WHITE HOUSE BARS A RADICAL REPORTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000300230009-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 14, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

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White House Bars a
By FRED P. GRAHAM,
: Special to The New York Thaes
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13-The
efforts of the underground
press to cover the Federal Gov-
erttrrient with its radical style
of. journalism have been set
back by the White House's de-
nial of a press pass to Toni
Forcade, the Washington cor-
respondent for the Under-
ground Press Syndicate.
John W. Warner Jr., Secret
Service public relations direc-
tor, said yesterday that Mr.
Forcade had been barred for
security reasons.
--Citing "certain information"
that a security check produced
about Mr. Forcade, Mr. Warner
said, "It was thought best to
deny him admission to the
White House. It was simply a
case of what5s best in the in-
terest of our protective mis-
sion."
Neither Mr. Warner nor Ger-
aid Warren, the official in the
White House's information of-
,
House press galleries. His ap-;the
application White House Comes o
, would indicate why p nd?
Mr.. Forcade was considered a ents Association, declined to
threat to the President. Neither comment. "I don't want to in-1
official could recall a specific volve myself in these things," i
instance in which a reporter he said. "I'll have to handle itI
had been denied White House as . sonic of my, news sources
credentials for security rea do-`no comment'."
sons, but both said they were Mr. Foreade said that lie-I ad,
sure that it had happened be- never been convicted or any
offense, and that he had never
I'ie-Thrower at Hearing uezii UL Leu III wilireCLtun
with sit-ins or other demon-
Mr. Forcade, 28 years old, :stration. He said he had once
once threw a pie into the face! been arrested in Sari Dego on
of Otto Larsen, a member of charges of flag desecration and
the United States Commission once in Arzona for alleged pos-
on Obscenity and pornography, session,of the drug LSD. Both
during a public hearing of the charges were dropped for lack
commission.. Mr. Forcade ex- of evidence, he sad. .
plained after the incident in -Mr. Foreade edited a book
the spring of 1970 that he was by Abbie Hoffman, entitled
trying to make the point that "Steal This Book," which re-
the idea of the commission suited in a dispute between the
was ludicrous. two "revolutionaries" that was
Today he insisted that he adiudicated in a trial before a
Approved For Release 2005/01/11 : CIA-RDP88-01314R000300230009-9
C1 161. ca'l _,sepor. or
with nothing -irr'his background
that could imply that he would
be a threat to the President.
The real issue was the free
press implications of excluding
the radical press from the
White House, he said.
The delays and evasiveness
in handling his application had
convinced him,' he said, that
White House press officials
were afraid that he would ask
embarrassing questions that
the "straight" repot Lers would
soft-pedal.
Mr. Forcade said he had
come to Washington last May
to set up a three-member news
bureau for Underground Press
Syndicate, which has its head-
quarters in New York. News
in
about 600 newspapers ti and 100'ti -? `"
` --- cs can't cover the White
radio stations in' the. United!House," Mr. Foreade said. Ile
'
States and abroad, he said.
According to Mr. Forcade,
Mr. Warren fended off his first
request for a press pass by
saying that he would have to
be admitted to the Senate and
plicction there caused a con-
troversy among. the coivmittee
of, journalists who . supervise
credentials, but he was finally
issued a press. card by a 3 to 2.
vote. .
No Official He>ort
When he 'returned ' to the
White House he was told that
the Secret Service was checking;
into his background. He said
that Al Wong, the Secret Serv-
ice agent .who was said to be
handling his case, never r;--~
turned his calls, and the first
he knew of the denial of his
press credentials was when a
reporter called yesterday to
interview him about it.
".What this amounts to' is
that any journalist who has
said, he would try to get
"straight" reporters to bring
pressure on the White House
to let him in.
Jack Sutherland of U.S. News
& World Report
president of