FULBRIGHT SEES PERIL IN PENTAGON'S POWER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200920024-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 5, 1999
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: October 25, 1965
• Content Type: NSPR

~ulbright ~e~s ,Peri
OCt 2 5 1965
Sanitized -Approved For Release :CIA-RD
STA~~iI~TL
'Senato>< Warns Against Letting Defense Depart
inegotiations for settlement of the
~eenfllCt.
~ment ,Dominate Foreign Policy ~ ,'~
Washington, Oct. 24 llPr-Senator
Fulbright (D., Ark.) said today
the Defense Department exe~?ci-
a?s "tremendous power",ln shap-
ing foreign policy and has great
influence with President Johnson, .
'the chairman. of the. Senate
Foreign ~ -Relations ~ ; Committee
then' cautioned against this power
hecoming dominant in shaping
foreign policy. ~ '
He said also the Central Intel?
ligence Agency should not have a
strong voice in policy- because
"the CIA is. supposed to be intel-
ligence not an operating agency"
in foreign affairs.
For Longer Lull
Fulbright said he :feels the four-
day suspension of bombings in
North Vietnam ,last spring was
too short. He renewed his recom-
mendation that bombings be sus-
pended_for a more "reasonable
length of .time" to see if this
could ~conlribute toward bringing
' Fulbright ~ did not say what he
regards as a reasonable time, but
it is believed he is thinking in
terms of a few. weeks, riather than
the lull of four or five days that
came last May.
'Speaking on NBC's television-
radio program, "Meet the Press,"
Fulbright said she Defense De?
,'partment has, ? very strong in-
fluence.throughout.'the country
because ' of its hu?e budxet: He
_Sanitized?- ir4pprov~d` For:l~e~ease y elA~ ~[~P'7'S~~~C'i?~~~Cb;~~QO~~~~~-
~' i.1
traditionally .considered `rural,
this influence is being felt.. '
And he termed Robert S.~.McNa-
mare,- Secretary of Defense,_"a
man of great persuasive powers."
Fulbright .. said ~he wants to
make it clear that ~ President
Johnson is running this country's
foreign policy, but .there is no
doubt. the .Defense Department
had great influence. '
"Because of the enormous
amount of business they (Defense
Department) do, this is a tre[hen-
dous power they have, .and way
have to be very careful it isn't :a
dominant one.",
Fulbright defi~nded phis right to
criticize 'Administration foreign
policy, such as the intervention in
the Dominican Republic. :' ,
Silencers Deplored
"But," he ''complalned,,'~"this
country's gotten to the, point
where, if you speak out, people
jump down your throat:" `
He again criticized the advice
given :the President on the extent
of Communist involvement in the
Dominican Republic revolution
and- the need for United States in-
terv~ention.
"The President had to act" in
this fast?breaking situation; 1! ul-
bright said, "he had~to depend on
the facts as he knew them then:", .
But Fulbright said much advice
given the. President was exagger-
ated. ". ?
'?They told k(im many! exaggeri
ate(;stories,"_ 'Fulbright 'said;
'err."?. ~ ~ :,,i ~f ;Y_