SPY TRIAL BRINGS WARNING ON NEWS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404660016-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2010
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: May 29, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/19: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404660016-6
SPY TRIAL BRINGS
WARNING ON NEWS
ARTICLE AP X3 NEW YORK TIMES
ON PAG# _.ab) 29 May 19 8 6
Intelligence Officials Caution
Reporters on'Speculation'
Special to TM New York Tlsn
WASHINGTON, May 28 - Tim
to
of the Na
alnst reporting on im~_ lions of
Opposition to Prosecution
-.Administration officials have said
that the security agency has fought
Lard against prosecutors who wanted
bjoader disclosures of information in
order to build the best possible case
against Mr. Pelton. The agency, which
was uncomfortable about the prosecu-
tion from the beginning, has been con-
sistently opposed to revealing all but
(re most general of details about its
operations.
John Douglass, the assistant United
States attorney prosecuting the case,
said in court Tuesday that one reason
for keeping the details secret was that
other hostile countries would be eager
to learn about the capabilities purport.
edly disclosed to the Soviet Union by
Mr. Pelton.
The statement fecs tensions
rtina details beyond the
actuaUY rereleased at trial.
Qause su tantial harm to the national
security."
There has been in the past a reluc-
iar-ce among mtellaence aaeacies to
bri prosecutions a spin out of
-lion would be revealed.
The trial of Mr. Pelton opened Tues.
day with testimony from National Se-
curity Agency officials and statements
from prosecutors describing, in gen-
eral terms, the nature of the agency's
projects that the government has
charged were disclosed to the Soviet
Union. The National Security Agency
responsible for intercepting and decod.
lag communications, is one of the Gov-
ernment's most secret agencies.
ase o news o
publishing n ormat on on the case.
Last week. Mr seV chid the lots,
lice De rtm n
o the ects c n rig
as a su marine eaves I Be s
on in ng opera-
n ra on omelals said, how-
ever, that the threat was largely aimed
at The Washington post, which has ob-
tained details about the projects Mr.
Pelton handled while at N.S.A. The
Post withheld those details from a
story it published last week. In its
Tuesday editions, after the prosecution
provided sketchy descriptions of the
Projects, The Post published a news
analysis that for the first time revealed
the precise location of one of the listen.
ing devices said to have been compro-
mised by Mr. Pelton. That location was
not mentioned in court by Mr. Doug.
lass, he prosecutor.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/19: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404660016-6