ASSESSING THAT SENIOR US OFFICIAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00467A002500080005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2005
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: August 15, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

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 Approved For-Release 2001/31 : CIS, RDP79 00 67A002500080005-2
Part II -- Ma
France steps up defense spending
By Ii. A. Kidder
Special to The Globe
PARIS - The United
States has long com-
plained that its NATO al-
lies have not been doing
their fair share in the de-
fense of Western Europe.
Now French President
Giscard d'Estaing Is taking
steps to Improve that situ-
ation as regards his coun-
try. -
? This spring. Giscard's
proposal to double the de-
fense budget over the next
six years and to modernize
and develop p`rance's con-
tentlonai forces was. ap-
proved by the Parliament.
From 17 percent of the na-
tional budget the military
budget will be increased,
between 1977 and 1982, to
20 percent. This Is in re-
sponse to the French pres-
ident's concern that steps
must be taken in face of
"regional and world-wide
destabilization."
France has left NATO's
Integrated command and
has no Intention of rejoin-
ing it, but Giscard recog-
nizes that France's nation-
al security depends-on Eu-
ropean equilibrium and he
real4es that the nation
trust, egntribute to the se-
curity of its allies.
These points are well il-
lustrated by the recent
announcement of plans
and actions to strengthen
the French fleet greatly
and to reorient its mission
from the Atlantic, based
on Brest, to the Mediterra-
nean, based on Toulon,
This decision directly in-
terests the US at a time
when the Soviet navy in
the Mediterranean is being
built up rapidly, exceeding
the strength of the Ameri-
can Sixth Fleet.
From 1974 to 1977 the
French combat fleet in the
Mediterranean will have
increased from 77,000 ,tons
to 136,000, if current plans
continue. When new ma~te:
dais ?? become available,'
naval strength will be in-
Crewed further. Principal
aero-naval units already
have" been transferred
from, Brest to Toulon. The
carriers Foch and Clemen-
ceau, with their escorting
cruisers and missle-
l-aunching frigates, with
nuclear capacity, are being
attached to Toulon, 'dou-
bling the 'rench naval
force In the Mediterra-
nean.
As explained by Giscard
when he reviewed the
French Mediterranean
fleet in mid-July, interna-
tional relations on a global
scale revolve around two
axes: on the East-West
axis around the two su-
perpowers; and on the
north-south axis between
the industrialized coun-
tries of the north andlthe
developing countries' 'of
the south.
The Mediterranean is
the center, of gravity, the
point. of intersection - of
these axes, he said, and
there France intends to
follow a policy called for
by its traditions, its re-
sponsibilities and its inter-
ests. Hence the reorienta-
tion of French naval
strength to the Mediterra-
nean, where Giscard said
half of the world's naval
means are Concentrated.
At the end of the Alge-
rian war it seemed to the
French that calm might
reign in the Levant and
that French naval forces
would find tne _ A11anli~
more favorable ' to their
deployment. Events, said
Giscard, have shown the
error of these predictions.
Because of its geopoliti-
cal situations on the shores
of the Mediterranean and
because of its economic
and commercial depen-
dence on, maritime trans-
portation on that sea,
France must seek peace
and stability in that area.
For both political and eco-
nomic: ercial reasons,
'France.. kt2s,:..?',since de-
Gaulle sought ? to
strengthen its relations
with 'the - ,tiTek:a'laghreb
s
t
i
Af
r
;
e
r
can) sta
tifwgst
R.- A. Kidder is a kraaaer (No
with ? tire Arab world as a
U.S ambassador to Gana--. ,ho1e_adwith blank` Af-
bodia who now lives in
Paris, is a special corre-? rira_
j From fie economic-
spondent for he Globe. commercial point of view.
BOSTON GLOBE 15 AUGUST 1976 (16) Pg. 1
Assessing
By William Beecher
:lobe Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - This is a story about the myste-
rious "senior US official" who for eight years has been
globetrotting on Henry Kissinge:'s plane, issuing lofty
pronouncements tend opinions.
