MR. RICHARD HELMS, DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100130002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: June 30, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

CONGRESSIONAL, RE
30 .Tune 966
00/05/05: CI1-RD
FOIAbib?.
11TCHA11D HELMS, DIRECTOR OF
10 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE .
(Mr. RIVERS of South Carolina asked
-111d was given permission to address the
1-rouse for I minute, to revise and extend
his, rmnarks, and to Include certain press
ar(icies.)
o
OU1 w standin CIA's inbuilt ca- a days of the running sore of
country. I think it is entirely fitting now parity to evoke more tha> its share of a kind the war In Vietnam,
imed Ys Wten he was director body Could write one.
Selvjee5 Committee. I, and a n tuber of national advertising for The Indianapolis That the President has sent It reflects, to
of y~^ colleagues, have ident ha11 pale( tl'ib- Our wager Is he can turn in the pertorln- 'a an who has done a particularly r
ute tO the admiral's record of dstin- Saes required,
gui5laCd service as a career naval t9Il3nnr of duty. It also reflects his grave concern,
and Elmore recently as Director of Central [Prom the Washington Post, Tuesday, June, criticized arms of government-Intelligence,
IntQ4,1gence. He responded to a~ call 215, 10001 defense, State Department-nro of necessity
froni the President and, performed his '.CIA CnANOINO OP GVAne---AGENCY BEING ' asked to bear burdens of such pressure as to
job splendidly. We all extend him every VINDICATED BY SENATE make high careers less and lose attractive and
good Vdsh for the futUl'e, (By William S White) sometimes hardly even bearable,
Mr. $peakcr, a number of distinguished The changing of the top guard at the Highly qualified men are hard to flnd--
Amertians have held this position which. Central Intelligence Agency Is proceeding and keep-even In times far less demanding
Is 60 important to the security of smoothly n
t 1 1 " than these th
0
rl as Y n t110 Scripps-Howard newspaper ' If tills Isn't a "well done" from the C m-
ce 'one of the most pleasant aspects of organization have known Dick helms since mander-In-Chief to a faithful old sailor no.
MY duties as chairman of th the pre-war II da
L
s
C 1115 appointment enthusiastlCaily strengths. plans and machinery of this moat dent, In genui a quality of Ile work, the Presl. m and unanimously approved his 1 Ina- cOmpilcated, controverslal but alt-essential The President has n sorry to see o n go. 1 , as sent to Reborn
? lion. I, too, wish to welcome Mt: elms Government agency, Hie record commends ' letter of of farewell that that should convince the
t
~,Ills position. I look forward to a lose and fits hint to take over the ruins, open-minded that the Admiral did a good
nssdiation with him In my capaacelly as He knows that one of the greatest needs job, Indeed. "In your leaving," the President
chalrinan of the House Armed Se , vices of the CIA today is a better public image told Raborn, "you take with you not only my
CIA of tileee. not that It Is nearly as bad as some claim. gratitude but that of your fellow countrymen
But It needs to be better, for It Is an agency who have been served so well by your Unique ,l
Duping the past 14 months, my close essential to the welfare of our country. - Powers of leadership and underdtandi
fts ation with Admiral Rab
1 h Man I
members simply cannot keep.;
acclaim OPet' Mr. iicllno appointment. from talking too much About some things
The arl.lcic's follow: that should not be talked about at all.
(From 0,e P U t:A)in'gh Press June 20, 10601 IFrnm tM..
s argument that CIA meddles In the mak-
Cal of Admiral Rnboril's tenure as DI- Ing of foreign policy, but mainly because
rector; bait' I do arrce with the universal dome of Its
kind to be CIA but I have been most In- The whole point Is that the Rustiell CIA
terested in the almost universally favor- Committee has never known is leak of na-
able rt':+pon?sc which Mr. Helms' appoint. tional security Information; the Foreign no. ment il,'c; reCai, ccl, I wish to Insert In latlons Committee Is Widely known for lust
the Rr,Cdrn nI, tlli,v point a Selection of such leaks, Its effort to move in on the CIA
1 Is not being rejected by a Senate majority."
these ar!icles' only. because of the essential bankruptcy of
I do not a',i'Cc with those who are cl?iti- It
_,,,?..,v?v ,,onnson chose well in elevating The net of it is that this agency as an'v
the (lovrrnnu?n:?'e Lop career Intelligence Institution is in the process of a massive
omcer, ltichnrd M. Helms, to directorship of vindication by the Senate. This Is bracing
the Ceutr;,l Intelligence Agency (CIA), news, Indeed, to the poor old CIA, which -
Dick Ilciins to ;u, exceptionally able public can never apeak
f
o
servant. Its many successes and
The words customarily used to do- can never even try to defend Its few failures.
