COMMENTARY BY HARRY REASONER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020096-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 96
• Publication Date: September 17, 1974
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020096-8
RADIO TV REPORTS, INC.
FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF
PROGRAM ABC Evening News
DATE September 17, 1974 7:00 PM
Washington, D.C.
STATION WMAL TV
ABC Network
COMMENTARY BY HARRY REASONER
HARRY REASONER: The fact that President Ford chose to be candid
in discussing the Central Intelligence Agency in its role it Chile and,
by strong implication, in other unrevealed operations elsewhere is refreshing,
but it doesn't really answer the moral and practical questions that keep
coming up about this agency. We have contended before that, on balance,
the CIA has a lot to apologize for to this nation, and we've noted that
whenever anyone does criticize the agency, the answer is that we hear about
only its failures, and they must steadfastly keep their successes secret.
You have to admit they do that well.
The main point of all defenders of the CIA in its role of disrupting
other legal governments was used by President Ford again last night. Look
at the Russians, he said. They do more of this than we do.
I think the analogy is weak. If we start justifying our actions
on the basis of what the Russians do, the field is limitless. You could
begin by repealing the first ten amendments to the Constitution. And to
say that it's all right to do what the Russians do outside the country,
but not inside, is dangerous. We have seen in the past few years how these
distinctions between foreign national security operations and domestic felonies
can get blurred.
There is a practical way to limit the excesses of the CIA without
going to the other extreme of declaring a dream world in which intelligence
operations are no longer necessary. It is to enforce the separation of
intelligence gathering, overt or covert, from intelligence using for covert
operations involving illegal behavior in other countries.
Maybe there have to be operations of that kind in this imperfect
world. But at least make sure that the decisions to engage in them are
made responsibly by the executive and checked by legislative watchdogs and
not made by the CIA.
There's a well established principle that an aircraft accident
is not investigated only by the people who made the engines. It should
apply here. 00777
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020096-8