FYI- - ALLEGATIONS AND ANSWERS - AN OCCASIONAL NOTICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00514R000100190006-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2002
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: January 17, 1972
• Content Type: MF

1 ,4,6
Approved For Relej~YIVWQpl' p;RP75B00514R000100190006-0
17 January 1972
SUBJECT : "FYI -- Allegations and Answers" -
An Occasional Notice
ILLEGIB
1. Statements about Agency activities frequently appear in the
press or become current around town. In many cases an Agency em-
ployee would be expected by his non-Agency friends and associates to
know the background of the matter offhand and be able to clarify erro-
neous statements in both official and social conversations. This is not
always the case, however. To make this possible, notices called "FYI --
Allegations and Answers" will be circulated if warranted.
2. Attached is the first issue in sufficient copies for your further
distribution to the office and division level.
25X1
We t!;. U01by
Distribution:
DDI
DDS
DDP
DDS&T
OGC
OLC
IG
ONE
AO/DCI
FIE D~ copy
GROUP 1
Approved For ReleaceeQ0VJk M:'%I*dlJ - bi'75B0 Excluded ,1100 90006-0
 Approved For Release 20 /t ItUX64
January 1972
ALLEGATION:
A Congressman was quoted in the Washington Post on 27 December
as saying, "What I know about Laos is that the CIA has done a pretty lousy
job and has been ineffective. "
A former employee, Mr. Thomas F. McCoy, has offered a rebuttal
to the Congressman. Although Mr. McCoy said that he has disagreed with
U. S. involvement in Southeast Asia, he has used the phrase "spectacular
success" in assessing the job assigned CIA in Laos. Parts of a letter which
he wrote on the matter were published in the Washington Post on 11 January.
Excerpts appear below.
"I spent 17 years as a CIA employee and left in early 1968 because
of my basic opposition to United States involvement in Southeast Asia.
My last four years in the Agency were totally involved with Asian
affairs. My knowledge of what CIA has done and has not done are
obviously more detailed than (Congressman) Montgomeryts, but it
seems to me that if he is going to make public statements, he should
at least take into consideration facts which have been well publicized..
"In order to assess CIA performance in Laos it is necessary to know
what it was asked to do.
"CIA involvement in Laos stems from the agreement by the USA, and
other powers involved, to withdraw all foreign troops from Laos. The
agreement was signed in 1962. It became apparent immediately there-
after that the North Vietnamese, in violation of the agreement, were
continuing to send irregular forces and supplies to the Communist Pathet
Lao. Their purpose was clear--to establish a Communist government
in Vientiane which would allow the North Vietnamese free access to the
portion of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos and the road across central Laos
to Thailand. The government of the United States decided to mount an
operation to thwart the North Vietnamese purpose. Because the Geneva
agreement precluded the use of U. S. military forces or advisers, CIA
was designated as the executive agent to handle the training and support
of the non-Communist Meo tribes who lived in and around the Plain of
Jars. The Meo force was the only army in Laos capable of stopping the
Pathet Lao (supported by the North Vietnamese) from quickly overrunning
the Plain of Jars, which was essential to the Communist purpose.
Approved For Release 2002/09/03 : CIA-RDP75B00514R000100190006-0
CONFIDENTIAL
 Approved For Release,Q')NiI9I/1IuI3Tio1'Z5B00514R000100190006-0
"The point to remember here is that the decision to act was a U. S.
Government decision; not one arrived at by CIA. I think the decision
was wrong, just as I think almost every other decision with regard to
our involvement in Indochina has been and continues to be wrong. That
is not the point under discussion.
"The question is: What kind of job did CIA do with the task assigned
it in Laos?
"The answer, based on any comparison with the U. S. military effort
in Vietnam, would have to be: A spectacular success.
"My personal knowledge of the operation ended in mid-1967, the last
time I visited Long Tieng, the seat of the headquarters of Gen. Vang Pao,
the Meo leader. At that time there were roughly 35, 000 Meo tribesmen
under arms fighting daily with the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese
irregulars. This force had been fighting successfully for five years and
inasmuch as they held Long Tieng until a few days ago, continued for
another four years to beat off a vastly superior Communist army. the
CIA contingent supporting them in Laos and in Thailand did not exceed
40 Americans, plus a small air contingent which air-delivered supplies
and personnel. Imagine 40 Americans in support of 35, 000 friendly
tribesmen... .
"For eight years this ragtag force defended its areas of responsibility,
protecting the backside of the South Vietnamese- -with no U. S. troops
fighting at their side, not to say in front of them as in Vietnam. They
accomplished this with the support of a handful of Americans and with
the loss of perhaps three or four American lives.
"Can anyone seriously suggest that this was a lousy job? ... "
The McCoy letter was not inspired by anyone in the Agency. It was
not written on our initiative or with our approval. We present it to you,
however, for your information.
ALLEGATION:
In Parade Magazine's Personality Parade of 9 January 1972, the
magazine's Walter Scott said CIA uses political assassination as a weapon,
specifically mentioning Operation Phoenix in Saigon.
Approved For Release 2002/09/03 : CIA-RDP75B 0514R000100190006-0
CONFI D N'I IA
 Approved For Release 2002/09/03 : CIA-RDP75B00514R000100190006-0
CON FI D N'1'IAI.
CIA does not engage in assassinations. Additionally, Operation
Phoenix was not run by CIA. Mr. Colby has written the Editor of Parade
and asked him to publish the following:
"In your issue of January 9th, one of Walter Scott's Personality
Parade responses stated that CIA 'uses political assassination as a
weapon' and that Operation Phoenix 'run by the CIA established a new
high for U. S. political assassinations in Vietnam. ' Since I have held
responsible positions in CIA for many years and was also (during de-
tached service from CIA) responsible for U. S. support to Operation
Phoenix, I believe I am uniquely qualified to testify (as I have in public
session under oath to Senate and House Committees) that:
a. CIA does not and has not used political assassination as
a weapon.
b. Operation Phoenix was run not by the CIA but by the
Government of Vietnam, with the support of the CORDS element
of the U. S. Military Assistance Command in coordination with
several U. S. agencies including CIA.
c. Operation Phoenix is not and was not a program of
assassination. It countered the Viet Cong apparatus attempting
to overthrow the Government of Vietnam by targetting its leaders.
Wherever possible, these were apprehended or invited to defect,
but a substantial number were killed in firefights during military
operations or resisting capture. There is a vast difference in
kind, not merely in degree, between these combat casualties (even
including the few abuses which occurred) and the victims of the
Viet Cong's systematic campaign of terrorism to which Mr. Scott
quite accurately referred.
In order to clarify this important question to the millions of concerned
Americans who read Parade, I should appreciate your publishing this
letter. "
NOTE : The above factual answers are for employee guidance should the
matters mentioned come up during official or social conversations.
-3-
Approved For Release / fl 2QkJ51300514R000100190006-0