1776 SPY DEED REMAINS CLASSIFIED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404480006-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: May 10, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/20: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404480006-7
THE WASHINGTON POST
10 May 1980
3ACX AND]EustN
It's nnsecrvt that the Central Intelli- michael,who was'sent to=Holland late
gence? Agency- routinely engages in in'177a in the guise of a merchant to
economlcesoionagearound the world. gaireinformation for the Committee of
The (,Ws-economic spies are bighly-. Secret-~'-Correspondeneery"the- CIA's
regarded, and- sometimes-give a. presi- predecessor rn the Contineatal Con- more clout at the .White House than
dent his tirsi. inkling about-what is . press. - ;.~ ... _
` a national securityaffairs'adviser Zbi
happening. in'thanever-neverlandof . -Carn'chaei..rNcontrol}'wwas-- Silas view, BrzezinsTa,;,:the Russians are;
dollaM.yensand.marks. IL-was-from Deane, a lawyer' and '.'businessman. under no such-illusions. They still see: !
the CIA,=fe:. example,:that President.,; -from Wethersfield, Conn.,. who was the Polish-born-B-zezinski, as the aisis;j
Carte; fir st learned_'im; 1978. that the--f sent to, France by..Congress.to obtain who-has the decisive- influence over,
United State9had slipped fror~first-to- military; supplies for the. newly,inde Carter's foreign policy.
sLxth :piacevzarnong ',the-?worlds irt. pendent British colonies ': Deane, inter- Soviet intelligence analysts considera.!
du
i
l
e
s
t
'
str
a
pr
ted hi
;manda
e broadly-enouga to
.-
This unique brand of espionage may recruit Carmichael to do a ;little eco-
be less romantic than-tile James Bond= nomicspying.
style of spying,:but it is no less unpor ,Deane,"tasked Carmichael with a
tant.-It has- become a major part of the number,:of-economic intelligence re--
CIA's operations since'the derring-do `. quirements," the CIA's secret history
days-'orWorld.' SVar? II and. the Cold discloses. 'it. then quotes. agent Car-
~ti ar michael's report' .to ,the Committee of,
Indeed, : economic espionage_ .has Secret'Correspondence=from Amster
been a.uniction-of.American spies-for dani =on.'>Nov. =2, ' 1776 .It was sent
more'than `" years. -Yet such-is- the through`a secret mail drop on St. Eus-
absurdit}c of the' CIA's obsession with tatia Island, and: told the Revolution-
secrecy that the very first economic ary CIr1
espionage-mission- on record-in 1776 -``You have been threatened that the
is still. apparently classified as secret Ukraine would- supply Europe with to-
by the spy agency. bacco . .'-I I have seen some of its to-
The documents that detail this. fledg- bacco here, and the best-of. it is worse
ling _ entr , into. international - intelli thanthe worst oi; our ground leaf"
to lose any sleep,'according to 17S: I&
telligence e coerLsi;:
While : --ieran pundits have suev, ''
lated that Edmund-MIuskie will have.
Muskie
s appointment as strictly a po--
litical move intended to help the prest-
dent's reelection campaign. tinless;,hs-
stays on-past the November election,':1
the Politburo pols -will.continue to as-
sume _ that Erzezinski is the one LO..,
- . ,
watch.
gence are contained' in the C I A ' s His ; Why - t h i s material is still .secret- is-
toricaL Intelligence Collection. - - at anyone's guess. It seems unlikely that -
Langley. Despite the fact that the. in- the 204-year-old. mail drop on St. Eusta-
f ormatioa. could - hardly. -.compromise- tia _is~- a in- . danger - .. of - :.being
U.S?:_espionage activities, in the. compromised-::;;.-. or.that.the quality
record ol,America's first: venture into of:Ukrainian-tobacco- is a secret, that.
economic-espionage instill classified as? must still be protected.-.--": confidential,. t;; a, W ^`.~ ".Ataseow'on 'Muskies `Cyrus Vance's
The .;secret-publication tells _of the: departure from Foggy': Bottom hasn't
mim6j ; assigawLto' one-William Car-..' caused. .Kremlin- Washington watchers
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/20: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404480006-7