SENATOR PUTS HIS FOOT IN CIA'S FACE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000800170093-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 30, 1999
• Sequence Number: 93
• Publication Date: October 21, 1965
• Content Type: NSPR

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Sanitized - App(5ease cTA-I
Sen for ? Puts
HL Foot i
Asked about the report,
man. Young modified it con-
sidrrably.
He told the Herald Tribune
that "a man who claimed to
be working for the CIA" in
Viet Nam alleged that the
intelligence agency had hired
tome South ~ Vietnamese to
masquerade as Viet Cong,
"It was- alleged to me that
several of these executed two
village leaders and raped
some women."
In an elaboration of the
remarks attributed earlier to
him, the Senator indicated at
one point he believed a, group
of the purported masqueraders
had committed the alleged
atrocities.
But he added "I still don't
know, I don't believe such an
Incident occurred, but I could
see how it could have oc-
curred.?'
The Senator said he ex-
claimed "I can't believe that"
when the purported CIA agent
told him of the alleged atroci-
ties.
And he said on returning to
Washington from South Viet
Nam he had asked CIA about
the purported incident and
T had been told the intelligence
ACC agency "would not sanction
that."
By Tom Lambert
I Of The 8crald Tribune Staff
WASHINGTON.
The CIAO and the state
1 department went into an up-:
',roar yesterday when a news
service reported Son. Stephen',
Young. as saying that, he had'
been told the intelligence;
catch up with the remarks
ar'ency had committed tai's credited earlier to him.
cities in Viet Nrm to discredit
the Communist Viet Con-
guerrillas.
But the 7-year-old Ohio
Democrat told the Herald
Tribune: "I did not say that."
His purported statement.
brought an immediate denial
from the usually-silent CIA i
-"absolutely false," a, spokes-
man protested. And there was
,deep distress among State . t
Department officials who
feared his 'reported remarks
! would. have. disastrous reper-
cussions abroad.
Their reactions stemmed
from an associated press dis-
patch quoting Sen. Youn; as
saying that a CIA agent in
Viet Nam told him the CIA
'.had 'committed atrocities there
"CIA has employed some
;south Vietnamese and they
have been instructed to claim
they are Viet Cong and to
work accordingly," the Sena-
tor said, "but of course no one
could tell me any American
Instructed anyone to perpe-
trate outrages:"
It is unknown if the Sena-
tor's elaboration will ever
to underscore the Viet Cong
guerrillas"' reputation. for
cruelty......, .._
A CIA spokesman said "as'
far as our agents having done
such things (committed atro-'
cities), the statement Is ab-
solutely false."
Several State Department: t
officials bewailed the Sena'
tors' reported remarks as "ir-
responsible," and predicted
gloomily they would be
brandished by Communists
around the world as evidence -
that the U. S. Is engaging In
atrocities in Viet Nam.
Rep_ Cornelius I:. Gal-'
lagher, D., N. J., said Son.
Young's purported s-,atement
was "appalling and refi cts a
carelessness with facts."
Although' he later diluted
considerably the import of the
remarks attributed to him,
Sen. Young was steadfast in,
his opposition to CIA's e .-
ployment of South Vietnamese
to pose as Viet Cong guer-
rillas.
"I know such mien have
been employed, and I question
the wisdom of that," he told
the Herald Tribune, adding:
"If that is done, it :night be
that one or several of those,
fellows, on their own, if they
thought they were suspect, in
order to prove their ferocity,
and cruelty as Viet Cong, '
might perpetrate something."
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-R,DP75-00149R000800170093-7