SNEPP BROKE CONTRACT WITH CIA, JUDGE SAYS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100140019-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2007
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: June 22, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/06/20 :CIA-RDP99-004988000100140019-9
v
A ?ICLE AP?::AiL.D
C` ?aGc. A-2
TriE TH SiiZilGTOiI STAR (G2ESN LI'`rE)
22 June: 1973
Always Say L1/hat 1 Think'
By Brian bfarcizlsaa ,
? 5gaddtaP.feWnhiast,on5tar~.-:-_ _
"I always say what:I.~think." de
Glared L'.S. District Judge Oren R
Lewis during the trial o~ Frank W
~
words
,3,.d L~SViS :lined up- to' his
yesterday when he all.. but found
Snepp guilty of breading an agree-
neat with the CIA not . to. divulge
mormation-:obtained while- in- the
agency's employment ::'~ ~ ~ : :`~:. .
Since joining the- district court
bench in 1550, the 75 year-old-judge
has become noted for taking over
crops-examinations, rephrasing ques-
tions to ~.+-itzess2s and making no se-
cret of wLat he tui,Zks about a deiend-
ant or the merits of a case before
hardin~ down a decision. _ ..
~3i hen Lewis "retired"' frvm~ the
distrc*. bents and became a setuor
jud;e in 19'+3,.he said he would never
stop hearing cases. "I- was born to;
way I'lI leave here is horizontally,"?
he" said. "I'll be just as mean and-
LEWIS' BLUNT approach was is
full view yesterdaYa4 the?close~of the?
agent whose- book,, "Decent- Inter:
val," was published without prior ap--:
a stinging?acpuni of the CIA's tizaa=:
dung of the? evacuation, Lrcm _Saigoa.;
-
as a:
Lewis daracterized himself
"poor district judge" who has had to~-
"run schools-and penitentiaries,:and;
IIOw I'm goiIIg tD? have t0'rur! the;-'
CIA." He said it was time."to~deter-_
mine once and .far all",the- restric?-~~
tions the- government can Iegally,
place on intelligence officers._ _ - ;_ _ ~_ ~ :::.
would discuss his views at length for:;
earlier had "distorted''- Hiss conduct-
ofthetrial. .,, ..__ ,::.._:y
Lewis sai~?"the evidenca~~iii-~ tf~e
cast was undisputed" _-- that Snapp;
~,...
The real issue is the case, accord'
ing to Lewis, is whether CIA employ
ees can be '_`the sale judges of wha
they divulge." He~ sazd that. "if th
CIA is derived of controlling its em
pployees, it might as well go out of
business: '-' -~....~.;: ;.~ ..: _ .,~;.~:
Defending. his evidentiary rulings -
Lewis. said,. "i went five steps furthe
than I had to ;o to give the defendan
every opportunity to state everything
he wanted to state:" Defense. attor-~
.Heys . eaziier~ had ~ argued that there
were issues of fact that should go to of
-jury; but Lewis 'said that the case
only presented issues of law and that
no jury was necessary..: =: ~_; r.~
The judge indicated the only a
pect of his decision left to be deter
mined .was-. the~:~ government's
remedy. _ -. ? _ : .._.
'`That's what disturbs `cne; vihat
-the remedy might be,"' said they
judge.. "It might ?oe to'relieve him of
all his ill-gottten gains:" ~-
Snepp has said he has made about.
S50,000 from book sales and- the sale
of paperback rights so tar. -
T'HE. GaV~R,'YD~IENT. is. -asking
that Sneop be enjoined from divulg
ing .fur'ther information about? th
CIA and to- have his earnings fro
"Decent Interval" go to .the govern
m_ eat - -
The judge'~also said Sneppp's man-
ner~of ~ writings and.: pubiishing~ his
bcok "buttresses flue conclusion." .~_
_~.:. "He did it= surreptitiously, behind
people's back; in a public pazk," the
judge said,. citing Sneop's testimony
that he had met with jtandom House
agents-only in parks and restaurants
when discussing.the contract to write
the book. _ .~_ . ~..: ~: ~ ~> .:::.: ,:; ~s~;; ;
'~~ Accarding~ to Lewis,`~~Sneppp pub=
.fished his book. only-. for financial
~.
gain. He did it for' money. There's'
no question that he did.it for money.
He had an agent= := . and he didn't
:want anybody to know about it."
Sneop had no -patriotic motives,-
-said Lewis. "He?never? said he was
doing this a la the Pentagon Papers,_
to save the United States.' ~ ? ~ - - ? -
r Outside the courthouse; Snepp said'
Lewis' comment about financial mo-
STAT
'-' ~ Snepp also said that." it was abso- i
Iutely wrong to say I did it secretly. I
informed ouicials an the CIA about j
my book prior ;ao-~ leaving, ? the
agency." .. - :';...-_ ,- _:.._- -- 1
According. to Snepp, he met with
publishing agents -in obscure spots
because ' I didn't want the agency to
interferes with .publication." He said i
he feared the GL?1 might' "intrude I
illegally to stop publication: ' ,
]~'e stressed that he had exposed no '
classified information in his book.
' "I've merely criticized the CIA for
a botch," he said, referring?to its
handling of~tl'~e Sainon evacuation..
"I POINTED out agency errors in
Vietnam and. told ro secrets. I did
this in a resoonsibie -manner. Be-
cause I did L'iat; the agency is trying
to get everything I've earned from
writing the book.' ~ - f
When asked what the CIA- viould f
have dose if hs had submitted his `
book for pre-publication review,
Snepp said, "T'ae?agency would have ~
torn the book to shreds.". ~ - _. _ . ~
Snepp took exception taCIA Direr-1
tar Stansfield.: Turner.'s testimony
during the tr+.al that ppublication of
"Decent Interval" had hurt faith in
the CIA abroad.:; ~ -_ - _ .?~ `~ .... -.
..
"Turner doesn't kttout~~ what-`he's
`talking.. abou4"' Snepp : said._-'-"The
way to demoralize agents abroad is'.
to demoralize the ones at home, ands
Turner is doing that to a T." - - ='-?
_- Snepp called for: a,1 improvement
in. the internal "managerial policy"
of the- CIA, maintaining that if th?~
CIA properly handled;ihe grievancr-
and suggestions -of 'its employees,
there would be no~ need for books i
such as his.. - ..:. -....- -.- - -- -.~
According to Snepp, if he~Ioses the
case "we'1~ have asystem - wher- M
eunder former CIA employees will
not be able to responsi . Iy criticize ~
the CI~1. If L`teAme-ican people want,
a CIA where employees will muffle!
alltheiz~?ievances,they'llgetit.'_, ~
Approved For Release 2007/06/20 :CIA-RDP99-004988000100140019-9