A GRAVE DISSERVICE TO NATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R000300360080-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2000
• Sequence Number: 80
• Publication Date: July 26, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

STATINTL
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01601
OCFANSIDF, CAL.
BLADE-TRIBUNE'
1 -- 10,779
S -- 10,047
JUL 26 1J'
01! V rr ii c ~eqq.~ i~ r{ r_y: { + ~t1 { WTI
yi
E.../ :3..li. ice..., i..J ~./.c'. .~_~-,J ~y?J l'/ ' -AL.~--4 t?:,. 11. ~.s.{~-yI
Editor William T. Buckley , dill hirri--
'self and the Profession of journalism a?
grave disservice as he thrust himself
into the limelight. generated by the pub
lication of the "Pentagon P'alserrs."
Mr. Buckleypul_>lished meterial in his
magazine, National Pevie.w, tivliith hr
initially said was copied from corifiden-
tial documents from the Pentagon rind
Central Intelligence Agency Files; Like
the Pentagon paapers, the material "c uot-
ed" leading statesmen of the 1960s in
purported agreement or disagreement
over contigency plans for the war in
Vietnam,
Had the papers been genuine, Mr.
Buckley, like the New York Times and
others publishing; the -original Pentagon
papers, would be guilty of trafficking in
stolen government documents; of en-
dangering national security, and of de-
based journalistic ethics.
However, now Mr. Buckley says,,tlhrit
the whole matter was a hoax: that the papers he published were fictitious. He
says his purpose was to show that the
'Pentagon and the r_T.y
..FyY i?i(Jt CUt'npos-
ed of incomripetents,'' that forged docu
meats can be accepted by the public if
they sound plausible, and that the war
in Vietnam is of global scope.
Mr. Buckley hardly proved his case
with false papers. 1.10. did, however,
cheapen the profession of journalism,
110 further strained the confidence of
citizens in. government by making Some
of their reputable statesmen appear in_
competent. _
The fact. is there is no way that Mr.
Buckley or anyone else can make the
theft and publication of governments
secrets a joke. It is a dead serious mat-
ter, and one which still needs to be re-
dressed in the form of punishment of
the transgressors.
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01601 R000300360080-5