WHITE HOUSE DENIES PLAN TO OUST KADAFI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505250110-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 110
• Publication Date: July 28, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000505250110-4
ARTICLE A?PEABEU
ON PAGE -
WAS111-11GTON STAR (GREEN LT_ )
23 JULY 1981
White House..-:
Denies Plan
To Oust dddafi
By Henry S. Bradsher
`t~:'.hingtnip Stir?tattlXrncr
Fending off further questions.
Speakes said, "We don't go into the
business of discussing CIA oper.
ations.... We do not condone or
support the assassination of foreign
leaders or the overthrow of foreign
governments by the-,United States."
Newsweek-said Max C. Hugel
briefed the House: committee on- a
plan.: to;,-embarrass Kadafi with
.disinformation." create an alterna.
A White House sp?kesman y ester- ester- mount, aa? rn uent -or Libya, and then .
paramilitary. operation. to
day denied a reportthat the CIA pro--'. -overthrow~him.-Speakes denied that
posed to overthrow; Libyan 'leader such a briefing had ever taken place.
biuammar Kadafi; while other.-of[i 'Arthetime of.theallegedbriefing.
.t'
cials expressed concernthat secret ".j HugelT.was the CIA deputy. director
information given, to: the House. In- ' for operations, the post that controls, =- -~
tell igenceCommitteehadleaked out clandestine operations. Hugel, a po--=
even if-in an incorrect version.. liticah-aide?'of Casey's who was ap
A Newsweek magazine report Sun-
pointed-t&-the sensitive job without
day said CIA Director William J
C
.
as
ey had approved a plan tooverthrow any experience, resigned two weeks
Kadafi. But when the House Permaw ago under White House pressure fol-
nent Select Committee on. Intelli- lowing. accusations, against him of
stock market manipulation. He de-
gence was briefed in secrecy on .he Hied the. accusations. -
i plan,.the. iieport sai tt"was ?con:_ - '
~.ti :..~. ..o Both in the administration and on
cerned that it wrote to President Capitol Hill, the apparent leakage of
Reagan to warn against the plan
.. some- kind of information about
This followed earlier reports in plans for a CIA covert operation dis-
other publications saying that-se- turbed-a number of officials. By say.
nior officials, including Secretary of ing that Reagan had received a letter
State Alexander M. Haig Jr.., had ap- from the House intelligence commit.
proved a. plan to encourage or even tee. Speakes apparen ly confirmed
v
hel
l Afric
p. se
era
an and. Twiddle that_thecommittee had in fact been
Eastern countries- to oust Kadafi. briefed on some proposed clandes-
The Libyan strongman has-been re-
gin tine action against a foreign govern
irded here as a
rt
f
g
suppo
er o
terror-
ism and an aggressor against neigh-
boring countries-
Libya recently accused'Egypt of
plotting to overthrow its. govern-
ment. The Egyptian government dis-
missed the accusation as a result of
heat-stroke.
Deputy, presidential 'press-secre-
tary Larry Speakes: confirmed that
Reagan had received a letter from
ment, even if not Kadafi's.
The ' leakage raised questions f
about the ability of the House com-
mittee, and indirectly also the Sen-
ate Select Committee . on Intelli-
gence, to keep the most sensitive
kinds.of government secrets_ some..,
officials said..
the, House committee, but it "does
not concern Libya--or Kadafi." He
added, "The: Newsweek' story. is in'-
correct"_..-.'J -:r. ... ... ;l
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000505250110-4