HELMS SAYS CIA IS NECESSARY TO SURVIVAL OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00161R000400210079-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 20, 2014
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: April 15, 1971
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

CT_ TOUTS. MO.
Declassified and Approved For Release @50-Yr 2014/02/21 : CIA-RDP84-00161R000400210079-1
E _ 333,224
S - 558,018
APR 1 '21
-:..,.-"Only if it has adequate intelli-
-:1 gence to assure itself that the
'A Soviets are living up to. their
:..ri part."
:.1 Helms said: "There is a per-
.--.'...-: si s t en t and growing body of
'criticism which questions the
need and the propriety for a
.:: democratic society to have a
Central Intelligence Agency.
"It is difficult for me to agree
' with this view, but I respect it.
.
,It is quite another matter when?
?..., i some of our critics?taking ad- -
? vantage of the traditional si-
lence of those engaged in intelli-
gence ? say things that are ei-
ther,vicious or just plain silly."
Helms said that the CIA had
no domestic security functions
? and had, never sought any. "In
? short," he said, "we do not tar-
get on American citizens."
, He denied as vicious a charge
. that the CIA was involved in the
, world drug traffic.
Senator George S. McGovern
(Dem.), South Dakota, de-m?a.n-d--
ed yesterday that .the CIA and
the Departr sent of State investi-:
. gate allegations by Ramparts i
magazine that the CIA facilitat-,
. - ed the movement of opium out
?I of Southeast Asia.
- In a speech today, Senator
Henry M. Jackson