MORE OPENNESS POSSIBLE: CIA AIDE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400310011-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 12, 2004
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: April 25, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 20 *I.Y1 4 R.W-~$, I7:~3t1~5R0004 O.ag0y1-& ,3 TES c
25APPL.97 /? . _'
Na N . e e
Possibe':
-;'By AIAfY ELLI:+IGBOE?''~?+ ?
.j,i Press-Gaxerte Stott Writer
You cannot operate an in-
telligence operation In an at-
mosphere where anything that
can be ferreted out is fair
game for publication," a spe-
cial assistant to the deputy
CIA director said Saturday. '-
-Mal. Gen. Jack E. Thomas
said that "you cannot deal
openly with intelligence open-.:
ations without destroying the.'
ar
of
1 "..`..
However, due to recent at- ,;MAJ. GEN. JACK THOMAS
`
?tdntion given the Central In- .' ;,r.; ; ' will be the rebuilding of the
telligence Agency for alleged the intelligence field. ? agency's public Image be-
involvement In - assassination Thomas was the' featured cause of damage done by the
plots, Thomas said that the speaker Saturday at the state agency's implication in assas-;.'
public can look forward to convention of the Reserve Of-
getting r' more.' information ? ficer's Association .,.at the lie defended the CIA impli-~
sooner; ' I3owntowner Motel. cation In plots against Congo-
"One of the things we are ? He made his remarks at a lese leader Patrice Lumumba,
n
5
'
W;
1
l r
1
b
going to have i5 a greater
openness in the release of sub-
stantive information.
"But we have to be ex-
tremely careful in protecting
our sources and methods,"
said the former .Air Force of-
f icer, '
Thomas has been a senior
CIA staff member since his
Air Force retirement in 1969.
He had served more than six
.'press conference; prior. to the
-
speech.
As chief of the coordination
staff of the Director of Central
Intelligence, Thomas said he
helps establish objectives on
the nation's need for informa-
tion'in certain. foreign ;?coun-
tries.
This involves keeping track
of foreign crisis areas such as
',world grain trends and OPEC
s rt-CIA,.:.
tory of the CIA, intell gene . munist mood which prevailed
efforts have been focused on' In the, - U.S. during (' thtrsa
Russia J'hich is the euly? years.
, country which could physical Another focus will be "deco.
maintain a
i
ng you can
ly threaten the U.S., he Said. castrat
However, in recent year s " secret intelligence program in
the CIA has been taking a an open society. We're .con-
wider stance In Intelligence winced can and the
j?: operations ' throughout the' said..
world. Third will be proving to the,
t
f a
li
i
h
t
.
s o
. tint a
aspec
a
c t
In his speech, he said he in publ
tended to emphasise what 1s' successful intelligr:nce opera-
in the future for the CIA.- '? tion cart be made public,, he
r
c
a
tr
an
rem e,
Cu
.and Chilean President Salva-
dor Allende, saying that the
plots are all history now.
Thomas said that the public
would be able to better under-
stand why those plot, oc-
curred if it could put itself in-
to the powerfully anti-Corn-
4
-years as the Asst.; Chief of inves'tments, both of which
Staff, Intelligence, at Air'?;.would have an impact on U.S.
'Force Headquarters. security , he said.
Nearly all of his military For most of the 29-year his-
career since 1941 has been in
-V% st'A 1W Nr*z
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400310011-5