AID GOODS FOR LAOS VANISHED, GAO SAYS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00337R000200110001-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 9, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 11, 1970
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2002/05/08 : CIA-RDP72-00337R000200110001-4
T H - I'JINGT ON POST
DATE ?O`-~' ~Q PAGE
Goods for Lays
Yaiiisied, GAO'Says'
By Ronald Koven
Washington Post Staff Writer
Investigators for the Gen- But the: GAO said it could
eral Accounting Office found only conclude that there is
serious losses of U.S. relief still a need for AID to review
goods intended for refugees in its procedures and to improve
Laos, according to a report re-.them,
leased yesterday. Daniel Dc Haar, the coun-
In two weeks of spotelicc?lc-1scl for the Subcommittee, said
in r, GAO, investigators found a number of obstacles had
that $109,000 worth of goodslbeen placed on the GAO in-
shipped from Thailand to Laos vestigation by the Central In-
had inexplicably disappeared, telligence Agency.
according to a summary of the Ile said that an attempt had
report released by Sen. Ed been made to prevent the
ward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) GAO investigators from go-
chairman of the Judiciary Sub ing to Laos on the grounds
committee on Refugees. Ithat no travel funds were
The GAO, an investigatint' available for them and that
arm of Congress, conducte( Hie CIA had attempted to in-
i t s investigation of U. S yoke executive privilege to
Agency for International Do prevent the investigators from
velopmcnt programs at th I seeing the records , for the
Kennedy Subcommittee's 'te refugee aid program.
quest. Examples of mismanage-
Kennedy, alleged that "slop- ment the GAO found included:
py management, weak account- + Transportation bills sub-
ability procedures, a n d a mitted by a military-controlled
serious loss, or diversion of Thai government agency, Ex-
commodities characterized press Transportation Organi-
some AID programs in Laos" zation, were paid without
and that this raises "serious proof that goods shipped from
doubts about the efficiency Thailand had been : received
and effectiveness of all U.S. in Laos.
aid programs to Vientiane," . A Thai private company,
the capital of Laos. Ear Yong Chiang, was.paid for
AID spokesmen in Wash- delivering a shipment of steel
ington said they would have bars and axes which was not
no comment until they had received in Laos..
studied the GAO report. They
said many of the' loose prac- ' "USAID was not process-
tiees the GAO had reported ing most claims against car-
to AID personnel on the spot viers for shortages or dam-
had since been tightened tip. ages incurred in transit."
After the GAO's field in. U.S. aid to Laos runs about
vestigation, conducted in July $50 million yearly, a third of
and August, AID' told the which is designated `for refuge-
GAO it had found documents es. The GAO investigators
accounting for most of the lspotchocked programs worth
missing $100,000 worth of I a total of $14.1 million in fiscal
aonds, , . , -4r 10711 .
Approved For Release 2002/05/08 : CIA-RDP72-00337R000200110001-4