THE CIA AND THE PRESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000300680006-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 22, 2004
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 1, 1978
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2004/11/01 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000300680006-2
THE BALTIMORE SUN Uli I (5 Raztz~
Article appeared
on page A-17
1 ess....,,..,
people. start throwing rocks "at
the press, CIA Director Stansfiel&
Turner thinks it would be clever-far
his spooks to hide behind reporteii.:
Speaking at the National- Press.
Club,' Mr. -Turner decided. to pull. a.,4
-'new kind of.cloak over his agency's
6 rc cA I N ,t7, 1 4
Ll,
his act has no important?resemblarieel
Yet even if 'Mr- Farber ,liar rfglit
thinks. Mr.. Farber's action was nbt
covered by the First Amendment
Mr. Turner. also compared cases
where a prosecutor drops charges, to
keep intelligence work secret, with
Myron Farber's refusal to give up his'
notes to a judge for fear of revealing
his sources. He saw "nothing differ-
ent" in the two-cases. Once again, the.
comparison is faulty on many
grounds. If the Farber case had led to
dismissal of charges, or to a convic-
tion where it seemed the defendant
was deprived of a fair trial, many
people would have joined that consi-
derable part of the press itself that
to the government's refusal to press!
the government itselh That refusal,
daggers--the cloak:. of. the. 'First-
Amendment-The argument was cute
you don't want to reveal your sources,..
and we don't. want to reveal ours.. $o-
don't bug us, and we won't bug you
Neat. But the, CIA does not want
to keep only its sources secret. It has..
proved, in.recent years, how far it will,
go to keep its crimes secret. And even_-
when it acta.within the law, the agr:!v_-
all the government's power to coerce.:;
The- CIA does not investigate wifi`:
publication in mind.. Its tendency:
to bide governmental wrongs, not ez-
posethem.
In all these ways, the press and tlie-
CIA have different motives and justi-
fication? for protecting' sources. Yet
having made his shaky identification'
of:the two. institutions' interests,.Ad-
miial Turner went on to. surreeI ap-
phcations ofhis com
l?`Irst, he said reporters should not-
criticism of our government woul4 ba
cism by all government employees
' way- resembles the silencing of eritl-
between newsmen and sources iri 1 no
the government. compel the- pre-04.0,
print the leaks of wrongdoing in gov
: ernment by.whistle blowers. That, hi
argued fuzzily would be like having
s impossible as the criticism of
a
R ia;_
aws ~~yy
cates this ideal in the name of a fr ' r
press and the First Amendment.
not always: admirable, -resembles, thw
exercise of prosecutorial discretion-If.
prosecution would harm. the. pubfii":
be too doubtful or defensive or em? -
barrassing, the government' can keep
things bidden by letting a man escape
;,trial and possible punishment
Mr. Farber protected. his source-,
to publish facts,. to help bring acts to
public airing of much evidence i
takes the convolutions of a: spy men
tality to- equate the hiding. of-:infor"
mation with its dissemination.
is why the spy mentality is so dange J .
ous in a. free society. Admiral Turn,
illustrates the way. CIA: attempts;.
ward off threats to out, freedom f
`
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themle tht t tha
comesevs, a:reao
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