CIA BACKS DODD IN PART ON WEST GERMAN TRIP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200290039-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 2, 1999
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: July 26, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

WhSt~itirc,?rc~n' St
Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : ~~-RDP75-00149
JUL 2 6 1966
' ~ subcommittee report was a 2',~?~
~~~~~ ~~~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~~Ipage introduction and that all
the, remaining material con-
i? : tain~d in the report had been
~" ~ ~ ~~~ ,4'"~ ~ pA ~ ~ ~ ~ e iAVatlable in Dodd's office files?
p nor several years.
..? Virtually All of Use printed'
-? report an Stashynsky consisted'
sy ROB>;1tT WALTERS .
included in the I;lhics Commit- of reprinting West German
i,.. .: star scary wrnc~ tee's hearin record.
S?, ~ ~ court decisions and none of it'
I
r The Central Intelligences ? Presumab y because of this, showed the results of Dodd's in-
fiAgency has quietly interceded in Helms was constrained in his f.erviews, Ethics CommitteA
~tho Senate Ethics Committee remarks. It was undci?stood, rnember~said, _ ._ .}
however, that he has offered fie The CIA was mentioned,
"inves(igation of Sen, Thomas J. meet with Stennis in private t.o briefly only twice during the five
Dodd by attempting td substan= expand nn the points made In his days of~ public hearings before
ftiate a major point in Dodd'si lef.ter. the Ethics Committee. The first'
'Account of a controversial 1964. Thr, CIA director's letter ap? reference came in a memo tot
imp to West Germany. ;peered to be principally an effort. Dodd from Charles J. Kersten, a
:' Dodd has testified that he'to verify Dodd's argument iltat Milwaukee . attorney, former
?tnslde the trip to investigate he made the April 1964 trip to congressman and associate of
a Soviet terror and espionage;We=t Germany to investigate aiDodd.
operation. ~ ~ SSoviet terror-and-espionage oiler- Kersten, who vvas involved in
'J.'he , intelligence agency s anon, the Stashyns rosecution
'support of Dodd came in a letteri Dodd testified that he tnade.wrole Dodd shortlypbefore the
from CfA Director Richard, the trip specifically to check on,trial began:'.. ~ ~,
Ilelms to Sen, John C. Stennis,ithe case of Bogdan Stashynsky, "An thin o g ~
'.l ~-i4liss,, chairman of the Ethics a Soviet citizen who defected to~ Y g ' Y u ml ht do
Cmnrnittee? (West Berlin in 19Gi, ,through CIA, Tom, to aid ttl the;
podil.. Stennis and the CIA ?, Stashynsky was convicted by ~m~ clh a~pre.c'atedgTheaobjeetive~
liave all declined to disclose the a. West German court in 19G2 on 'is to dl:,ciose that the Kremlin
Icart eds thath Helms offered as two counts of aiding and abet] op~~ratces very much like Mur~
tang a' murder. Dodd testified'de.^, Ir,~~~.'' . ~
? Dodd,c~one ~ofrthe CIA s smost that he, questioned both Slashyn?, g~he second reference carne
?ardent advocates in the Senate. sky and the judge who presided du.~ing the committee's question-~
.over the trial.
?C1A ;v s jatware oflDodd'si mtis- skycwas iagmembeadof a' So IetUo3.df Dhoid accompaniedd they
lion and Viccved the trip as one terror ring that provicl~ d him senator on the trip. '
hclpfnl to the future success of;with an unusual cyanide p,as gun: it{actin said he and Dodd "had;
the LJ.S. l;U.elligence effort. ;that instantly killed an i~~~ended;suk~litantial contact" with the^
But helms stopped short of victim, but left no tra ~e and'CI~'~; both before and after the
,~nipietciy cuclorsing Dodc~!fij made '?death appear to come trip, IIe added:
explanation ?f the trip, which from natural causes. ?'f)ne or two of the appotnt-
;lhc senator offered earlier this ~ ~ments tin West Germany) might?
Says Trip Official
%month in tc,~timony before the ~ have been arranged through they
rKthics Committee, Dodd testified that the triri CIA, but Y have no way of
j' 'the Hehns letter 'did not say was an official one, .as part of Confu?ming this. ..' . We did
Dadd's trip was necessary, nor .his duties as vice chairman of solicit their coo~eratlon and~~and''dollars'wortli~'of accountli,'
did it say .the senator produced the Senate Judiciary Commit- ithink they were given a draft ofr
~an,y .vital information for the ;tee's Internal Security subcom- this (subcommittee report) in'1nButsDodd testified that aid tn~
CIA as the result. of his invest[- ;mittee, ;advance of publication." , Klein, a registered foreign agent]
'gation, ~ ? ? ~ In a 1965 subcommittee report'. Considered Crucial for West German interests, was;
on the case, Dodd said the ;only a secondary interest during
y }Ias. !Backed: CIA investigation, showed that "the Substantiation of Dodd's!the trip. ,
;' The CIA usually is reticent Soviets employ murder as an testimony regarding. the' Dodd said he spoke with only,
because the CIA is reticent instrument of. international'Stashynsky investigation could one West German official on
dr stepping into the middle of a policy and that, despite the so- be ca?ucial tb; his defense in thelKlein's behalf, but ~ Martin
congressional controversy. called liberalization which is first of the misconduct allege-said that the senator spent less.
~ Dodd has frequently spoken up supposed to have taken place lions against him being probed~than seven hours of a six-day',
~nt behalf of the CIA when other, since Stalin's death, the interna~ by flhe Ethics Committee, 'trip in ackively investigating th
members of Congress have chat- tional murder apparatus of the+. Dodd's former employes~Stashynsky case.
Soviet government continues to testified that .the Stash nsk I The i?:khics Committee is not
lenged the agency's competence.; , . 1, y y
~, , operate full blast. investi?,.at}on was only a cover expected to reach any decisioei~
, Ifelrns letter has not yet been Ethics Committee members; for the senater's real purpose inlpn the metier until It cancinde
t'eleased to the publ[c, but it waslquestioned Dodd over the paces-~malang the trip-{:o aid Chicago fidditional hearings on allega?~.
tvritten with the understanding sity of. the trip when it wa3kpublic~ Celatlons man , Juliusltions th9t Dodd fttisusod cam-1
that.,,, it, oventually,.,would be,poinfe~,~out tltat?,his?only,;colitrir;'Kleiq_ih'retaining'~evefalthou?datanfunHd ',;:..u~~..' ,,...a _.. !R]
(',I
Ap~prdved Fors Release "1999/09%17; ;'C1A-R[~P~5-00~149~R00,02002g00.~9-U~~