STATE DEPT. PHONE TAP: DOUBLE LIE?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600040078-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Sequence Number: 78
• Publication Date: January 8, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

JAN 8 1964
T V'i" \, : ;-1; .r zed - Approved For Release :-'
'IGO
Q
rr
re ? -art un? slat
ASIII iGTON.
svir.,rri 1uhlle,
efJohn P'.
Reilly, a former Stste Depart-,
Inent oiiicer involved in the
controviu smf Otepka case,
was contracketed lit testimony
revealcc yesterday by the
Senate 11iccurity suocommlttcc
t'he su'r,committee is. look
ing into the removal from of-
fire of Otto F. Otct.ka, chief
of the Srcurity Evcluations
fcction. `rIe was charred by
tuixelors, . with - supplying!'_"
cicasaificd information to the
subeonulii.tce's cl:i(.f couu:.el,
J. G. Sotarwiuc, ostensibly for
use a tit ins, sonic of hit St?ato'
Department cella,;;ues.
On Aug G. Mr. Reilly, then
Deputy Assistant Secrctary of
State for Security, told the
subcominf ,tee 019t his
L)traclcpart,mcnta:i investiga-
tion of AIr. Otepka, he had
never ?eiinuct t9 in or ordered
the bn.:winr;' or tapping or
ot:hcrvisc coinpromisiil?g tele-
phones ot? private conversa-
Lions in the office of r.n cm
ployce of the State Depart-
ment", Tilen, on~Nov. ii, he naked
the subcommittee for all op-
pol?tuliity to "amplify" his rc-
ie in an at-
k
fi
e s t
Mar
s.
Tinder questioning by Mr,
tached stafenlrnt, , that he had pletely candid during earlier, the~plactice
directed Linter D. 11111, chief Sourwine in a Nov. 15 hear- testimony because he felt an
of the Division of Technical ing, he was asked: ..,obligation to ? the depart-
Services, "to undertake a sire- "Now you can state, from meat."
7I
vey of the feasibility of inter- your own knowledge, that rho- Both Mr. Reilly and Mr.
ccpting conversation in M,r. body ever heard any words Hill resigned after modifying
Otepka office." over that listening' device that statements. made by them '
t
1
he ti ea
Mr. Mill and his deputy, you caused to be installed in t(u g
ng~ DCpt-rt^,I
e'"'La rnnrn 7 F,rii?ri ri r+r nr.t iri2 Mr. Otcpka's telephone? i?. .,,
,.! ,
kg's telephone into a micro- . Throughout the hearing
! phone for monitoring pill'Mr. Reilly denied that Mr..
poses, he revealed. Otcpka s telephone had been
1111 t, ' according to Mr.. compromised, a technical
Reillv's statement. "no con- '?' term meaning that conversa-.~!
result of ilia vents de- : and divulged. 'i
It-
scribed above." ,L-Nonetheless; In the report
1\ .....,....--......,.....~.. +t ., i.. .. -... ?.i. -.,t L.Y.. ..
Sanitized - Approved For. Releasi
CPYRGHT
FOIAb3b
released ycstnlday oil tl'Sti- -]1)e11t hati the legal ;it;ht to
many heard Nov. 18, Mr. Hill' \ tap employees' telcl)]lonc is
told the subcoauriittee,that it unclear. No precedent has
erhaps more;' telc-'
n
d
oze
, p
Uec set by a test ca-se.
phone conversations were re-
corded and tile tape turned A r,ubcoiiu111ttee 6i5ukes-
over on Mr. Reilly's instruc- man" said it is operating on
tions to "solve stranger." The, the assumption that the de-
disposition. of the tapes and
the identity of the'"stranger paltnlellt has that right in
remain a mystery. -, the pursuit of security inves-
Mr. Hill said he did not tigations. "Also, we feel they
know whether Mr. Reilly had can do it since the telephones
listened to, the conversations, are not the public property
'but there Was one teiephond of the employees," the spokes-
conversation which did seem man said.
interesting to him."
.'He said the call, from what
In security investigations
outside the.l f. S., the depart-
Mr. Reilly later told hi~n, per- meat has been known to ,in-
tained to a luncheon appoint- stall taps on private tele-
ment by. Mr. Otepka and phones of employees.
Otto F. Otcpka staff, M the department presently has
said
,.a'- .hn4 nn,
,-t
h
He
he
no regu
1ons pro
ibiti g
R?QP75-00149 R000600040078-0