His authoritative observations - on issues of the
day, on the prospects of sensitive negotiations, indeed on
chances of war and peace - are taken most seriousi by
world leaders and the public in general.
What he is:
i l'itty, charming,
Thus he is one of the most
powerful and influential men
in the US government. But
ground rules imposed on the
dozen or so newsmen who
travel with him forbid un-
masking him by name and
title.
This self-same "senior US
misleading, abused, official" was very much in
evidence on Air Force Three,
cunning, protected a specially fitted-out Boeing
707 jet when Secretary of State
Kissinger made a recent eight-
day jaunt, probably one of
his' last in high government' office, to London; Teheran,
Iran; Kabul, Afghanistan; Lahore, Pakistan; Deauville,
France, and The Hague.
(See SENIOR OFFICIAL, Pg. 2-F)
of- the 35Q0 trier ant ghbps
-which dalIyy+beerate on 'the
Mediterrane,an,:, 1200 . fly
the flags of Western Euro-
pean states. French Medi-
terannean ports account
for 40 percent of France's
maritime traffic',. and, for
over half of France's petro+
leum . supplies. Being so
largely dependent on'the
Red Sea and the Mediter-
ranean for energy. re-
sourees. Frandg'-is incfeaS-
ingiy. _ sencutiVff: Ito the
danger of submarine at
tiiek`which would cut her
pricipal lines of supply.
It is vital, therefore, for
France:toPkeep A04 lanes open
and to maintain the closest
possible.selations with-'the
riparian nations. France's
reorientation, of its naval
strength- is thus entirely
logical from a national
point of view and, at the
same time, adds, in a criti-
cal area, valuable strength
to the position of NATO in
any confrontation with the
USSR. Yet it in no way
conflicts, with the basic
French policy' of national
i;dependence and mainte-
nance of an autonomous
defense capacity.
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 -Part II Main Edition -- 16 August 1976
SENIOR OFFICIAL -- CONTINUED.
'course of -a ,vorki ng trip abroad:..Heisas raised the
practice of manipulating the press to an art form of
diplomacy.
Reporters know they are being used, but, to vary-
ing- degress, they tend to go along anyway, fascinated,
spellbound, flattered to be so intimately associated
with a man of such unusual intellect and style. These
newsmen lash out in frustration, privately
and occasionally in print or over the air-
waves, at the duplicity of the official's ap-
proach. But they stop short of going so far
as to risk a divorce of the relationship. It
means too much to them personally and pro-
fessionally.
Not since the heyday of President John
Kennedy has any ranking, American official
been so adept at using the press for his public
policy purpose.
On each Kissinger flight, reporters, Secret
Service men and secretaries sit in the rear
compartment, while Kissinger, other State
Department officials and some wives sit in a
forward compartment, which includes an air-
The source is obviously well-
informed, but there is no earthly
way for reporters to check what
he has just said-unless they
happen to have some independent
knowledge of the subject.
On each long flight between stops the "se-
iior US official" customarily talks to report-
ers both formally, with all of them grouped
:round him in his office, and informally in-
onversations with a few at a time in the
isle in the rear section.
In the formal sessions, the official makes
some statements, comments on some of their
stories which offended or pleased him, and
answers questions. Tape recorders are per-
mitted in such briefings because the noise of
the engines sometimes makes it hard to hear
every word.
Thus, even though reporters are not per-
mitted to quote the man, by name, they can
review his words by replaying the tapes back
at their seats and then write their stories,
portable typewriters cradled on their knees
it on serving trays. The source is obviously
well-informed, but there is no earthly way
for the reporters to check what he has just
said, unless they happen to have some inde-
pendent knowledge on the subject.
On the flight from London to Teheran, for
example, a newsman asked the official to
comment on stories that the Russians on July
4 and July 29 had detonated nuclear devices
that may have been of yields higher than
permitted under a draft treaty on nuclear
weapons tests.
