HEATH MAY JOIN WORLD SPY AGENCY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100560011-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 4, 2010
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: October 26, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/05: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100560011-7
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
26 October 1981
HEATH MAY
JOIN WORLD
STAT
`SPY' AGENCY
Daily.Telegraph Reporter
HEATH, the former
Prime - Minister, ::is
.refusing -to comment:' on
reports that he-=is to- take
up. a #50,000-a-year job -as .
head of' A' worldwide
private ?intelligence-agency.
The agency is, being set up
by a Dutch-based company,'Iris,
the1nternational Reporting-and
information- System Holdings,
as-a rival to political.and. econ-
omic . information gathering
State bodies, such as the CIA.
It is understood that Mr
Heath is about to sign, a con-
tract to be chairman of, the
supervisory board of Iris. = His
initial task will be to find direc-
tors "of public prominence" to
head six subsidiary companies
around the world- -
One of his principal? targets
is thought to be Mr Robert
McNamara, former president of
-the World. Bank and a former
American Defence Secretary. .
Failure of CIA .
The businessmen behind Iris
are convinced that there . will
be an extensive and lucrative
demand from countries and
companies for such a service,
particularly in the wake of the
CIA's failure- to detect any
significant cause for concern
before the revolution in Iran.
Iris plans to employ experi-
enced- field agents and to
monitor every publication ' and
broadcast in the world for stor-
age and analysis on, computers-
in America.
As befits the nature of such
an enterprise, no one was giv-
ing very much away yesterday.
Mr Heath is. staying in New
York with friends and has told
aides that he has no comment
to make on the report.
A spokesman for him said i
yesterday that Mr_ Heath had `
no plans. to retire from - active
politics, and. it is understood,
the Iris position was- never
contemplated. as a . fulltime
appointment.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/05: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100560011-7