31 MAY 1978 HEARING BY THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT CHARIED BY REPRESENTATIVE LES ASPIN (D., WIS) ON THE SUBJECT OF NARCOTICS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000100020037-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 13, 2006
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: June 5, 1978
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2006/12/15: M00980R000100020037-9
OLC RECORD COPY
OLC 78-2215
5 June 1978
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: 31 May 1978 Hearing by the House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence Subcommittee
on Oversight Charied by Representative Les
Aspin (D., Wis.) on the Subject of Narcotics
1.1 On 31 May 1978 the House Permanent Select
25X1 Commit ee on Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight,
chaired by Representative Les Aspin (D., Wis.) held a
hearing on Narcotics in Room H 405, The Capitol. The
hearing lasted from 2:25 until 4:15 p.m. The Committee
took care of security and a transcript was taken.
2. n Members who attended the hearing were
25X1 Chairman spin and Chairman Edward P. Boland (D., Mass.),
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
3. [-],The following members of the Committee staff
25X1 attended the hearing: Loch Johnson, Pat Long, Bernard
Raimo, Herbert Romerstein, Diane LaVoy, Richard Giza,
Mike O'Neil and Catherine Wilson.
4. Q The witnesses were Special
25X1 Assistant for the Coordination of Foreign Narcotics
25X1 Intelligence and Chief t Action Staff.
25X1 They were accompanied by , Assistant
25X1 Legislative Counsel.
of the world-wide Narcotics problem, }theIntelligencedL1U11
Community's response to that problem, the respective components
of the CIA which contribute to coverage on Narcotics and legal
encumbrances. gave the Committee a five minute
rundown on the role of covert action, particularly propaganda,
in the Narcotics field. These presentations were very thorough
and gave the Committee a good appreciation for the subjects
covered. Representative questions from the Members and
Committee staff were as follows:
(a) Chairman Boland inquired into the relative
strength of Headquarters vs. overseas personnel working
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on the Narcotics problem and exploring in some depth
the inner relationships between CIA and DEA, both in
Headquarters and the field. He also probed for the
rationale behind CIA's involvement in the foreign
collection of Narcotics information and seemed to be
satisfied with the response that DEA and CIA collaborate
extensively and that CIA is doing work which DEA is
precluded by charter from performing. Chairman Boland read
some excerpts from a DEA report in which the authors were
rather critical of CIA's wor I Icotics field but -ILI seemed to be satisfied with explanations that
the difficulties cited were well in the past.
(b) Chairman Aspin asked several questions and
after hearing the responses summed up CIA's activity
by saying "CIA gathers intelligence and then turns it
over to someone else who can do something about it. If
no subsequent action is taken then CIA might try to help
it along via covert action and then check up on
what has been done." sindicated that this was
a fair 'resume of CIA's role in the Narcotics field.
Chairman Aspin closed his questioning by probing into
the degree to which the Narcotics problem is or is not
growing and whether CIA's and the U.S. Government's
efforts have been and are being effective. Chairman
Aspin concluded with the observation that working with
the host governments either via CIA or DEA is probably
the major means by which the Narcotics problem can be
controlled.
(c) Loch Johnson explored: a battery of past
activities of CIA in the Narcotics field; the possibility
of crop substitution; aerial surveillance against 0; and
the degree to which CIA may or may not exercise benign
neglect of the Narcotics problem in the Golden T ngle.
25X1 He seemed to be largely satisfied with I I respones
to all of the foregoing question areas. The Committee,
through Loch Johnson, requested that we provide them with
a copy of the letter to Senator Charles H, Percy (R.. 111.)
25X1 on the 1974. legal case regarding al I This is the
only outstanding requirement.
Assistant Legislative Counsel
Distribution
Orig OLC Subject
1 - OLC Chrono
OLC:MMP:sf (5 June 1978)
2
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