He first disparaged the report as being
politically motivated. Then he suggested the
range of uncertainty was somewhere between
100 and 200 kilotons. The pact bans tests over
150 kilotons. If careful additional analysis,
which was ordered after a meeting of the Na-
tional Security Council's Verification Panel,
showed the test was at the upper range, he
said, the United States would do something,
)resumably demand an explanation from
the Russians about the suspected violation of
the spirit of the agreement.
Asked about the second test, which re-
portedly was larger than the first and was al
most missed because it came minutes after at
~8en"no'ilats ha-second
_-have done 'Some reporting on the s4ject in
Washington a few days before and had beer.
told on good authority that thee. first test
ranged between 120 and 440 kilotons and the
second was even larger. This wide gap of un-
certainty was being analyzed, I had be-en-told.
to determine whether the Russians., should
have known such tests would register well
above the agreed ceiling. The Globe story
thus differed significantly from the one told
on the plane.
On the flight from Teheran to Kabul, re-
porters were anxious to get some idea of the
issues to be dealt with in Pakistan, the subse-
quent stop. The official expressed America's
growing concern that a capability will spread
to a number of nations to build nuclear
weapons and stressed US displeasure with a
French contract to build a nuclear fuel pro-
cessing plant in Pakistan. Without tighter
safeguards than now envisaged, he said, Pak-
istan could divert enriched uranium from the
plant to build nuclear bombs as did its neigh-
boring rival India. 11.
He left the clear impression with report-
ers that he would warn Pakistani leaders that
unless they backed out- of the deal with
France, or at least. agreed to air-.4ight.. safe-
guards, the United States might deny the sale
of 80 to 100 A7.medium bombers to Pakistan
and might have to cut off economic aid under
newly drafted Congressional legislation.
But in public statements in Lahore, Paki-
stan, Kissinger was at pains to stress, that no
threats were being made, military or econom-
ic, and that he "hoped the issue could be set-
tled without confrontation.". However, the
earlier stories, inspired by the session on the
plane, had served the purpose of sending a
tougher signal.
On the flight to France, where the.Kissin-
gers planned to spend a day and a half relax-
ing on the estate of an English lawyer friend,
the "senior US official" came to the rear of
the plane to jestingly complain that because
of their stories on the French-Pakistani deal
they had managed to ruin his brief vacation.
He jibed at them that when the plane landed
he would have to say that American report-
ers had misrepresented his remarks and that
.heir stories had been further misinterpreted
)y the French.
But he made no public statement of that
sort on landing and many of the newsmen
'igured he had been pulling their leg, partly
,ut of pique that they had not trusted his
"word as a gentleman" that his visit to
France was purely social and had shifted
plans from waiting in Paris to-move instead
to a hotel in Deauville. '
Press irritation exploded into anger the
next day when reporters learned:
-That Kissinger had given an interview
to two of their number when they wandered
out to his estate.
-That the French foreign office had is-
sued a statementsaying the United- Sjatj_h~d
apologized for the misimpressions created by
erroneous stories.
A bus load of angry reporters descended
on the estate, only to be mollified by public
Kissinger assurances that no erroneous stories
had been filed by reporters on the trip'.
But too late. Two wire service reporters
and one, television newscaster had already
dispatched stories tagging Kissinger as the
source of the earlier, controversial account.
In fairness, it should be underscored that
(See SENIOR OFFICIAL, Pg. 3-F)
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SENIOR OFFICIAL -- CONTINUED
much of what 'the official said on the plane
was straightforward,, informative, valuable
and reasonable. But. at critical moments, it
,_was not completely trustworthy.
ffi-
h
e o
And while frequently on the trip t
cial complained about partisan motivation
behind various. leeks, at one point he dropped
a seemingly passing remark about the diffi-
culty of assessing intelligence on Soviet
weapons. He said that one such recent issue
involving the Soviet Backfire bomber should
be resolved in about three weeks.
