THE NIGHT THEY GRILLED THE CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000200010010-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 22, 2004
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: September 15, 1974
• Content Type: NSPR

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Approved For Release 200 51 ,Ip: Q(1~RDP88-01315R000g00f0' d?6Q4 ( C13 IL , Lull'
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By Henry Brandon
Washington
Tl?E Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency. William
t olby, proved yesterday that in
his days as an undercover anent
he had learnt how to survive
alone in hostile territory. He
spoke at a conference on the CIA
and covert activities, hosted on
Capitol Hill by Senators Edward
Brooke (Republican, Massachu-
setts) and Phillip Hart (Demo-
crat, Mlichi,an): it was as if
General Sir Walter Walker had
come to address a TUC meeting.
Mr Colby -incec: a hostile panel
of well-i:rown critics of the CIA,
including seven former members
of the agency like Daniel
Ellsberg. and also an obviously
hostile. audience that consisted
mostly of 300 yo;sng " new Left "
CIA-haters. He not only defended
the CIA's ruse, after two days
of speeches by critics, but ai3o
bought to promote a legislative
proposal for the equivalent of an
ofcial secrets act to protect
" cnd secrets."
Questions about the CIA's
activities in the overthrow of the
Allende remme in Chile, which
surfaced as the result of a con-
gressional " leak3Ir Colby
fended of br saying that he
Would --'r them only in c r u-
--i e esi nn of the appropriate
Eou-Jres.winnal committees. 11-1n?-
e_ve2 tag claimed that the CIA's
~?dotor -at in covert action. are
en only as directed by
,Vt, l,lt,'tional Security Council and
information Congress is given covert actions have no impact
about covert actions, Mr Colby ton current activities.
)said it was "made aware at ( Daniel -Ellsberg congratulated
!appropriate times of various i.1NIr Colby on the CIA's participa-
major actions," and when asked 'Lion in getting the famous secret
whether the American ambas- speech of Mr Khruschev in 1936,
sadors in Chile were kept an:d then seemed to place his own
informed of covert activities t feat of. leaking the Pentagon
there,. he replied that such in- =Papers in the same category. MIr
formation is primarly given to
Coiby recalled that when Presi-
the Under Secretary of State and dent Nixon introduced him to
z
that ambassadors are informed T ,Mr Brezhnev on his visit to
on a " need-to-know basis." Washington and the Russian
He refused to say whether those ` leader, asked the CIA. director
ambassadors to Chile who had whether he was a dangerous man.,
testified before Congress that the he replied that he w?as not, and
Colby: survival lesson US ? to their knowledge, main- . that "the more the US and
tamed a hands-of " policy had t Russia know about .each other the
that " they are frankly and regu. lied. He insisted, however, that 'safer we will be."
larly reported to the appropriate all major efforts and money spent When asked how many people
committees, and they require only in Chile were known,. to several be had killed in connection with
a small proportion of our effort committees of Congress and that Operation Phoenix in Vietnam,
and time." therefore the CIA, in. the end, re- Mlr Colby eagerly replied,
i When Mr Colby said the CIA mains accountable to the voters. "none," and added that the
1 had no connection with the miii- Asked whether there would majority were killed in military
tary coup that overthrew Allende, now he a conflict of interest , combat or police action. His
but that agency "looked forward between Vice-President Nelson interest was to capture the Viet
t to a change in the government Rockefeller and his enterprises t Cong, he said, because a dead.
there by democratic means," the in :Latin America-which the man could not impart informa-
' generally good-natured audience questioner claimed had been used tion.
broke into laughter. He added as cover for intelligence opera- In his speech. Mr Colby sought
that he had reread his secret Lions-hlr. Colby, who always to shift the emphasis from covert
testimony of last April which maintained a truly stiff upper operations because, he said, the
l-'aked out here earlier in the lip however insulting or indis- CIA's predominant role now is
week, and found that he had not crept the question, replied that concerped with information and
used the phrase "destabilise-the this was, " No useful subject for analytical responsibilities. Though
IAllenrl.e government" which he discussion." he had to endure Rome strong
etas panted as having used in To a question about whether language-sorb as being called
lescrihin;; the application of the CIA intended to intervene an " assassin --he was also given
clandestine funds that had been to prevent Greece from leaving credit by some, like the Director
authorised by the " Forty Com- NATO, Mr Colby replied that of the Centre fur National
mittee " of the National Security, Greece's action had no immediate Security Studies, who said: "What
Council. adverse effect on the security of a wonderful thing that you came
When asked how much specific: the US and furthermore that to face- your critics."
Approved For Release 2004/11/01: CIA-RDP88-01315R000200010010-4