ONE SENATOR'S ONE-MAN INVESTIGATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505120093-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 93
• Publication Date: February 9, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505120093-8
ARTICLE ! NEW YORK TIMES
ON PAGE 9 FEBRUARY 1983
One Senator's One-Man Investigafion_,
By PHILIP TAUBMAN of the May, 15981 assault, has revealed clot >I es, Mr. D'Amato was on his way
sv-d tone New Yort 7Ymes links between Mr. Agca and Bulgaria, to a meeting with Italy's Minister'of
ROME, Feb. 8 -The spacious raising the possibility that the Bulgar- the Interior, Virginio Rognonl, appar-
lobby of the Hotel Flora, a a few steps ran secret service might have have ently arranged at the last minute by
from the congested Via Veneto, cps helped plan the shooting. . the Italian Embassy in Washington. ,
been the temporary office of Senator, While the Senator's hard work has He returned from the meeting -
bee M. r o f office o last five been obvious, so, too, are the domestic tated, reporting that-the minister bad
Alfonse
days. With aides, journalists laet and I five political benefits of the trip. A Roman lectured him about the separation of
fan officials in taw. the New York Re- Catholic of Italian ancestry, Mr. powers in Italy and explained that its
publican has conducted a one-man in- D 'Amato represents a state with a vestigators did not have to brief the
large Catholic population, incl Government about devel
vestigation into the shooting of Pope uP opmeats in
John Paul II. . , millions of voters with Italian and Pol- the Pope case.
Part substance, part show, the ef- isb roots. "Clearly this matter is of in-' Incensed Over CS.A. Role
fort epitomizes a Washington max=': terest to many- of his constituents,"
said John R.- Zagame the Senator's The next morning, after a meeting
when the frustration of grappling with chief aide. ' ` with a senior American intelligence
domestic affairs becomes intense, The Senator conducted a series of official at the United States Embassy,
bead overseas for a "working trip" press interviews before he left the' Mr. D'Amato's anger grew. "The way
that plays well back home. he talked about the case, you'd think
The Senator's trip is being spon- United States. has made himself
Agra went to St.. Peter's
sored by the Commission on Security availablq to reporters here and plans shoot pigeons," be said. Tb
and . Cooperation in Europe, the to hold a news conference at Kennedy charSe
American group 'set up to monitor Airport-later this week when he re- that the C:IA was ignoring The case
compliance of the 35 signatories to the turns to New York. and even discouraging ~ from iq.
What the Senator will 1 1-Ait became a theme Of the
1975 Helsinki accords. The commis- pub Y not visit.
sion, whose 15 members come from a y how close the trip to being Mr. D'Amato tv particxiia iy ai-
the executive and legislative branches Lensed that the C.I.A. station bi Rc me
of Government, is financed by Con- When he decided to make the jour- had never been-informed
gress. M several weeks ago, his staff nazi- officials ' a8 e
Although officials in the American fled the?Itaira Embassy in Washing- Pope'let er Washington about to Mr..Brezhnev or the
Embassy here tend to view Mr. 'ton and asked officials there to set up identity of the Vatican official who
meetings with leaders me and withGovernment
D'Amato's visit as a publicity stunt, Ro
in told the Senatorabaftit-"I gave
tors workin
the trip has not been a junket revolt'- ag
important ;.information ; aad- 'thes-
fag around the tennis court and swim on the10Oti?g- _' clearly never followed it
C, tip.., he caotn-
Asbed to Posone Visit Mr.D''I DAmato'bas been on the !uq Bpt a day before Mr. D'Amato was
from early morning to late evening, scheduled to depart, Mr. Zagarne rThe ied Senator's aides, Undat>r ,
meeting with senior Italian officials said,. the embassy said that no meet-: the per,furiously, p~-
and prosecutors in addition to Amen- f had been arranged. In addition, mg, cajoung and Prng offic3aits
can diplomats and intelligence offi- at the last minute, an Italiaa?speaking to meet with him. After some initial
cers. He says his interest in the assas- staff member from the Senate Intelli- expressions of interest by a numberbf
sination attempt grew out.of a trip to gence Committee, who followed other officials at the American Em-
Italy in 1981 when be learned that the the investigation closely, had to can- hem'. "the tide appeared to tuxaAnd
Pope had sent a handwritten letter:'to col his plans to accompany the Sena- _people started avoiding hltcalls, Ieird- -
the Soviet leader, Leonid I. Br ezhnev,.' ' tor. ing the Senator and his aides to rto-Russians cr
Solidarity Union movement Be viewed the setbacks ominously, avoid him. = dto;
the reporting that the C.L& -had inter-
in Poland he would r?.?turn to Poland to block the Intelligence Com- Today, .rs Mr. D'Amato atte fed a Yen-ad to be with his countrytam -, final round of meetings, : peeing the
mittee's staff member- from making Foreign. Minister and -the Justice
Mr. D'Amato says be informed the the trip.. Be also produced a telegram ._Central Iatelligeoce:Agency about the from the -American Ambassador in ~' ' pronounced himself
letter and identified his source in the .. Rome, Maxwell Rabb, wring him to. PAY satisfied and partly disgp.
Vatican when he returned to Washing- pointed with the trip.,
ton. _ - . postpone the visit because the em-:'.- Satisfied, be. said, because be w=
:..~ - ,..., bassy was preoccupied with an over-. =ovin6ed that the Italians were seri-
Interested Constitraenia lapping appearance by Vice Preident owly pig the investigation
The Senator believes that the letter Bush. 'T7uene's an effort to impede bad come up with solid evidence that
might have contributed to Soviet leaf my investigation." Mr. D'Amato said the of the Pope and given the Kremlin the on the flight. t played Bulgarian 0overnment a role in planning P probably
-motivation to order his assassination. Once be was in-Rome, appointments Paid, because,
The Italian investigation of the attack, began to fall in place, Disappointed, labe said,
. although not ot al al- "It's been 'clearly demonstrated that
based on information provided by ways through official channels. Be- our own intelligence services are -
Mehmet All Agca, the Turk convicted fore he could shower and change doing a less than adequate job."
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505120093-8