LETTER TO HONORABLE BARRY GOLDWATER FROM STANSFIELD TURNER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85-00821R000100140016-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2005
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: August 4, 1978
• Content Type: LETTER

The Director
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Honorable Barry Goldwater
United States Senate
Washington, D. C. 20510
4 AUG 1978
Dear Barry:
I appreciate the concern expressed in your 19 July letter regarding
the leak to Seymour Hersh of the New York Times involving the Committee's
report I believe leaks of t is sort are very destructive to
the oversight process. Leaks of sensitive information have indeed been
a problem for all recent Administrations and Congresses, but it is my
hope that President Carter's strong stand and personal involvement in
trying to stop leaks will have a significant impact.
Our analysis of the Hersh story apparently differs a bit from the
Committee's. There are certainly significant inaccuracies in the story,
strongly suggesting that Hersh did not see the report itself, but rather.
was told of its contents. Yet the fundamental allegation in the report
that Congress was repeatedly misinformed about th
action program is accurately characterized. It wou
know whether the discussion of hiring mercenaries, which appears in the
Times story, but not in the final version-of the report, was the subject of
Committee discussions or appeared in drafts of the report. Since this
topic was not in the report disseminated to CIA and the President, the
leak of this information could not have come from the Executive Branch.
As with most of these leaks, it is difficult to identify the responsible
party or parties. One would surmise that those responsible would take
steps to hide their identity, such as by leaking the information only after
it had been disseminated to others. It should be noted that the key period
when the report was disseminated to the Executive Branch was also the
period when the report was given final approval by the full Committee,
and was presumably available to all 19 Members and 40 or 50 staff
members. Regarding Executive Branch handling of the report, it has
received very limited dissemination. The copy sent to me was seen
by only about 10 people at the Agency--those employees in the Office of
Legislative Counsel and Operations Directorate responsible for analyzing
the report. Most of these employees did not see it until after Mr. Hersh
had the story. The copy sent to the President was held by a senior
staff member of the National Security Council pending resolution of the
differences between the Committee and the Agency regarding the report.
RETUR14 TO OS OEGISTflY
A
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o
 Approved For Release 2005/07/12 : CIA-RDP85-00821 R000100140016-4
This copy was not Xeroxed or otherwise disseminated to Ambassador Young
or any others in the Administration.
At the same time, i in no way wish to imply that I am not concerned
that this leAk may have come from the Executive Branch. I will pursue
every effort to establish if. that were the case. My personal attitude in
cases of this sort is that all parties to the information must do a self-
evaluation and investigation. Only then can we stem the flow of leaks
that is doing the country so much harm.
Yours sincerely,
SIGNED
STANSFIELD TURNER
Distribution:
Original - Addressee
1 - ER
1 - DCI
1 - DDCI
C/PCS/LOC.
OS
1 - NSC (Sam Hosklnson
] - OLC SUbject
1 - OLC Chrono
OLC:DFM:hms (2 August. 19.7.8)
RETYPED:hms (4 August 1978)
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