COMMENTS OF JOHN LEHMAN , NSC STAFF, ON INDOCHINA TRIP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00380R000100030106-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 106
• Publication Date: August 21, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

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21 July 1972
SUBJECT: Comments of John Lehman, NSC Staff, on Indochina Trip
1. Today I called John Lehman to say that Robert Blum, Senate
Foreign Relations Committee staff, was pressing his request for a
National Intelligence Estimate on Indochina, claiming that Chairman
Fulbright had raised the matter with the White House and been referred
back to CIA. Lehman said he would look into it and probably the White
House itself would draft a letter for the Director's signature rejecting
the Fulbright request which the White House would stand behind.
2. Mr. Lehman then commented he had just gotten back from a
visit to Vietnam and Laos and on the basis of his observations he thought
it was ridiculous for the Agency to talk about getting out of the Laos
operation. He said he talked to a number of Agency people on his trip
and it was absurd to think that the military or the State Department could
take over the kind of work we were doing. He said the Agency team in
Laos was "absolutely outstanding" and he couldn't understand why anybody
would permit consideration of turning over the Laos problem to anyone else.
I said we weren't trying to run away from a tough job but sometimes it was
a little discouraging to get all the flak from Congress and the press about
carrying on a "secret war" and subsidizing the "opium merchants and
warlords. " I cited the recent press stories which had come out during
Lehman's absence, and speculated that this sort of thing might become a
campaign issue.
3. Mr. Lehman said he didn't think we should worry too much about
this and indicated the Administration was prepared to face these charges head-on.
I said we might be calling on him.
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4, Mr, Lehman ended up by again complimenting us on the great
team we had in Indochina and said we should be proud to have such people
who are really on top. oI their job. I asked him if he had seen
and he said he missed 0 but heard great things about him.
he was particularly impressed with the Agency team in
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JOHN M. MAURY
Legislative Counsel
Distribution:
Original - Subject
1 - ONE
1 - DDP
1 - Chief, FE
OLC Chrono
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