EDITORS TELL CIA, HANDS OFF!

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110032-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: April 21, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20 :CIA-RDP90-008068000100110032-3
~~ ti~-.. ~ ~ _'
EVERYBODY KNEW about iR ex- of the 5t. Fetersburg Times and `I:en are really just civil service workers?
cept the editors, Mcl+iullen-bf the iVIiami Herald,?-led- Turner made?the point:reporter-
American reporters are being used .. the- protest?y - - :' ~;. - spies. were. told it would be a' good
- again - as spies for the United _= r Rosenthal --was fire most persistent, idea if [heir editors??larew about. it. No
States. ~.~ ~- ~ Patterson .the mast eloquent -and Mc_ editor at the meeting ? acknowledged.
We found .that=out in . Washiri on - : o
~ Muiien _-the toughest. having a spy on :.the -staff sa_-there
'-iris month at the annua}, meeting of -- ~ ~ goes that fail-safe:.mechanism.:~~--,. -
th,. American Socie, of;New r - Why. shouldn't reporters~.help---their - There was the real -.threat that an
- - 'Y- ape ~,.....-?-- -...., ,,._ :._--_-- ~.._L _~ .~_ ._. . , ..
Many editors;:lis-
tened in anger =and
disbelief as - Adm_
Stansfield Turner,. di-
rector of the CIA, told
us of the reporter-spies
in his talk. He ? elabo-
'Turner said he- an-
nounced the -policy irr
Gn.RY POST-T? TBLTi`li' (IidD .
21 APRII, 1980
puorrc reers the way Aam.. i urner
does ~ _ ..:
r
iviulle.^. hinteCi strongly at it and [here
seemed to be. silent approval from th'e?
`As the admiral put it
all'the
other
crowd: ~ -_ ~
-~ = ~
r:
_
,
countries
se
th
i
f
i
~~
b
l
e
u
-
e
r press;tas -
ore
gn
-
edH Not
at
a11
i~sseem
~Th
;
agents.
,
s
e cas
es
,
"`'-'" '~~"-""'b'- ' - - if re rte's are in the em to
were held on it. -:.;_: -. O Rowks PR p Y -of
' That policy, of using foreign corre- the government? How can we ~ believe
spordents as spies, had been abolished reports coming from Iran and Afghan-
after it came to light in the Watergate istan if those telling us about it and
era. ;lfany other- abuses of the'?CIA writing about it are paid informants-of
were abandoned at that time. our government?
Turner's reinstituting of the policy, The. government's. generals ated to
he said, aims to, use newspaper re-. us for. years'in Vietnam,.telling us we-
porters only if there is no alternative were winning.. when we weren't; tell-
He must give approval personally. __ ing us victory was just around the
The admiral said he has authorized' corner. when -it wasn't. ~:
tare use of three..reporters - aU of ..._ .Watergate has made it- more diffi-
whom agreed to'serve - as spies. cult for us to believe our~~overament
--.Somehow that sug-
gests knee-jerk reac-
t~on by the CIA.
- I don't think any ed-
itor is saying-that a.re-
porter who comes back
to "this country after-.a
his government what his' experiences ,~
were like and what he thrnks rs going-~
on over, there- = ,
n... ._ __._ s_~.L ____ _ _
-:was not needed; he added. ~ . _- r- :'^%~: ~ --: ly correct-: ; W - -_ ~ ~ on this moral issue.: ; ~ - -
the-irew York?7T,itaes,~Gene Patterson: public;_to ?believe= ==-if ouii reporters.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20 :CIA-RDP90-008068000100110032-3