AID GOODS FOR LAOS VANISHED, GAO SAYS

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Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP72-00337R000200110001-4
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RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 12, 2016
Document Release Date: 
April 9, 2002
Sequence Number: 
1
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Publication Date: 
October 11, 1970
Content Type: 
NSPR
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PDF icon CIA-RDP72-00337R000200110001-4.pdf67.05 KB
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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