SENATORS ORDER INQUIRY ON CHILE

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020097-7
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RIFPUB
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U
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1
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
August 9, 2011
Sequence Number: 
97
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OPEN SOURCE
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Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020097-7 ATORS ORDER INQUIRY ON CHILE NEW YORK TIMES Foreign ' Relations Panel Asks Study of Testimony- Called Misleading By SEYMOUR M. HERSH Sp ,dal to The New York 1'imea WASHINGTON, Sept. 17- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, amid Congressional{ protests over President Ford's defense of clandestine intelli- gence operations, today author- ized its staff to study available evidence that, official testimony, had been misleading about the Central Intelligence Agency's involvement in Chile. Committee sources later cau- tioned that the Senators' deci- sion, announced by Chairman J. W. Fulhright, Democrat of Arkansas, called only for a pre- liminary "pulling together" of testimony and not yet a full- fledged investigation into the foreign policy of the Nixon Administration. "This is a very old problem," Senator I'uibr+.._`. toles r: ; ;rtcr5 after the long closed-door com- mittee meeting this morning. "The involvement of the C.I.A. in other countries has been well- known for years. There's not much news in that." - "In my view," he added, "it's very questionable practice to go beyond the collection of intelli- gence. I personally have always thought they should be confined to intelligence gathering.'.' `Outrage' Over Reports with the inquiry was made l clear by Senator Frank, ,'Chl'rch, Democrat of Idaho and chairman of the Suhcom- mittec on the Multinational Corporations, which heard the apparently. misreading testi- mony during hearings into the International Telephone & Tele- graph Corporation's involve- ment in Chile in early 1973. "Our policy in Chile was un- savory and unprincipled," Mr. Church told reporters today. "It can't possibly be justified unless we take the view that our methods and objectives are the same as those in the Soviet Union." "The Chilean affair warrants a full investigation by the Senate," Senator Church added. Fulbright Noncommittal of the veidence by next week. These persons said that the new study would incorporate some of the findings of the Levinson report. Mr. Levinson, in his memo randu*i, called for possible per- jury and contempt of Congress proceedings against Richard Helms, former director of Cen- tral Intelligence, William V. Broe, a former C.I.A. official, Charles A. Korry, who was Am- bassador to Chile from 1967 to 1971. Some Senators later sug- gested' that the committee's reluctance to proceed more directly stemmed from what was depicted as "outrage" ,over the publication today in The New York Times and The Washington Post of the gist of a private subcommittee staff report recommending possible perjury and con tempt-of-Con- gress charges against five gov- ernment officials as failing to testify fully about the C.I.A. role in Chile. The staff report, prepared by Jerome I.- Levinson, chief counsel of the Subcommittee on multinational Corporations, was rejected today. "Tile commotion over the leaks almost wiped the whole thing off but 'hey are going ahead," one source whe at- tended the committee meeting said later. The disagreement inside the' complete it preliminary review) committee over how to proceed Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020097-7 Tor. Fulhright was noncom- mittal, however, when asked whether he expected the staff investigation to lead to a re- view of the Nixon Administra- tion's foreign policies as well as the involvement of Secre- tary of State Kissinger in the Chilean decision-ma.ing. l In his staff report, Mr. Levin- son recommended that the Senate committee reopen Sys, confirmation hearings on Mr. Kissinger, saying he "deceived" the committee about Chile. "We'll have to wait for the report," Mr. Fulbright said. "I don't know whether we should have further hearings or not." Mr. Fulhright, who reported- ly has been offered the am- bassadorship to Britain after, he leaves the Senate, depicted the publication of the Levinson report as "regrettable" and added that "the staff has no bus' less puttinig out c V'mo- randa of that sort." A similar view was expressed by Senator Claiborne Pell, Democrat of Rhode Island, as he left the closed hearing. Asked whether there was com- mittee concern over the C.I.A. involvement in Chile, Mr. Pell said that "the concern was more that statements should he made by Senators, and not by staff." Committee sources said that the staff of the Foreign Rela- tions committee, directed by 00778,