Most of the reporters had no notion of
what he was talking about, but several made
marginal notes to check on it after returning
to Washington. Apparently he was referrin
to a recent controversial study by McDon
nell-Douglas engineers - at the behest of th
CIA - on some new information on Backfir
flights suggesting the plane might hav
shorter range than concluded in five len
would help the Kissinger case against insist
ing on counting the Backfire as a strategi
bomber under a prospective SALT-2 agree
ent.
As the Kissinger plane neared Was
ton, the senior official was in the aisle in
shirtsleeves and stockinged feet, having a
largely political bull session with several re-
porters. "Would former President Nixon
maintain a low political profile?"
If Jimmy Carter is elected and for some
reason things fall apart, he responded, it's
possible that Nixon will come forward and
insist he was the last strong President.
The official revealed that a couple of peo-
ple, working on Nixon's memoirs had inter-
viewed Kissinger on certain key events.
Asked whether he thought Kissinger could
write an historically objective acc6unt of the
major events in which he had played so cen-
tral a role, he grew pensive.
No doubt it would be hard, the official
said, but no good purpose would be served by
a self-serving, one-sided attempt to explain
away certain negative newspaper headlines.
Kissinger, he said, would doubtless dictate his
recollections of events and then search the
record for corroboration.
Then he got very serious. "If this turns
out to be the last trip, boys-" his voice trailed
off and his eyes grew misty. He waved
farewell and ambled back to the forward
compartment.
On the ground at 9:30 p.m., the "senior
US official" was last seen entering a long
black limousine with Nancy Kissinger. But
none of the reporters at planeside regarded
that as a scandalous act.
NEW YORK TIMES
15 AUG 76 (16)
Greek-Turkish
'War' Is Verbal
The _ Greek-Turkish war of . words
over rights to resources under the Ae-
gean Sea Ja continuing pit the united
Nations a$ elsewhere, but the Threat
of war between the two.ancient ene-
mies seems to have subsided as tenta-
tive steps for. negotiation of the dis-
pute have been taken.
Secretary of State Henry A. Kiss-
inger met yesterday with representa-
tives of the two countries to try to get
the negotiations started.
The present friction stems from the
voyage of a Turkish survey ship near
Greek islands. Greece claims the voy-
NEW YORK TIMES 15 AUGUST 1976 Pg.
Shifting Aegean Winds
By C. L. Sulzberger.
ATJiENS--The external dangers of
the persistently ugly Turkish-Greek
land's economy adjusts, will be diffi-
cult. Nevertheless, he says: "I have
warned our industrialists and farmers:
'I am going to throw you into the sea
and you will have to swim or sink.'"
quarrel are blatantly obvious: a threat . This, then, is the picture as Greece
to world peace and to NATO unity as teeters on the edge of fresh embroil-
well as to the complex of United States ment with Turkey in an argument that
relationships with the volatile East has persisted on and off for generations
Mediterranean. But there is also some- but was recently revived by the Cyprus
thing inherently sad about the fact and Aegean issues. The new political
that this problem, which is in truth so system is surprisingly stable, consider-
needless and, stripped of emotional ing the volatile people it governs and
aspects, so capable of solution, should its short duration,
be hampering democracy's impressive
progress here.
Just over two years ago Greece was
still in the straitjacket of military
dictatorship imposed by a conspiracy
of colonels in 1967. In the wake of that
inept regime's effort to seize Cyprus by
an abortive coup, Turkey invaded the
disputed island. The junta collapsed
and Constantine Caramanlis, a.previous
Prime Minister, returned from his self-
sought exile id Paris fnd restored
democracy.
As he himself recounts the record,
The Republic's President has ade-
quate executive powers-less thar-
France's chief of state but more than
West Germany's. He can exercise a
veto, choose prime ministers, decide on
plebiscites and influence long-range
policy; he cannot intervene in day-to-
day decisions.
