. Vietnamese..
"I think it would be m.istakdn Colby declared, "I can't sal Haw v to derive our nation of the y many did r you ~ kill?"
p that every dollar the -C.I.A. one youth shouted from the aiq-
possibility of some moderate spent In Chile was individually dience.
covert action response to a laporoved (by intelligence car.,- "I didn't kill any," Mr. Colby
-F- Jul
mattc protest and sending ink He took note or a letter, pub- At one point, panelist Daniel
the Marines," Mr. Colby suid:!lished last week. describing the Ellsberg, who has said he was
in his prepared address. - r -agency's activities in Chile be- responsible for turning over the
Pectagon Papers to the press
1973 that had
Mr. Colby's statements r ac- man or, various , members of
knowledging that clandestine those committees."
operations were not vital to Ilis account of the congres-
the nation's Security did:,not sional overview was challenged
seem to indicate any Impending by,ivir..Ilarrington and another
change in the Ford Adiriinistra- member of, Congress attending
tion's approach to such: activi- the conference,' Senator' James
Aboure
ties. The C.I.A. director-was ap- Dakota.zk, Democrat of South
gues
parently giving a candid assess- prDakota. Ietp ? Abourezk
the C.I.A. was
s
ment of the value- of .such ac- providing -t briefings
ding up-to-date tivities-as. viewed by him ta- ab(?ut:.current clandestine. op-
day. erations to j he Congress; Mr.
When a panelist; Richard; J. Harrington urged . a : broader,
Barnet, author and former Ken-
and more grltical, Congressional
nedy Administration aide, asked overview of C.I.A. activities.:
whether he could envision any In an obvious rebuke to those
national security threats that who advocated more C.I.A.
would justify covert activity in disclosure.,;-ta Congressional
Latin America, Asia or Africa, committees,. Mr. Colby cbm?
Mr. Colby said, I There are pialnea "*,het what , he aermed
some,' yes," "the: leak'.'' abort:' the Chilgan
"By security of 'the'! United involvement; l'ralses, ,the-: dilem-
States,' -he repeated, -"I.do not nia.,'of ;. ho~,y ?we're? going'; to
mean that the Capitol will fall supply the ,Congress with such
by night. There are certain delicate information without' its
things that today. are not' an disclosure.":;";
immediate danger to the United !'This Is?.a";matter,-'course,
States:, but -.could become so-" for. the ;;Congress to ; decide,"
Discussing Chile, -MrriCpiby he added
again' denied that'the C.I.A. ; Thmi gnut hislong apoear-
plyed any direct role ,", .the ante today,:Mr; Colby expressed
t
id
en
overthrow of the late Pres
little emotion;. and:'remained
Allende ' W9_did look forward calm, even.' when confronted
Later, in response to a ques- tween 1994 and
thy
I tion Mr Colby declared 4that been written earlier this year in 1a971,ry of delivered A.'as involve-
''these clays, "in view of the
world situation and our poli-
cies, we're not spending much
!effort" on cladestine activities.
"We're keeping our powder
' and musket dry," he said.
ment in Watergate, provoking
rhusetts. "At various times dui''
said , w informa-
ing that period," Mr. Colby that provided no ne
"the major steps were broughtItiorl about the known Involve-
to the attention of the chair-;merit of the agency in the
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Approved For Release 2004/11/01: CIA-RDP88-01315ROO0200010015-9