INSIGHT AND OUTLOOK . . . FENCE-MENDING AT CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100110009-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 8, 2000
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: August 22, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

WASHINGTON POST
AND TIMES HERALD
Approved For Releasg O j q 4 : CIA-RDP75-000
CPYRGHT
..l ll~%ic. Y~ tv arum ix
Fence. evni' ding at CI
Appro
put his fin-
ger on the
heart of the
trouble that
I I g e n c e
Ageney,
Adm. IV i1-
H a m F. Ra-
born, the
President
IN A STATEMENT made
the other day while award-:,
lug a medal to the former
head of the Central Intel-
0 0 By Joseph Kr(c f t
criticism in 'some quarters, , those' who Want to believe
they have turned to other it, feed on the merest
quarters for more favorable shreds of supporting evi-
publicity-thus only making hence. Most of the current
matters worse. literature about the Agency,
The first order of correc? and, it seems to me, some of
tional business is to root the fuss in the Senate and
,it the maudlin self-pity over the "jewel theft" is de-
that makes so many of the signed to minister to these
.people in the CIA think appetites.
they ought to have a good IF THIS ANALYSIS is :
press, The fact is that they correct, the deep problem
are volunteers not con-
And silence is a part
scripts
.
has recently of the job, not an aspect of to dispell the stereotype, to
been afflict- a cruel fate that might once ~ present to the public a dif?
i n g t h e Kraft in a while be set right with
ferent face. That is not.an
Agency. Rightly understood, the occasional self-justifying easy job, nor one that can
the President's remarks leak.
point the way to Some The true seat of the diffi- be accomplished swiftly.
fence-mending that' can be culty, however, does not 'lie 'But there are at least two
done by the new director, there. The main reason things that might be help
Richard Helms. there has been so much ful.
The President said publicity about the Agency First, in the selection of
"It is the lot of those in in books, magazines, news-
our Intelligence agencies papers and even the courts, ' aDeputy Director to Helms,
that they should work in is that there is a market for an effort should be made to
silence-sometimes fail in the stuff. go` against the grain of the
silence, but more often suc- The public, or at least a stereotype. While the job
ceed in silence. Unhappily,. segment of the public, has requires someone not al-
also, it is sometimes their developed a certain idea-a together. Ignorant of foreign
lot that they must suffer in stereotype-about the Agen- policy and intelligence prac-
silence." cy. According to this stereo- tices, the new man probably
The trouble with the CIA type: also ought to be an outsider
is that ti has not been work- The Agency is supposed' with no interest in covering
ing in silence. Indeed it to be committed by reason up past mistakes or prolong-
could hardly have attracted of self-interest and ideology ing old quarrels) given to
more attention if it had de- to' the indefinite prolonga. study and evaluation (rather
liberately set out 'to culti- tion of the cold war. It is . than black bag tricks). Most
vote publicity in the fashion supposed to use Its secret important of all, given the,
of the FBI. information to influence large status and size of the
In recent months the American policy in the Defense Intelligence Agen-
:Agency has been'the sub- direction of harsh, intran- cy, there. is now no require-
ject of :a -best: selling book; a sigent stands. It is also SUP- ment that a military man be
,profile in Esquire Magazine; posed to make and break either director or deputy
a series of newspaper ar foreign governments along director of CIA.
titles; and for who shall the 'sarn^ lines. Finally, it is Second, it 'would "be use-
scape whipping?-not a few supposec, to use the, cloak ful to add to the informal
newspaper columns. It has of secrecy and "the national legislative group that serves
also been involved in a law interest" to cover up its ac- as a watchdog on the Agen-
suit, a spectacular case cen- tivities and its horrible past. cy some representation
tering on an alleged jewel To , anyone who has from the Senate Foreign
theft, and a long Senate dc- watched the American .'Relations Committee.
-bate, remarkable, even in Government, the stereotype . Agreement on such a
11.;t genre, for being unen- is virtually unrecognizable. change was nearly reached
lightened and unenlighten But for just _t.;.at reason An the course of the Senate
fight ,last month. It would
ONE REASON for all the plainly do no harm; it
publicity, of course, is that 'would help to matte it visl
in the past at least a few. I ble to all that the CIA i
officials of the CIA have anot an invisible gover
Sett muteness to he martyr t;ment.
Ef~n~ sdgfe L6
aVb/05/24: C IA-RDP75-00d'dg 1'0801800110009-