OTEPKA IN LIMBO BUT SECURITY CASE IS STILL EXPLOSIVE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600040033-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: June 7, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

WASHINGTON STAR
Sanitized - ApprovedUPor R2A 6 se : Cl
FOIAb3b
CPYRGHT
By CECIL ROLLAND
Star Staff Writer
a ou minutes e y
noon on June 27, 1963, Otto
Otepka was summoned Into t
office of John Reilly, his F
perior in the State Depa;
mont's Office of Security.
At that meeting, Mr. Reil
told Mr. Otepka, 47-year-o
Government career man, th
he was being detached from F
job as chief of the securi
evaluation division and w.
,being assigned to write a ban
book on security.
Mr. Reilly then went with M
Otepka to his office and,
they walked down the corrido
according to Mr. Otepk
"doors popped open" all ova
the place.
In Mr. Otepka's office six
Mr. Reillys own men jc_p-
them. They demanded and g,
the combinations of all safe
The locks were changed ar
Mr. Otepka was denied acce.,
to all his records, includin
personal papers.
J." M3 rz:
According to Mr. Otepka, Mr., Mr., Otep a hasn't beep invite
Reilly "shook his finger in my to any lunch.iions for anyone'
face," and reminded him of an since his difficplties began.
earlier conference in which he; He believes his office Is
had stressed "institution al`hugged" an his telephone:
loyalty." To this, Mr. Otepka ,lines are tapped. If anyone
says, his response was that calls, except on the most per-
'my first loyalty is to iny.functory matter-including his
country." lawyer-Mr. Otepka takes the
"You're punishing nip for number. Then he goes else-
telling the truth on Captiol hill.. where to call back.
I won't take back a word of it, It's the same at his Wheaton
Mr. Otepka added. .(Md.) home. There are strange-
The upshot was that Mr,: noises on his phone every time it
Otepka found himself in an`.rings. A friend expert In elee
office with no material to carry' 'tronics, has told him this indi-
out his assigned task of writing; Oates it might be tapped.
a security handbook. Charged Laxity in Security
For a while he got the C;,r-
gressinnal Record. Then this But there are few occasions:
was stopped. At his insistence, which require Mr. Otepka to
he got it again, , leave his home to .return a call.
,T,h(~; .,:ate Department infor- , People who used to call him'
tnation that came to him con- have stopped doign so.
sisted of announcements of per-; .'What caused all this was Mr.,,
sonnel changes, parties and the ti,,- ;r
..activities of howling teams. I COAT ALtili
Shunned By Associates a'
In time it became clear toj
Mr. Otepka. He had been con-I
signed to that "limbo large and'
broad" and for the most part'
"unpeopled and untrod."
Associates avoided coming to;
his office. They passed him in
the hall with the barest nod. As
inmost offices, the Staete Do-,
partment Is a social sort of
place. If anyone is reassigned
somewhere else, there is often a
'luncheon to wish him well in his
pew. post. . . , ., . '
CPYRGHT
Seeks Explanation
After the lunch hour, MI
,Optepka went back to Mr. Rei
ly. He demanded an explani
tlon. ,
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000600040033-9