LETTER TO THE EDITOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM STANSFIELD TURNER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R001300020009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 13, 2004
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: June 8, 1978
• Content Type: LETTER

i t r of Central Intelli$ence
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Washington. D. C.20505
PLC #1 &.zo eV 3 I
The Editor
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
58 East 68th Street
New York, New York 10021
I enjoyed very much reading E. Drexel Godfrey's article in the April
issue on "Ethics and Intelligence." In the first half of his article,
Professor Godfrey very clearly outlines the ethical dilemmas which confront
intelligence officers who go into the field to collect information and
intelligence analysts who process that information into estimates and
evaluations. He poignantly brings out how the actions of individuals in
handling their ethical dilemmas and the pressures of the bureaucratic
structure have led to problems and abuses (and presumably to achievements).
In the second half of his article, Professor Godfrey gives his
prescription for grappling with these ethical issues in the future. In
essence, he advocates abandoning all olitical action (the effort to
influence events in foreign countries and all clandestine collection of
intelligence information abroad. Instead, he believes, we must rely
exclusively on technical means of collecting intelligence and open sources
of information. He incorrectly attributes to me a recognition that technical
means of collecting intelligence are supplanting the clandestine hum&'n means.
I do not accept that thesis. Human intelligence collection has been with
the world for centuries. It still has unique contributions to make which
technical systems seldom can equal, especially in uncovering intentions,
aspirations and plans of others. More importantly, Professor Godfrey's
proposed solution is not, in my opinion, a solution after all. Rather
than grapple with the ethical issues of intelligence, he would simply
attempt to bypass them. I say "attempt" because I doubt that even his
proscription on political action and clandestine collection would accomplish
that.
Instead, I believe that we should think more deeply about the ethical
issues of how far one will go in either efforts to influence events in
other countries or to collect information about them clandestinely. Our
nation's intelligence community is evolving in that direction. There are
new laws from the Congress, rules from the President, and regulations from
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the Director of Central Intelligence governing various facets of this,
e.g., there will be no planning or conduct of assassinations. What we
are attempting to do is to draw a fine line between such explicit
proscriptions that the intelligence community is bound hand and foot and
cannot do its task and such lack of guidance that the full weight of the
ethical dilemma rests upon the individual intelligence officer and analyst.
We are now engaged in establishing a new and American concept of intelli-
gence. There is no reason that we cannot achieve this. The ethical
dilemmas of intelligence are no different in gender or quantity from"
those which many other professions face; e.g., the military man must
decide whether it is right to kill in a given circumstance; the executive
in a multinational corporation must decide whether a favor can be justified;
and a negotiator of diplomacy must decide whether to practice deception as
a tactic. I would welcome the assistance of future authors in your journal
in helping us to grapple with the ethical issues of intelligence in explicit
terms.
STANSFIELDJCU,RNER
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 UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL SECRET
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EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Routing Slip
ACTION
INFO
DATE
INITIAL
1
DCI
2
DDCI
3
DD/RM
4
DD/NFA
5
DD/CT
6
DD/A
7
DD/O
8
DD/S&T
9
GC
10
LC
11
IG
12
Compt
13
PA
14
D/EEO
15
D/Pers
16
AO/DCI
17
C/IPS
18
DCI/SS
19
20
21
22
Remarks:
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7 Dot.