scribe him-"Irrj Ilinnt?^ edic
" It is _
t
d
,
a
e
th
b
e Navy Into the Office of development of the Polaris missile program 1,
Mi'. RIVERS Of South Carolina, Mt',. Strategic Services (the CIA's predecessor) In to his conduct of the CIA-hna been rarely
S;1cllkel', on Tuesday, the Senate con- 1043, Mr, helms has Spent tine years since matched.
iit?1>ed the t1o111111atioll of Mr. Richard conthluously In Government intelligence, . To be sure, Raborn leaves his post-for
Helms a
Helms to succeed Adm. Willla +, hard rising through tile racks and until only little resumed retirement long since promised hi m? "
more than a year ago ho'was named deputy by President Johnson-under criticism here
born as Director of Central Intplllgenee. director of the CIA under the now retiring : and there. Still, he can take comfort in the
At his confirmation .hearings, the' nate Admiral William F. Raborn, , knowledge that the one man who really ought
Committee on Armed Services welcomed Thus, he knows Inside-out the fault
to know All
M T-Tnl
` LO1lulrea ssion toh! sv reslgned chief, V (By v Marquis Childs)NCO Pao
through a career In intelligence director in succe work in-- Adm, William F. Raborn, has been given the Those who
eluding the holding of several senior po-.. unanimous approval of the leadership of - In thin Capital are more often than not
sitions within the Agency should now be both parties in the Sonnte, occupy the seats of the mighty
appoir)ted the head of that Agency. De a showy figures expanding like tropical flowers
Mr. P ty helms thus becomes Director Helms In the public glow, They measure their
Helms' professional competence was ree- Under a powerful and, practically npeaklnd, success by clocking the time the
ot,nizorj 14 months ago when he was all unchnhiengeable Senate sponsorship. national ten 1 , Y get on
named'h P ?
ov
Y
a on.
lee dent Johnson as Deputy oteover, it has becomo clear that tiro do
Dim ectot' of Central Intelligence, Tfind of the Senate 1`01-619t' Relations r!n,n. Just named to nit ono of these seata In a
.tl Ilk's ocen recognized again in his
elevation to the top position in-the CIA.
I am sure that It is encouraging to those
who have worked with Mr, Helms over
the years and who are perhaps his
strongest advocates to see him named to
this position, Mr. Helms' Intelligence
career began in 1943 when he first served
with the Office of Strategic Services. He
has served continuously In its successor
Organizations.
I have been extremely Impressed with
AT. 75..,..._ ,._ . .
?, ~'~?~. A nm sure -1, rum,n in all the bureaucracy Is his to resolve. down,
it is a Comforting thought to Admiral to a small nilnoi'ity In Congress. These men Although It was not known at the time, `
Rnl>orri, as he leaves his position, to tight simply over clandestine
cannot accept the hard realityoperationsthat ale th'oudely c White House on a previous occasion Berl. r
k
secrecy onsidered putting Mr. Helms In {he
now that the job is indeed In good the unavoidable price exacted by the kind of position to which he has now been named.
hands. The press has not always been , world In which we live.
. ' ? .? ?. ' ,. ?, .The argument was that, lines the CIA Idf-'
Approved For Release 2000/05/05: CIA-RDPfv dd00' ,R.0d0.1i306e2-1t'
aloe of the CIA Is going exactly nowhere rvl- tern, It Is doubtful If one American Ina a ard
M The most renllstic estimate lo that if and who will be director of hehCentral Ilntei. '
when this proposal Is pushed to a showdown ligenco Agency. . And, If he has ever ap-
on the Senate floor it will do well to attract , peared on television, it has been by the
as much as 20 per cent of the vote,
CIA In airendy Supervised by a select and s Even lore remarkable ebipartisan Srnate group, headed by Senator atmosphere Is Wilt, rts Is thoiIlway o he o ina
RICIIAan Russet m. Of Georgina Which demon- tends It to Tie. As it pro in the Intelligence
strably hoick Lilo Confidence of a vast ma- business himself, Mr. Helms has every Intend
jority of the Senate. So the Russell Commit- tion of making tile agency a professional
too will continue to be the sole supervising operation. The dilemma of secrecy for a
group; and that In that, vastly expanded Intelligence operation, eery-
All this State of affairs Is understandably' big a democrac
in
y
Contimiarl