The press, after seven years of
dictatorial shackles, is free to the de_
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
within 10 months free national and gree of licentiousness. Political opposi-
municipal elections had been held, a tion speaks out boldly, especially the
plebiscite whose results were nchal- talented parliamentary orator Andreas
lenged decided on a republican ican form of Papandreou But the opposition is di-
government to replace the refrigerated vided; its lack of unity and responsi-
motrarchy, a progressive constittttion bility is if anything a special weakness
was approved and a president chosen of the existing system.
-all without bloodshed. Greece sud- Just prior to the latest, ongoing,
denly possessed Free Europe's only crisis with Turkey-this one over nun-
strong government-dominated by one eras exploration of the continental shelf
majority party in Parliament and public beneath the Aegean Sea-Mr. Cara-
opinion. Everywhere else coalition or mantis had earned considerable acclaim
minority cabinets ruled. by offering the tarnished Olympic
The army-pampered by the colonels Games a permanent, nonpNiticized
it produced-grad inadequate weapons . home=-ancient Olympia itself, where
and was deeply involved id politics; the whole idea, began. Greece was
today it is properly equipped and ready to finance a major share of the
boasts good discipline and high morale. costs, probably through a long-term
Those of its leaders who had seized loan serviced by quadrennial profits
national power have been purged. and from the competition.
the social structure was knot upset
thereby. Now, suddenly-tragic, but far from
The economy was -hauled out of a unusual in this passionate, changeable
morass. In 1974 the growth in the land-the picture of happy, democratic
G.N.P. was minus 2 percent. Last health has altered. A-few days ago Mr.
year It was 3 percent and 'this year it Caramanlis was confident his national
is expected to be 5 percent. The Gov- and parliamentary majority was great-
ernment estimates 1976, inflation at et- than ever as the free-thinking, free-
between 10 and 12 percent. speaking Greeks savored the additional
The balance of payments crisis has pleasures of prosperity spiced with
vanished and, despite heavy defense liberty.
expenditures (in hard: currency install- x But if the current confrontation de-
ments), Greece no longer has to bor- velops badly-and in this part of the
row. Unemployment. during this year's ; world anything can happen with ut-
first quarter is 37.4 percent less than most abruptness-how will the nation
for the same period. of 1975. react? Lest week the Prime- Minister
Moreover, Mr. Caramanlis has crossed would confidently have bet on greater
the threshold of Greece's great Euro- support than at any time since his
pean dream by gaining acceptance as return. The Greeks seemed to show
a member of the Common Market. overwhelming confidence in his leader-
He estimates it will take two to three ship. Next week-who knows? That is
years for complete . admission and the danger of unpredictable Aegean
that the initial period, while this little ralitical winds.
age infringes on its rights to the sea-
bed area; Turkey says the Greek claim
to the subsoil is invalid. The potential
prize is a domestic oil supply for two
oil-poor nations: Greece has, already
found oil in the area near Thasos.
Greece has 'asked the International
court of Justice at The Hague for an
advisory opinion and has also taken
its case to the United Nations Security
council. The United States and other
allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Or-
ganization, to which both Greece and
Turkey are connected, welcomed the
iecision to argue the matter out in
the intetnationaI forums. That was
preferable to the armed conflict that
seemed at least possible as Greece and
Turkey, their relations already
strained by Cyprus, each made mili-
tary preparations.
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Part II -- Main Edition -- 16 August .1976
WASHINGTON STAR 15 AUGUST
Eliot Janew Y_..
s
In Rol6 of
Shah's Pawn
By Eliot Janeway
speciel to The W aehington Star
The "greasy pole" was Disraeli'
s
half-respectful and half-contem -
L
ous term for personal, politics
p
power. When FDR shinnied to the to
of that pole, he found the press c
ference a nuisance but left it an insti-
tution. Today presidential candidates
are under more pressure to show how
they will perform at their press con-
on- He
ferences than to explain away their
sexual entanglements or to prop
a
that they never signed up on Howard
Hughes' team.
