NEW SNAG IN HOUSE ON KOREA PROBE DATA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000600130008-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 18, 2004
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 19, 1978
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2004/05/21 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000600130008-4
WASHINGTON STAR DATE
Page Z-
2 New Sng in House
On. Korea Probe data
By Ron Sarro
Washington Star Staff Writer
The House leadership's attempt to
force President Park Chung Hee to
provide a key witness in the South
Korean influence buying probe has
run into major problems.
The House International Relations
Committee has claimed jurisdiction
over a leadership-sponsored resolu-
tion which threatens to cut off all
non-military assistance to South
Korea unless the witness is deliv-
ered.
The committee moved in yester-
day after an attempt by the leader-
ship to call up the resolution on the
House floor suddenly was blocked on
procedural grounds.
Chairman Clement Zablocki, D-
Wis., of the International Relations
Committee said last night that he
would hold a hearing on Monday on
the resolution, which was the product
of an effort by House special counsel
Leon Jaworski to force South Korean
cooperation.
Jaworski's resolution was pre-
pared with the help of House Speaker
Thomas P. O'Neill Jr., D-Mass., who
promised to help the former Water-
gate special prosecutor when he ran
into,trouble in probing alleged South
Korean payoffs to U.S. congressmen.
JAWORSKI IS trying to 'get the
testimony of former South Korean
ambassador, Kim Dong Jo, who al-
legedly delivered envelopes stuffed
with $100 bills to at least 24 congress-
men. Several witnesses have de-
scribed this activity to investigators'
of the House ethics committee.
The problem is that Jaworski does
not know who the congressmen were,
the legislators certainly wouldn't
volunteer such information, and Kim
is the best, and perhaps only, possi-
ble source. President Park, however,
is claiming diplomatic immunity for
his former ambassador, a position
which,, among other things, avoids
probable embarrassment for his gov-
ernment.
Zablocki was furious yesterday
when the resolution threatening to
cut off non-military assistance to
South Korea was brought up by 0'-
Neill, with the co-sponsorship of
House Democratic Leader Jim
Wright of Texas, Republican Leader
John Rhodes of Arizona and all the
members the House ethics commit-
tee.
Zablocki complained to O'Neill, as-
serted his committee's jurisdiction
over the resolution and said he would
call State Department witnesses to
explore the implications of such a
threat to South Korea.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S
position on threatening South Korea
to force testimony by a former
ambassador is no secret. The depart-
ment is against it, both on grounds
that such action would violate inter-
national conventions, and in fear that
U.S. diplomats might be embar-
rassed by foreign governments want-
ing information.
Zablocki said he did not want to
make a major issue of the jurisdic-
tional affront he suffered yesterday.
But, he said, he was more concerned
about what the resolution would do.
FOR EXAMPLE,, IT-would put the
House on record as opposing all non-
military aid to South Korea - both
direct and indirect - until Kim Dong
Jo is produced. And, Zablocki said, it
would require him to give his evi-
dence "under oath."
Zablocki also agreed that some ex-
pression of the House's resolve to
clean up the Korean influence-buying
scandal is warranted. He said it
would be appropriate to have some-
thing between yesterday's leadership
resolution and an action taken earlier
by the House merely urging South
Korea's cooperation.
Approved For Release 2004/05/21 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000600130008-4