CIA CHIEF HERE, SAYS IT NEEDS MORE SECRECY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000200970008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: August 12, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000200970008-5
ARTICLE APP
ON PAGE
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
12 AUGUST 1980
CIA Uriief V'Eeve, Say~-
Needs Move Sec'ecy
? By Bill Sniffer f _
The CIA - is having trouble. it," he said...
keeping secrets, the agency's direr- Turner commented that CIA
tor, Stansfield Turner, told a San agents feel threatened by the Free-
Francisco Press Club luncheon yes-. dom of Information Act "Our
terday_ -
As a result, Turner said, the
CIA is seeking greater indepen-
dence from congressional watch=
dog committees and other re-
straints that have forced it to reveal
classified information, reduced the
agency's ability to respond to crises,
and sapped. the morale of U.S.
agents.
"The greatest threat facing
U.S. intelligence capabilities is the
reduction in our ability to keep
secrets," Turner said. "It is an issue
of First' Amendment rights, wheth-
er we can have better secret
intelligence and still respect the
Constitution." .
The director of central intelli-
gence, who said he was "refurbish-
ing" the agency's tarnished image
by his appearance before the media
yesterday, then outlined four areas
of legislative "remedies" to protect
its secrets.
The legislation sought by.
Turner would reduce the number
of congressional committees having
a right to review covert CIA opera-
tions and amend the Freedom of
Information Act to protect CIA
secrets. "I assure you' it is difficult
to recruit volunteers (for a mission)
if I have to admit I m going up to
Capitol Hill to tell 200 people about
sources are not convmced their
-secrets can be kept. We are con=
stantly being challenged In court
and our agents wonder if we'll keep
winning those cases."
He also called for making the
disclosure of the identity of CIA
agents a crime and support for a
bill that would limit a defendant's
access to CIA secrets during a trial
Turner, ' a former Navy admiral
who has held the top CIA post for
3% years, compared the CLA's
efforts to protect its sources with
efforts by reporters to keep their
sources confidential.
He said the CIA will be re-
quired to provide better intelli-
gence during the 1980s because of a
growing Russian military threat.
"For the first time," be said,
"foreign policy must be based on
the perception by the Soviets of
something like military parity with
the United States." _
In response to a question about
freeing the American hostages,
Turner said that the "options in
Iran are very limited," adding that
"there are a half dozen separate
power centers in Iran and the
hostages are being used as pawns
between these groups. I don't see
any one of these groups coming to
power." .
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000200970008-5