FDR handled his press confer-
ences like a master showman.
treated the reporters as 14 straight
t
men" and seized on their questions
as an opportunity to steal their '
tined
in playing to their audiences. Et
Barrymore (Alice Longworth'
ambassador to us Democrats) on
explained to me, "President Roose-
velt is a natural-born Barrymore w
strayed into politics."
True to the tradition of mast
showmanship, FDR never relied
exclusively on his own patter. Not-
Ethel tha but
e
withstanding his reputation as "
champ," he always relied on a stage
prop because he ran scared. His side-
t
kick was his dog Fala. He brought
down the house with an unforgettable
punch-line delivered to his then-un-
precedented mass radio audience
"My wife doesn't mind what they s
r
about her, my children don't min
d
what they say about them. I don'
t
mind what they say about me, bu
they attack my dog Fala and s
a
minds."
Since FDR's time there have
ws
three pretentious attempts to steal
his thunder. Nixon acted out the first
charade when as Ike's Veep
fought off the Feds and defended his
h he it
s
first public liaison with Howard
Hughes. As character witnesses
Nixon invoked "Pat's good Republi-
can cloth coat" and his dog Check-
ers. LBJ played Falstaff to Roose-
velt's Prince Hal. Where Roosevelt
played sympathy for Fala-for all i
was worth, Johnson used the White
House lawn to hold up his dogs by the with the whole world looking.
On the theory that you can't ha
too much of a good thing, the friendly
Shah of Iran has just improvised
third rendition of this sentimental
sketch; this time it's a tragic outrage
against public decency and American
security. Last week he declared e
toothless war against the United
States at his Teheran press confer-
ence. The lap-dog at his side was
none other than the indomitable
p
of the cocktail circuit. Secretary
State Henry Kissinger. -
The Romans had a term for th
t
li i uu
land of display and they were quite
clear about the stakes they were
playing for. They spoke of
captured barbarians "under' t
yoke." Yoking is a mild euphemism
n
1976 (16) Pg. B7
for the treatment the barbarian in : --. means offering it at ?a discount: When
Not ev he>added, !'but we are ngithat.brokc:
i
Ki
ss
nger.
Teheran gave
Cham ltad no liar-
ber!ain Id have taken yet.;i Lie adniitied that iie
wou a
gaining power
comparablehumiliation from Hitler
71 --The FFench -have for
-Berchtesgaden nj ilateti a
,
'it
- -pithy phrase to: describe _w.hgt hap=:
The New York Times reported thwt-
"the Skcretary sat next to the Shah pens when Europeans try. to move in
under a Picasso (and that) Mr. Kis- on Americans doing business in the
singer said little during the confer- Middle East: "Either we can't deliv-
ence and at times seemed annoyed at er or they don't pay." Only the feck-
some of the questions asked." It less British would have blundered
noted that. at the end of the press into the trap the Shah has set for
conference, the secretary said the them in his anxiety to put substance
United States attached "great impor- behind his bluster. If the British let
twice to relations with Iran as well as their new windfall of orders from the
to the crucial role Iran plays in the Shah go to their beads, sterling will
security and balance of the whole end up overvalued at a dollar.
The Shah, in admitting that Iran is
amarket Times for Picassos neglected is s more more busted than liquid, invoked the
that
that the rationalization that he is borrowing
conducive e to aissing ready y cash for or in order to play Dutch uncle to
The busted seller thrust raising
of than the the Shahoil's ultimarket.matum "India, Egypt, and many other Afri-
can countries;" they are the non-pay-
h
h
U
S
d
e
.
