CIA DIRECTOR SAYS FILES REVEAL NOTHING ON RIHA WHEREABOUTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100120089-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2007
• Sequence Number: 89
• Publication Date: October 13, 1977
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/08/20: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100120089-4
STAT
ROCKY 1'IOUI TAIN NEWS
13 October 1977
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ByCLAIRECOOPER -
Nrwi Staff
Nothing in the files of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
reveals whether missing University of Colorado Prof. Thomas.
Riha is alive or dead, CIA Director Stansfield Turner has. told a
federal judge.
Turner made the statement in a letter to Denver U.S. Dist: -
Judge Richard P.-Matsch this week after the judge asked Turner
to review CIA files that have been withheld from Riha's estate.
Attorney Martin Buckley, representing Riha's nephew; had com-..
piained the CIA was withholding some documents-on-Riha apd ,
deletingmaterial from other documents.
The Turner letter'says the CIA has disclosed all it, can about
the case without endangering conf idential sources of information.
1 am`not? i:;sensitive,to ?the' piainfiff'sdesire toYdetermine
whether his uncle is alive or dead,'; Turpetiwcbte tsi 1L~tc~~tI
"However, in my opirion,.the.most that can be said-about-the
information contained in agency documents is that it is inconciu-,
sive."
But Buckley said Wednesday that he has new reasons to doubt
the CIA is revealing all it- can about Riha's disappearance and,
whereabouts.
He. said he got a memo this week from military intelligence
that Riha was sighted by an unidentified person in Canada in 1971,
two years after he vanished from the Boulder camptus. The CIA
never has reported the alleged Canadian sighting. Buckley said.
He said he'll give further thought to that fact and 'Turner's
letter before deciding whether to ask for additional court interven
Lion.
Turner said he had reviewed nine documents and other
. materials that had.been withheld completely or in part. He said
;,two concerned a.reported sightjnpof Riha in his,native.CzechosloZ.,
vakta in1973'Their aisclosure.cquld je d toideintifwation,of,thq
.L?dMiaiaa2~S0U C l0 f inXo trf~t~oic- ;1tj fight be-ptitti} flange
Turnersaid.n~,:..;....n?.......?.~qr,.^,:~+.~ y ??..y. ur
lie said "The CIA took no investigative action on the reported F
sighting." The information was "third-hand." according to
? Turner, and "the actual identity or reliability of the original
source of the information is not known to this agency."
Turner said material deleted 'from other documents would re-
veal secret information about CIA organization and personnel.
One document contains "unsubstantiated derogatory information
on individuals not known to be connected with the disappear-
:ance, ' and that information isn't pertinent to the case, he said.
Two other: documents, which were withheld entirely,. are
cables which, according to Turner, contain speculative infornla-
tion that wouldn't shed light on Riha's disappearance or where-
............................................ ~', t
Ira /i1..VA iF.1; id !Tdirii4iiff-m that the agency has been as
forth- coming as possible in, releasing information to the plaintiff."
Approved For Release 2007/08/20: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100120089-4