HELMS REGRETS LETTER SENATORS GET CIA APOLOGY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200890026-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 5, 1999
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: July 29, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

..,, a ,.,.1.:. .......,. ...... .. ~
,. ~ ~ . ,: ,,,~,~~. _ ~9'~" ' ,~ Mansfield added. "It we4all had
Dutch with the Senate and : ~i~ , ~..
~~~~~~~s Gee Cl
new its insistence on having a
voice in overseeing the CiA.
Senate Majority Leader Alike
Mansfield of iVlontana said he
though): Helms "made a mistake
and admitted it ... he faced up
to it it must be a good
?'
I3;y CECIL IiQLLA ti ! Ho point. ou a ems
filar Staff Writer r ~ ~ >~ i (
, ~~ ~ ^ : ~, ~ ~ : came in as the one who appear-
(k CIA Director Richard M ~ ,:~,?t ~'~ ,? ed best qualified for director
1,, . -- ~^-'--- -- ??-'-- -__,: _:__3 ~ ., ~t a~':d. ~',:rrr-.f.. .:'. .. ~ ..... ... ?~.c ..... .., .,..a .. t..... t,! t,.. .....nn s ..ti ~nnn
Relations Committee hearing at ~-, y ~c;" f~~ ~;; It reflects so well your
which he also expressed his ~, t i,~F~ , ~. &f ~~ ;`. ~~.i~~ paper's .policy of 'piloting news'
ileavinl; a closed Senate Foreign ;~~.' ~ ~,. ~ s,~~ ~ ~;;a. G~obe-Democrat of July 18. - -
glze fur it. Y made a mistake." ~ ', # ' ~ ~`~' fit, ~ --i wan[. to icy you xnvw o~ m
? ,_ _ _ , _ ___~ _ :~: ? , , .. ,; ~ h Pleasure in reading the editorial
"i regret having signed the > ' : 3 ~~;! ~ ~ k ~ " ; ,, to the letter to the Globe
urou ht a demand far his resi r~ ?. -~ ; ~ .~ r `s ^ - . : ; __ . _...~-- -?..-.. .. - -___--- _-_--
g g -_,;, ,, . , s; ~ ~~ ? 1 . ;:; . ,. ? ,_S!,:.,; takes, the whole Senate would,
Wilharn Fulbright, D-Ark., Ule _ _
committee chairman. The lette~~ ~ Accordin to Fulbri ht Helmsc"they do ih7r, r',nvolve:'lemselvesl' After McCarthy told the Sen-x
appeared in last Wednesday's; explained hat he had quite a, directly, in ~omest:,^ labor. ate of the letter yesterday, fourti
h
praised an editorial which was RICHARD M. HELMS J. ' WILLIAM FUL13IilC,~HTpolitics.' "
severely critical of Sen. J. , At today's hearing or- controversial letter.. ,' , ' Express Shock
5t Louis Globe Democrat and ? ~ ``~ x ~, ~ without? regard to party
t?egret. , ?? .- .,_ ~?~;~w^ >:b~, L.....'.,~~~ ~.;~'.?...._ '_. aL~s'$'~: (believes to be right and opposing
e watchdog coin-~
Globe Democrat. 'number of other: letters. before affairs." !members of t
t Fulbright offereQ ro elabS'?h-~ mittee who had opposed the Ful-i
did
ti
i
i
,':~.t~
,,~.,..
:,
no
s atten
on
him and h
Called Fulbright "Crafty'? ,focus as thoroughly as it shoulu lion and said: "I ,dais thil';,h~ bright group's proposal joined
have on the letter to the Globe I should pursue thhat tur1,'ber." with others in expressing shocks
h
i
i
l
d
ibi
F
l
e ed
tor
a
,
escr
ng
u
T
-; .1 , . that the CIA director had writ-1
1~ fly," said he had'Democrat and a clipping of the He also saidythat Helms ~"X+~ ten such a letter, and in prais-+
sec i "comeuppance" in editorial that was attached Lied pfxxs~itivel the CIA hat! in Fuibri k
ht exchange g ght.
not used the Fulbri
g
a July 14 Senate vote denying to it.
his committee a role lit over-~ program inn its operations. fihe ~ Senate discussion oc--".
