DEFENSE OF THE CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200310042-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 3, 1999
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: February 20, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

Sanitized Approved For Release' CIA-RDP7.5-00149RUUU
1 nAt It AS_ TV_
Defense of the C
DALLAS, TEXAS
NEWS
Date: ; a 3 2 O 99?4
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Page rb" r.
Defense of,7. 1A
To Tha Dane. New..
troubles around the world. It was , e ' CRITICISM of the CIA boils down,
object of sharp attacks during the U2` to a basic dislike for secrecy But
crisis, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Sen. Dodd reminds that we cannot'
overthrow of the procommunist Ar- ; compete with communism if we con-:
benz government ' in Guatemala, the fine ourselves to orthodox diplowcyt?
anti-Mossadegh,,. coup in ? Iran and, and orthodox intelligence coLW8 ion.
more 'recently, the two revolts in Sen. Dodd notes that Same people
South Viet Nam. would prohibit any assistance to then
Many of these attacks have sug- forces of freedom in the name of "non-,
gested more concern for. sensational intervention" and that many "would,
headlines than for the nation's secur- rather let the communists take over,
ity. Some undoubtedly have been.. the world than fight against them."
communist-inspired -- the Soviets It Is certain, he says, that many coun-
have a special bureau in their secret tries that remain free today would notl
police whose sole job is to discredit'; be free if it had not been for the CIA.j
the CIA. But far too many attacks ' One of the saddest facts, from thel
have been leveled by sincere anticom- CIA's point of view, is that the agency;
munists who have fallen into the error , cannot defend itself. For reasons of~
of believing the rumors and lnaccura- . national security, Dodd explains, the'
Lies about the CIA simply because, CIA 'cannot confirm or deny pub-,
they have been repeated so often. , , lished reports, true or false, favorable,
SEN. THOMAS DODD, D-Conn.,' or unfavorable. It cannot alibi. It can-
made a brilliant defense of the CIA,'': not explain. It cannot answer even thei
on the floor of the Senate a few days most outrageously, inaccurate charg-
ago. es."
He pointed out that the most popu-: Two years ago, the late President
lar charge directed against the CIA" Kennedy told CIA employes: "Your,
that it operates completely without successes , are unheralded; your fail-;
congressional supervision--is totally , : urea are trumpeted." That is . a , fact:
false. "The CIA," he claims, "is prob- ..the CIA's employes, have learned to,
ably. one ;qf the most supervised agen-~, live with, but it ia also one 'that. the,
>a People abouid .und_e_r? qd
Pj sirt the'SgVernmeno" ~..., ;. America
time to blame the CIA for half of our Security councii.
th
ONE OF THE MOST thapKiess special suocommittees III ovum u,oi ? tention for some time. i
jobs in the world is the job. done by House and Senate-headed by four of;; ' It is very easy to find things about our.
the most knowledgeable legislatorsli government and its leaders to criticize,
intelligence and counterintelligence our nation has produced, Representa- ; but most difficult to offer' anything con.,.
agents. Probably the most thankless tives Carl Vinson and Clarence Can- : structive in the way of corrective urea- `A
Hof all is that performed by our CIA- non and Senators Richard Russell and i sures. That is why groups like the Birchers,
the' supersecret Central' Intelligence,,,,. Carl Hayden-watch the CIA's'activi= 1,operating as anticommunists, cannot for.,
Agency. Since its' establishment in ties. , long stand the test of time. They thrive'
1947, the CIA has too often been the,, Another false charge against the! ;for a while on spectacular and unwarrant- 3
butt of bad jokes and ill-advised crit ' CIA is that the president frequently ed derogatory charges and the publicity j
received, therefrom. Eventually they die.,
+icism. doesn't know what it is doing and that from the stagnation of their own negative:
No agency of the government it actually makes policy. The CIA, in~outlook. GEORGE M: SAMMONS..
should be immune from criticism, but fact, only carries out policy and its , 4002 Presoott, ? Dalla&
the CIA leas had more than its-share. director meets regularly with
....:a.,,t ,t enoe;nnc n4 tha National;
j NEWS
in. 228t174
S. 250,585
Your editorial on the CIA was 'wonder-
fully well done and covers a matter that s
has needed thou
htful
well-balanced at. i
Sanitized - Approved For Release CIA-RDP75-00149R000200310042-3