EVANS: "DO YOU FEEL?--I THINK YOU'VE BEEN RATHER KIND TO THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION THUS FAR ALTHOUGH I THINK YOU DO THAT PRETTY MUCH WITH ALL ADMINISTRATIONS UNTIL YOU START FINDING WHAT YOU THINK ARE WEAKNESSES.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M01009A000701110014-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 8, 2013
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: January 21, 1961
• Content Type: MISC

Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/08: CIA-R DP80M01009A000701110014-5
EVANS: "Do you feel?--I think you've been rather kind to
the Kennedy administration thus far although I think you do that
?pretty much with all administrations until you start finding what
you Mink are weaknesses. Do you-feel this is a real mistake on
the part of Mr. Kennedy?"
PEARSON: "Yes, I do. I think this is a serious mistake.
McCone has ao background (the re 7)--he doesn't know anything about
espionage problems, intelligenoe--"
PEARSONs "Well, a lot of people do. Allen Dulles certainly
had a long baokground in it, and a lot of people from the State
Department do, and this man has been a very successful businessman
and sll the records show that he's made a lot of money at govern-
ment expense. It's ell spelled out in past hearings before various
committees, end why should he be head of an agency which has the
power of life and death in making recommendations in certain parts
of the world, especially in the Near East, where C ') is
effected and where he owns--ia the second biggest stockholder in
Standard 011 of California and a big stockholder in Standard of
New Jersey, which control the Arabian-American 011 Company."
WELDON:. "Drew, the other day there's, I think, s Newsweek
story which told about the columnists here in 1Nashingtoa most
popular and influential with President Kennedy. Apparently the
President reads regularly Lippman and Alsop and Reston and you,
I think. Do you imow how well you stand with the administration?
To what extent do you think you influence the congressional and
presidential actions?"
PEARSON: "Niell, that's a very leading question that I
shouldn't answer."
WELDON: "Well, you have some idea."
EVANS: "Have you any indication in regard to the McCone
story? The President must have reed that--have you heard anything
from it?"
PEARSON: "McCone offered to resign the other day--"~
EVANS: "Aa a result of the column?"
PEARSON: "Yeah, the President said not to resign, so I
have no influence with the President."
WELDON:I, "But you do have antra, don't you?"
PEAR30N': "Oh, yes. I had a very nioe visit with the President
lest Saturday."
P)iARSON: "I pinpoint my shots very carefully. Anybody who
reads the column--take, for instanoe, on McCone, will nee thet.I
spent weeks diggin~ into the records, naming dates, amounta~
everything that he a done. That took en awful lot of work.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/08: CIA-R DP80M01009A000701110014-5