Such Letters Not the Practice curred one month to the day
seeing CIA affairs. McCarthy Is Satisfied '. after Helms had been confirmed
A furor over the letter broke Helms t o 1 d the committee, ,' unanimous) as director of the
out yesterday when Sen. Eugene Fulbright said, that he did not McCa~rtliy said tie thought Y
J. McCarth D-Minn., called make a practice of writing such Hellms had given "a quite sans-I intelligence agency and praised
Y/ letters and the CIA takes no Factory explanation." as one of its most valued offi-
the matter to the attention Of the, clefs.
,position on matters of a political Asked if the fact that HeLnsl
...
....... _... _..- - ........--- ---------.. Continued
.Senate? si Yi While the floor dtscnssfon
' Asked today if he had con-,nature such as were involved gncd the letteJr raised an
~sidered resigning, the 53-yar-old~in the editorial. question ifs to his judgment, went on, Sen, Leverets 5alton-
Hclms gave a fleeting smile and Helms indicated, according to A2coa~rbhy replied: "I don't think stall, R-Mass., a member of the,
turned away without ansiverfng.'Fulbright, that his attention wash it comes to that paint." He a~ watchdog committee, talked
Before the hcarin Sen. centered on a .part of the edi-~ said he did rrot think .Helms; with Helms by telephone. He~
g ~ should resin ,came back and reported Helms'
Wayne Morse, D-arc. had de-'torial commending the CIA. g ,
manded Helms' resignation from) -After they hearing, Fulbright Morse, i;ra his statement, said as saying there was only one
tsaid Y don t wish to ursue the Helms coiild best serve the~lettcr; and.. hd was; sorry that?it,~
the position he has filled for p shad been written:.
'only a month. He was formerly matter." He added that it was country by resigning. ;i._ ? :.:, . , - ~
:CIA deputy director. ,closed "as far as I am con- "Until he does," Morse added, I ? '?`? `~c~ciiltones Fulbright . r
~ cerned." ' "the .American people cannot{ Thirt minutes after the
rio Support for Y-E?mand i Fulbright said there was a rest secure in the belief that the: Y :?? . , .
'discussion involving other mat- agency is living up to its legal)' Senate's 'indignation round
Fu]bright and other committees tors and that Helms was "forth- mandate not to operate within) ended, Helms telephoned Ful-~
members said Helms had given right in his replies. For that the United States or influenc bright to sa~- he~'wa'ssorry and
a satisfactory explanation of the'reason he' said the incident of or participate in affairs within that. the..letter was a ~tnistake;
letter and there was no supports the letter was salutary. ~, the .United States." ~ 1Io ; also said he..Would be glad to
for Morse's demand. talk ? fo la ulbright s cbmniittec at i
Morse, busy at another hear-. Yn the Senate ?discussion yes- Aaks Panel Part In ti'Valch any jime.~ That statcmenC led to
ing d c; a i i n g with the airline terday on,_,the- letter, Fulbright ?. ~ ,
ex ressed fears thaE?~the C1AI 1t must be assumed, Morse
strike, was not resent at the p today s hearing.
meeting. ,At his request, his~was Involving itself in domestic said, that the Helms letter ~ Cal?thya~ ?sponsor : of the .
stairs. ~ is "only a small ,segment of reso~utiom . 'for , the, .. Foreign
~a t a t e: m e n t demanding that Relations, Comrnlttec,''l0 `have a'
Hcims resign was read at the; He mentioned that he had who! is going on that Is un-'vo[ce fin /C1A, .affairs,~aaid Sye,
hearing. ~herrd rumors the agency had'signed or unrevealed as to its li:rday~ lb was-? f'entirely?;out 'o~
Fulbrl ht re rted that Helms l.?a+'olved itself in elections .ln CIA source."
g po place forr`Ilcitns to hAye f~igaied
? la2a~? unions. Ha added that ? this waa an-
;=cknovvledged si;*nin the letter' a 'lottcr''??'preiaing'; ;8n~,.ediloria~
h?liich originarc~?t,~,-~,gs~~~'a~Rke o t hat, other,.['~~.so0.~t~ ~fiirSl ~~~,~,~
'slat?nt ,vvjlo, d QIIM ~.~... , `'' . `~~`a 4 t- A hC lJ"I ,~. ~ ,,?:'e;:: '?,~ ??? ,,.? , ,,:.1 ?i j
? JllL ~ ~ 1966 ~ ~ ' ? STATI NTL
Approved For Release 2000/04/14; :CIA-RDP75-0014
~E'L~1S REGRETS LETTER