HOUSE UNIT MEETS ON CHILEAN LEAKS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020040-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: September 26, 1974
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020040-9
a UNIT MEETS
ON CIi16EAN LEAKS
Charges Against Harrington
Weighed Over Release of
Secret C.I.A. Testimony
By SEYMOUR M. HERSH
Special to The Sew York Ttma
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25
A House Armed Services sub-
committee today began -a pro-
ceeding that could lead to dis-
ciplinary charges against Rep-
resentative Michael J. Harring-
ton for his release of secret)
Central Intelligence Agency;
testimony on Chile. , j
Mr. Harrington, Democrat of
.Massachusetts, was questioned,
behind closed doors for nearly!
.two hours by members of the'
-Armed Services intelligence
subcommittee about his alleged
violation of House rules in pre-
paring and distributing a sum-
mary of the testimony of Wil
-liam,E. Colby,. Director of Cen-
-tral Intelligence. .
In that testimony, presented
to the subcommitte on April)
22, Mr. Colby disclosed that
his agency had been authorized
by the Nixon Administration to
,spend clandestinel more than
$8-million between 1970 and
L973 in an effort to 'make it
more difficult for President)
-Sa'lvador Allende Gossens to!
govern Chile.
Reviewed the Transcript
Mr. Harrington was per-
mitted to review the transcript' in June: A month later he
wrote confidential letters to the
House Foreign Affairs Commit-
tee and the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee requesting
a full inquiry into the role of
the United States in the sub-
sequent overthrow of Mr. Al-
lende by a, military jinta last
September. The Chilean Presi-
dent died in the coup.
In a memorandum made,
available today, the intelligence,,
subcommittee said that a dis-
patch published Sept. 8 in Thel
New York Times contained "in-,
formation allegedly obtained by'
Congressman Harrington from
his reading of the transcript.",
Since Mr. Harrington did not)
receive permission to-make fur
ther use of the testimony, they
memorandum said, "it appears'
evident that a direct violation"i
of House rules regarding such'
testimony was involved. e
NEW YORK TIMES 2 6 . T 1970
The memorandum, dated
Sept. 12, noted that while it
was clear that secret materiil
had been provided to news-
papers, there was no infor-
mation "presently available"
that would show ,how the press
learned of the Harrington let-
ter. '
"it appears . evident," the
memorandum added, "that Jhis I
information was obt ined as :a
result of" Mr. HarriAgton's re- -
view of the Colby testimony,
In previous dispatches, The
New York Times has reported
that it obtained a copy of Mr.
Harrington's letter from out-
side sources.
Mr. Harrington was known
even before today's hearing to-
be under sharp criticism from
senior members of the House
and Senate Armed Services
committes, which have respon-
sibility for supervising the
C.I.A..
The security breach is known
to have been discussed during
a publicized Congressional
briefing last week at the White,
House, attended by President
Ford and Secretary of State Kis-
singer. The briefing was to have,
included ? the issue of - effective
control of clandestine C.I.A.
activities.
Dismay- Is Expressed
In a telephone interview to-
day, Mr. Harrington expressed
dismay at what he -termed the -
subcommittee's intention to
avoid conducting a full inquiry
intot he Chilean situation.-
"There's a gap-it's almost
like a chasm -between their
perception of the role played
by the Congress and mine," he
said. "I don't think we should.
be involved in covert activities
under any circumstances, and
they sit there in eunuch-like
fashion doing nothing at all
about American policy.
"Why, they don't even re-
motely discuss the aporopri- I
ateness of the classification)
system and the Executive's
control of it; and they don't
want to discuss why our na-
tional security wasn't chal-
lenged by what Allende was)
doing in Chile. They don't go
beyond saying that there was
a violation of the rules." . i
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020040-9