'NO OVERSIGHT' IN SHUNNING OF CIA - - - FULBRIGHT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00337R000300050003-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 25, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 5, 1970
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For*Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP72-00337R000300050003-8
Here is the "follow-up"
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Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP72-00337R000300050003-8
 Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP72-00337ROO0300050003-8
12 ,uz4 $Inttgclfr~ -itttt *
Part i.-Sat., Dec. 5,1 Y70
`No Oversight'
in Shunniq of
CIA---Fib fight
BY 301IN H. AVEIIILL
Times Staff Wrltar
WA >HJN GTON --Sen.J.
William I+'ulbr ight (D-
Ark.) said Friday it "was
not an oversight" that the
Administration failed. to
ask the Central Intel-
ligence Agency whether
prisoners were present be-
fore the U.S. raid on Son
Tay last month.
"One of the disturbing
aspects of the mission,"
Fuibright said, "vas that it
was undert.alcn in concert
with a number of other ac-
tions which mains would
interpret as an escalation
of the war, calling into
question this Administra-
tion's Intentions.
"I refer to the air strikes
on targets near Son Tay,
which the secretary of de-
fense originally denied,
and t ie subsequent bomb-
ing in the southern parts
of North Vietnam."
Fuibright', remarks
were contained in a state-
nnent he had planned to
read in the Senate Friday.
When the Senate ad-
journed while the remarks
were In preparation, he in-
serted them in=tend into
the Congressional Record.
Same Information
The remark,^ by the
chairman of tho Senate
Foreign Relations Com-
mittee cane a day after
The Times disclosed that
the Administration gave
the go-ahead for the Son
Tay raid without consult-
Ing the CIA..
Fuibright, in an inter-
view, said lie had earlier
established the san irrft~r-
m a t i o n ins ependent ly.
The White House said
Thursday, how ever, that
there was "full coordina-
tion and discussion"
among all interested agen-
cies of government includ-
ing the CIA in planning
the raid.
"I verified on. my own,"
he said, "that the CIA was
not consulted in this mat-
ter other than that early
the agency sun plied infor-
mation on the t amp's facil-
ities.
Fuibright said this
"raises very serious ques-
lion about the motives of
the raid-whether it indi-
cates a change of policy,
perhaps a rcimwal of air
activity over North Viet-
na.m."
In his statement, Ful-
bright put it tLis way:
it has become clear be-
yond any doubt Nvhat-
soever that the Central. In
t.ellience Agency was not
consulted, nor its advice
requested on the subject
to the presence of Ameri-
can prisoners at the Son
Tay prison at the time of
the raid or during several
weeks preceding the raid,
'Not Ovei,lght'
"Months befog e the raid,
the CIA supplied the Pen-
tagon officials a descrip-
tion of the physical c.h.r?-
acteristics of the prison
but not about the presence
of prisoners. Obviously the
failure to ask ilia CIA
about the prisoners' pre-
sence was not an over-
sight."
Along ,vith his state-
ment, Fulhri;ht inserted
in the Congressional Re-
cord copies of Times sto-
ries on the Son Tay raid
from W ashin?ton, Saigon
and Eglin Air Force Base,
Fla., 4s well as related sto-
ries from other publica-
tions.
Fuibright z:lso inserted
in the record copies of sev-
er?l letters harshly d
nouncing him for his ear-
lier criticism of the Sort
Tay raid.
"I regret that this kind
of attitude exists on an
issue about which all of us
are greatl concerned. I
don't believe it in any way
contributes to the solution
of the problem," Fuibright
said.
Fuibright recalled that
he had made repeated ef-
forts over the years to o't-
lain information on ti e
Arocrican POWs and to ef-
fect their relca e.
"I must q t a t e," he
said, "that I remain un-
convinced that the conr-
mando raid on Son Tay
wa, the best v,?ay to brine;
about the release of all the
prisoners, deg,J)ite 1.110 sou-
rarenus and ixrld action of
,those who tool;
.The only ;suss: way to get
the prisonE.r. home, Ful-
hri ht said, `'is to negoti-
ate a sett];rrnn Ent. of the
Nva s, just a r; the French
did 16 years a ,o."
Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP72-00337ROO0300050003-8