. nee
was t
at t
s its roman i clients for the oil he can't sell. In
connection more desperately than his present course he will be borrow-
Iran needs its American arsenal - ing for himself; no cover-up about
and that's going some. Kissinger s giveaways to countries which have
willingness to serve as the political
counterpart of a spear-carrier in already strained their credit will
Aida was all the more remarkable stand up.
because his presence gave comfort to Shakespeare could not have had
this most demepted of America's de- the Shah in mind when he mocked a
clared enemies. The explicit target of similar bit of noisy strutting as "a
this attack was the Senate Foreign tale told by an idiot, full of sound and
Relations Committee -the one com- fury signifying nothing" - but the
mittee with the constitutional power - comparison is irresistible. With
every shipment of American arms he
to ratify any of America's foreign
receives the Shah has ome more
policy dealings. There's no doubt that
of a captive customer-t he needs
if President Ford had gotten word of
American follow-on accessories and
this inappropriate exercise of Secre-
replacement equipment.' as well as
tary Kissinger's giving aid and com-
American maintenanc nd training
fort to the enemy, he would have
crews. Any serious effort to follgw
been upset, and even confused.
through on his bluff will endanger the
The specific provocation of the
return on his substantial American
Shah's ire was the belated discovery
inventory. It will alsp- s_ubject his
by the Subcommittee on Foreign As-
armed forces to the coifil'imoti plight
sistance of the Senate Foreign Rela-
suffered by all developing countries:
tions Committee that Nixon had
non-standardization. TShah runs
given the Shah a secret go-ahead to
the risk of being left no only as indi-
go into the arms business with
gent as the other countries in the
America the source of her arsenal.
Third World relying on this strategy,
Senator Humphrey is the chairman of
but as impotent.
this subcommittee, and one of the
Recollections of Shakespeare sug-
most eloquent advocates of recipro-
gest heroic undertakings. The Shah is
cal disarmament. Ironically enough,
scarcely a heroic figure; his antics
only yesterday Kissinger was touting
recall one of the more sardonic quips
Humphrey up and down Embassy
of Molnar, the late Hungarian master
Row as the sure Democratic presi-
of theatrical comedy. Molnar elevat-
dential nominee with whom he coulc
ed being a Hungarian from a way of
work and on whom he could rely tc
life to a profession. In this capacity
keep foreign policy out of the upcom-
he delivered himself of the punch line:
ing political campaign.
on which he made the most mileage.
The theme of the Shah's rhapsody
He tells us,that "if you have a Hun-
in blackmail emphasized two proposi-
garian for a friend, you don't need an
tions: The first, that Iran is a sover-
- enemy."
eign country. The second, that it has
The Shah has figured out a way to
the right to turn the Middle East into
be America's Hungarian - particu-
a battle ground for an arms race,
larly, to be the CIA'S Hungarian. If
with America
as its chosen accesso-
ry.-
not for the CIA he would be an ob-
The Shah went op to offer Washing- scure refugee floating around Italian
Washing-
hotels. When the Dulles brothers
ton a series of ultimata. The first was
indicated by his warning that were enjoying their inning of piety
Iran
needs and masking their dirty pool, they engi-
proposes to have a mili-
neered the putsch that overthrew the
tary inventory three times larger
popular national revolution led by
than it already has. The second sug-
Mossadegh and reinstalled the
gested that if Washington refused to
present regime as its puppet in
continue serving as his arsenal
"there Teheran. The name of that game was
are many more sources avail-
to make Ivan safe for the American
able in the world just waiting for the
oil companies and to force the then
moment for us to go and shop there
still-important British oil interest to
He started out serving an ultima-
share the wealth with them.
tum, and ended up seeking a trade-
At the time Dick Helms was the up
off : Oil for arms. (As my readers will
and coming .CIA wonder-boy. Pre-
recall, I have been writing for
, dictably, he is now Kissinger's opera-
months that this would be the Shah's
that tive on the spot in Teheran - by vir-
last defense.) He refused to recog-
tue of being our ambassador. With
nize the basic market reality that
such representation, we don't need
offering a commodity for barter
enemies.
Approved For Release 2005/01/31 : CIA-RDP79M00467A002500080005-2