LETTER TO MR. CLIFTON DANIEL FROM W. E. COLBY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M01009A003100010020-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2006
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: January 1, 1974
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved.For Release 2006/01/17: CIA-RDP80M44009A00310 ~G..:t
DRAFT
PERSONAL AND NOT FOR PUBLICATION
Mr. Clifton Daniel
New York Times
1920 L. St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
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Dear Mr. Daniel:
Two recent experiences move me to write you. A "backgrounder"
session on Wednesday, 27 February is the most recent
experience.
The situation was similar to that which obtained when
I lunched at your bureau and when I lunched with your editorial
board in New York. On Wednesday -- as was the case at the
lunches -- I said that due to our feeling that definitions of
"background", "deep background", etc. were variously understood,
I would merely say that those present could use anything I
said but not attribute it to me or any government official.
A reporter then volunteered, "that's what we call 'deep
background' -- the Lindley Rule -- no attribution to anyone".
Since the appearance of the attached story, we have
checked back with representatives of all the media present to
see whether perchance we t~understu d our own ground
rules. This has proven not to be the case; those present
agree that there was to be no attribution. I wonder, therefore
whether there is some New York Times position on attribution
of which I should be aware. I know that a Washington paper, for
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 ApprovedmFor Release 2006/01/17 : CIA-RDP80M0.1009A003100010020-0
instance, has taken a position on backgrounders, although
it seems to be flexible.
I would be pleased to receive any guidance you can give
As to the attached story itself, perhaps I can take
this opportunity to clarify two points.
With respect to the phrase "some of the information
was purchased", a recheck with the same men who were
present confirms my impression that I had said that the
collection of information from American citizens and companies
was on an absolutely voluntary basis with no payment involved.
This appears to have been so understood by all those with
whom we rechecked.
The story says "in 'very, very rare' instances,
intelligence services had spent 'non-appropriated money' -
that is, money acquired by private sources". All present
seem to have understood that what I b%Wd said was that there
were very, very rare instances in which we had been approached
with offers of money and that we did not use non-appropriated
monies. I expatiated on this further, but that was the
main thrust.
Sincerely,
W. E. Colby
Approved For Release 2006/01/17 : CIA-RDP80MO1009AO03100010020-0
 Approveeor Release 2006/01/17: CIA-RDP80MA11009AO03100010020-0
NEW YORK TIMES
Business Pose by U.S. Spies Reported
By DAVID BINDER He said that intelligence ser-`the presidency, Salvador Allen-
Spectal to The now York Tim,. vices, when seeking informa- de Gossens. The offer was made
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27-A ton from businessmen, always to Richard M. Helms, who was
high United States official saidjofferdd to guard the informa- then the Director of Central In-
today that more than 2001 tion from businessmen, always t mer d, by the agency's for
ler director, John A. McCone,
American intelligence agents) offered to guard the informa- who had become an I.T.T.
were stationed abroad posing Lion from competitors. board member.
as businessmen. i In addition, the official said, The official stated that the
He said that some were full-Ithe intelligence services par- C.I.A. was also "phasing out"
time intelligence operatives and; ticipate sometimes in research- its practice of having agents
that business enterprises pro-land-development ventures with operate under the cover of be-
viding them with cover re-i private manufacturers to per- ing journalists.
ceived payments from the Unit- fect technical equipment - Last year it was disclosed
ed States Government to defray "A better bug," for instance. that the C.I.A. had maintained
the costs o f running their of- Fin some 30 journalists o n its pay-
fices. y rare" instance s ' roll curing the years since
Others function only part- gence services . ad spent "non- i World War II.
time as agents, he said, anpropnated monev'- that,
some of them have proved to is, money acquired from pri-
be such talented businessmen vate sources.
that they were lured away from The official asserted that
their intelligence positions andlUnited States intelligence serv
hired as full-time executives ices had not used funds from'
by the companies that had
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"We've lost some good ones out that the-Central Intelli.-
"
that way,
the official said. He gence Agency had rejected an
added that some of the busi- offer by the International Tele-
nessmen-agents had been "very phone and Telegraph Corpora-
valuable" as intelligence gath-tion of $1-million in September,
erers, while others had become 1970, to be spent in Chile to de-
"a pain in the neck," because feat the Socialist candidate for
th
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1
ey
spent on
y
0 minutes a
day" on intelligence activity
and the rest of their working
day on business assignments.
Official Asks Anongmity
The ' official made the dis-
closure during a discussion of
relationships between United
States intelligence services and
private American business.
The oj . who- insisted
that neitherihis name nor his
department be identified, said
that the American intelligence
c'services , frequently sought n ~/
specific information from Y QA A\,0'
- UJv i
L
businessmen, scholars and
journalists. Te indicated that
some
c ase while other items
- w l e--dcgquired by "swapping"
data useful to the other party. /.~
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