HOW MANY WATCHDOGS FOR C.I.A.?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP01-01773R000100130079-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: May 29, 1966
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22: CIA-RDP01-01773R000100130079-4
HEEP OUT i : $enstor RichardHeusell of
Georgia, chairman of the b.LA. tchdog sub-
committee, opposes a move to a the mem-
bership of the group. Be contends the Seastes
'oreign 'Relations Committee, which voted for
the change, Is trying to "muscle In."
How Many Watchdogs for C.I.A.?
BJ E. W. BENWOBTHY
S/Kiei to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, May 21- Onc`
again, after a lapse of 10 years;
the United States Senate is going
to have A 'chance to do somethin ,
If It so desires, about the vexed
islati
l
,....-.,. .-
eg
qucauvu va
of the operations of the Centrall
5, a resolution to set up a nine-
man Select Committee on Intelli-
eign Relations Committees etch
furnishing three members. .'The
tablished by the N$tional Security
Alet of 1947, the director of the
secrecy to subcommittees of the
Armed Services and Appropria-
tions Committees of both hbuses.
Th House subcommittees meet
separately; .those in the Senate,
because of duplicating member-
together.
C.LA. Influence
The proposal for the enlarged
watchdog committee was spon-
sored by Eugene J. McCarthy.
Democrat of Minnestota. and it
had the full 'support of J. W. Ful-
bright of Arkansas, the committee
chairman
Supporters of an expanded com-
mittee base their case on the as-
sertion that the C.I.A., if it does
not make foreign policy, certain-
ly Influences it, and therefore
the Foreign Relations Committee
ore it was taken, Senator Richard
Russell of Georgia,' chairman of
y, Mr. Russell went on, that
ere has never been a "harmful
epresentatives from the Foreign
1elatiogs Committee would be
chosen, according to custom, from
the four ranking members, that
Democratic Senators F'ulbright
and John Sparkman of Alabama,
and Republican Senators Bourke
B. Hickenlooper ' of Iowa and
George D. Aiken of Vermont, could
not be trusted with secret infor-
mation. Some Senators felt this
implication was plainly insulting.
Question of Leaks
On the other hand, Mr. Russell
seemed to be saying that House
members could be more trusted
should have a role in the legis-
lative oversight.
Other reasons that, because of
senatorial courtesy, cannot be pub-
licly avowed, are that the, present
watchdog subcommittee of seven
members is neither very aggres. than Senators, since there are 15
Ave nor inquisitive: that it is members on the two house sub-
satisfied to be told no more than
the director of the agency volun-
teers; that it is inclined to be
content with military justifies-
committees dealing with the C.I.A.
Reporters were somewhat amused
also at the aspersions cast on
the Foreign Relations Commit-
Lions for an operation without con- tee. since the only leak of any
sidering its possibly unfortunate consequence from that committee
political consequences; and that in a long time involved the exec-
the information it receives about utive hearings last summer into
an operation is supplied after the the Dominican crisis. No military
event, too late for the exerdise security was involved in the testi-
of Congressional caution or advice. mony taken from officials. How-
In an obvious effort to influence ever, the hearings did contain
the committee vote on the day be- i highly embarrassing evidence of
conflicts between what happened
In Santo Domingo and what
high Administration officials said
had happened.
The C.I.A. subcommittee is past
of the power complex that is cen-
tered in the committees on Aimed
Services, Appropriations and Aero-
nautical and Space Sciences. The
members can be counted on to
fight to preserve their power
against dilution. Furthermore, the
can dount on help from other mesa
bers of the Senate's power hier-
archy, such as the then freshman
Senator Mike Mansfield of Mon-
tana discovered a decade ago.
Toward Compromise
He Introduced a resolution to
create ! a joint committee on the
Central intelligence Agency in
line with a7 recommendation of
the Hoover >Commission. He had
34 co-sponsors. But by the time
his resolution came to a vote, 14
of them reversed themselves, and
the resolution, ? was defeated, tin
to 27.
It is likely that the Mc Cart1W
resolution will suffer the same fate'
as Mr. Mansfield's if It comes to a
vote. However, the vote could be
so close as to embarrass Mr. Rus-
sell. Therefore, ? the expectation
here is that Senator Russell may
negotiate a face-saving compro-
mise with Senator Fulbright: for
example. one that would permit
three members of the Foreign Re-
lations Committee to be ea-officio
members of the C.I.A. watchdog
subcommittee.
There has been a week's delay
in the original schedule of bringing
the McCarthy resolution to the
floor, partly, some observers feel,
because Senator Fulbright noted
that a member of the present
C.I.A. watchdog group was presid-
ing at the time he planned to
make the move.
Since Senator Russell has Indi-
cated he will try a parliamentary
maneuver to have the resolution
referred "to some other commit-
tee," the measure's proponents felt
they would do better to await a
more propitious time.
In the interval. Senator McCar-
thy has sent letters to colleagues
whose support he regards as at
least possible, urging them-to vote
against any move to refer the res-
olution to another committee-and
Its probable death. Let's have a
vote on the "substance of the mat-
ter in an orderly manner," he
asked
,The NdW,
Theyarel*i`1`d
club Kneading:
aion. groups.
put the impdr
provide the. b
derstand tod~
31
Among fba.31
areintegratle
defense, trap
conflict in Af
East, Weston
era, regulator
how The New
Each tilmstri
combines pi
cartoons or
include the
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP01-01773R000100130079-4