ABC "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" INTERVIEW WITH: ADMIRAL STANSFIELD TURNER FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY TUESDAY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00418R000100370006-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: June 25, 1991
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100370006-6
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ABC "GOOD MORNING AMERICA'' INTERVIEW WITH: ADMIRAL
STANSFIELD TURNER FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY TUESDAY,
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FORREST SAWYER: The threat. of international terrorism ,
whether it could be hijacking or hostage taking, or terrorist
barbing, one of the principal fears of our time and how democracies,
like our own, choose to battle this threat has been a point of
debate for years. Especially since the Iran hostage crisis of
1979/1980.
Admiral Stanfield Turner was director of the CIA during the
Carter administration. He dealt directly with the hostage crisis in
Iran. He writes about the politics and policies of terrorism in his
new book "Terrorism and Democracy." And Stanfield Turner is with
us this morning.
Good morning sir.
ADM. TURNER: Good morning Forrest.
MR..SAWYER: Let's go back to that 1980 campaign, what was
called the " October surprise'' by a lot of people. There has been a
call now for an investigation in Congress of the allegations that
Reagan officials, specifically William-Casey, who became CIA
director, may have entered into negotiations with the Iranians to
hold off the release of the hostages until after the election.
ADM. TURNER: Terrible thing to accuse anybody of doing. I
only add one thing to this in my book,. and that is, until October
20th, 1980, the day.that a deal was supposed to have been made in
Paris by Mr. Casey, Ronald Reagan did not attack Mr. Carter very
much about the hostages. Possibly out of concern that if Carter got
than out at the last minute, it would help him even more. It may
not be a coincidence. It may be a clue that on October 20th, Reagan
carrnenced attacking Carter on the hostage problan, the day the deal
was supposed to have been made.
MR. SAWYER: The hostages were of course released immediately
upon inauguration.
ADM. TURNER: Yes.
MR. SAWYER: But that's that's a lot of shadows. That's
really what we're talking about here. We're-saying maybe scmebody
met in Paris, maybe somebody met in Madrid. We don't know where
William Casey was during this period of time. But there's no
smoking gun.
ADM. TURNER: No. It's circumstantial evidence and one
cannot, in all conscience, levy any accusation because it's such a
terrible thing.
On the other hand, the problem could be put to rest. The
White House can produce Secret Service records as to where the vice
presidential candidate was. The Republican National Carmittee can
produce records as to where the campaign chairman, Mr. Casey, was.
The CIA can produce records'as to where Mr. Grigg (sp), who was also
accused of being there, was.
to.
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100370006-6
09
Why don't we get those out on the table, and if the white
House doesn't do it, then I think the Congress ought to have an
investigation and bring those things out.
MR. SAWYER: But you were director of CIA and you didn't have
a whiff of any of this going on. -
ADM. TURNER: No, I did not.
MR. SAWYER: So you think there should be an investigation of
some kind.
ADM. TURNER: I think it's got to be cleared up. It's a
cloud hanging over the administration today.
MR. SAWYER: well, let's have a look at what we've got right
now, which are a lot of western hostages still being held in
Lebanon .
ADM. TURNER: And the story today is that we won't make any
deals, but one is in the making right now I believe.
MR. SAWYER: You do?
ADM. TURNER: I do, yes. You see, for all these years, since
1982, we've had hostages in Iran, in Beirut. We've not been able to
find a way really satisfactorily to get then out. Conditions have
changed. The Iranians say they want to make up with us a little
bit. They've got economic problems. They can put pressure on the
people in Beirut. The people in Beirut who are holding the hostages
want some prisoners out of Israeli jails. I think the Israelis will
be kind enough to accommodate us. A deal can be made. The only
problem is we keep saying we'll never make deals. But, in my book,
I study eight presidents who-have had hostage problems, seven of
then made deals.
MR. SAWYER: Is that a bad thing?
ADM. TURNER: No. It's not necessarily good. we have to
judge each deal on its own, and because we're a democracy, because
we're humanitarian, we'll accept some deals. They're none of then
desirable, but sane are acceptable, and we prefer that than keeping
a man like Terry Anderson there who's been there six years already.
MR. SAWYER: You know I've talked to some Iranian officials
about this and I'll tell you what they say to me. They say that we
helped get sane hostages released for you in the past, and. nothing
wac annP. There were no overtures made by the Uni tPrl c".,- - _ . - .,
we don't have credibility with those hostage keepers anymore. So
you've got to give us something if we're going to get than out.
Maybe some release of hostages, as they call that, that are being
held in Israel. That's enough. But you've got to give us
something.
ALM. TURNER: Yes. There's got to be some quid pro quo here.
But the Iranians are talking out of both sides of their mouth. They
did help us get three hostages out when we sold than arms , but three
more hostages were taken. We came out with nothing in an
balance.
MR. SAWYER: Let's talk about the CIA these days. Now the
CIA doesn't have that enormous external threat for which it was
really created. There is no tremendous threat of camunisn. Has
the CIA got to be reorganized and redirected?
ADM. TURNER: Yes. And it's got to have a real shaking up
because it's been so focused on the Soviet Union and on the military
threat for all these years, that shifting to economics, to politics,
to terrorism, to drug trafficking is going to be a major shake-out.
I hope they can do it. It's going to take sane reorganization, in
my opinion, as well as some change of emphasis.
MR. SAWYER: Stansfield Turner, your new book is called
Terrorism and Democracy '' and you're good to cane by.
ADM. TURNER: Thank you.
MR. SAWYER: Thank you Admiral.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100370006-6