'VOICE' MELODRAMA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400290007-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 7
• Content Type: NEWSPAPER

Approved
For Release j-ij1Y_,-,1681000400290007-3
Iiv l,'illiam Claiborne
nd haurenee Stern
After a week of ciai iestiae melodr?aarha
C??: ^. f '.e'e i'.-ilh secret code names L Oper a;:on
4nrfii;-n a.-.d covert wor'-in,, hcadquar,ei's,
1':haee oice.publisher Clay I?'e.lker went to
pit's: 5, it.'i a 2-I-page supplement under ti::-
titstlatin2 head!ine:
"THE CIA REPORT TILE PRESL)E`;T
DOES\ T WANT YOU TO READ."
By the time the circumstances of the '.oice
exclusive seeped to the surface they .,a-
peared to be some question whether 4 as
more ioiportant as a substantive scoop or a
journalistic morality play.
Felker. reflecting the secretive motif in the
offices of New York magazine, which was :he
operations center for the voice leak. said
laughing "as far as I know, it landed on the.
back doorstep in a basket." Both publications
are directed by Felker.
But other sources familiar with the hhish-
hush developments of the story say that C'}3S
correspondent Daniel Schorr, who covered
the intelligence committee for his network,
was instrumental in transmitting the report
to Felker.
It was also learned that a \','ashini tor-
based organization of journalists, ire
Reporters Committee for Freedom of The
Press, had agreed to accept "passively" any
cash proceeds from publication of the repo: t
by arrangement with Schorr.
Schorr, who recently displayed the title
pate of the st it _ec douse coir.;lut'ee
report on television as he' described sonle of
its contents, said, }esterdav that he was
obliged "to deny on the record that I have a
copy of thereport."
The CBS correspondent also
denied that he had discussed
the is avert : i thi?'eikcr "I
have no knowledge of how The
Village Voice acquired its
copy. I had no connection with
it and I do not mean by ti at to
state that I have a copy."
lie added that whatever
conclusions viewers might
gather from having s;?rh vile
report's title page on the
screen "is something that they
are inferring."
Schorr told a fellc-w C3S
reporter on a CBS radio
broadcast that he had a c?)rv.
aeknv4.1e4i ltd
Schorr also
that in a conversation he had
recently with a Washington
Post editor he said . he
possessed the House reaor t.
He added, however, that he
regarded it as a "business
conversation" and off the
record. Both Schorr and post
Assistant Managing Editor
Harry M. Hosenfe!d agreed
that nothing w as said about
the conversations being off the
record.
Schorr denied, on the
record. ha5?tng made any
approach to the reporters
committee under which he
44oul i t:: sign it the proceeds
from the report's distribution.
The reporters cot.hrnittee
a.-reed. after a telephone poll
of its trustees. not to say
anything publicly because of
the -confidentiality? of its
conversations v: ith Schorr.
I'm ne. f-r go:ng co get
Involved again with a bunch of
re orters," said one trustee of
the organization which is
decdicated to promoting
freedom of the press. "Off the
record, it's a--tress."
Schorr, it was learned, first
talked with a CBS colleague
and member ct the report.
ers group, Fred Graham,
about the financial
arrangement within the past
two weeks. The commentator
began considering offering his
exclusive copy of the report
for paperback publication
after it came into his
possession two weekends ago.
'Dan proposed that the
reporters committee receive
whatever profits were
generated by the sale,"
acknowledged. one trustee.
"..-Some of the gr orip didn't
want to be associated in print
or any way with relea ~e of that
document (but) we had no
objection to a passive role" in
accepting funds.
Efforts by the trustees of the
reporters committee
yesterday to agree on a
statement ended ? in a
collective decision to have "no
comment."
''?'e glad no objection.
ho',vever, to passive rc!e.?' the
trustee added. We've accepted
proceeds from a variety of
sources.'
During the.disclsssions with
the reporters committee,
Schorr consulted a lawyer in
New York on his legal position
in making the retort public.
He was advised that there was
no immediate criminal
liability against him although
he. might he subject to con-
tempt of Congress
proceedings should he refuse
to tell it congressional com-
mittee the source of his copy.
Schorr conceded that he
may have made a nlistakee in
showing the title page of the
report to his viewers. "I guess
I was tx)asting," he said.
Schorr obtained access to
the report, according to one
authoritative account. after
the House intelligence corn-
mittee voted to refer the
document to the house :or a
publication decision. The New
York Times obtained is ac-
cess earlier. Schorr spcn. his
limited time with the
Cloctln:ent. Xeroxing rather
than reading, according to the
account.
lie thought he and the Times
both had copies until Times
columnist 'a:'illiam Saiire
called for help on details in the
report concerning CIA in-
volvement with the Kurd At
that point, Schorr confided to
an acquaintance, the
realization began to dawn
upon him that he alone was the
possessor of a copy of the
House document.
At one point in an on-and-off-
the-record c.onv;ersation,.
Schorr volunteered, when
asked what he intended to do
with the proceeds of
publication of his cop,: of the
report:
"On the record, I would not
have been willing to benefit
personally from the saleof the
report but would have been
willing to sign the proceeds
over to a Fiat Anlendtaent-
or iented group.
For Felker the first in-
sta!intent of Upet'. (ion
Swordfish, as the resort was
'CO e-palsied, began last
Thursday when he learned it
was available to blip and he
dispatched a staff worker to
Washington to gt t a copy.
Asked yesterday if he was
specifically dcnyiug or
refusing to comment that
Schorr made it available to
him. F'el ker chuckled.
"I stand on what I said," he
repeated. "It was left on the
doorstep."
There was never any
debate. Felker said. against
running the report. "There
was a big split in Congress on
what to do ... We feel, in an
electiam year, this is the time
to contribute to that debate.'
By coincidence, the 24-pae
section of excerpts was in-
eluded in the Voice's first
t - FE 1197,6 -
experirrrental national edition.
It .5as of n the thin: ICO pa y'
in the weekly
new paper's histor c".
'?' ert he learned of the
pu;;ii4atic n of the e :cero!s in
the Cnice, iif.use inte!li~tnce
conhrhittce chairman Oti
Pike I)- ~.}(. t said he
Suspected the material was
leaked b the executive
department to incriminate
Congress.
.~1.u6 r'~~. ~S rt.
etc
'Approved For Rejease~2006JO4117 : CIA-RDP&8-01315R000400290007-3