FORMER CIA HEAD SPEAKS IN BRANNER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000201030014-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2010
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: January 17, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/19: CIA-RDP90-00806R000201030014-0
THE STANFORD DAILY (CA)
17 JANUARY 1983
Former CIA head
speaks in Branner
By DAVID AZRIN than it was under previous administra-
Senior aoff writer tons.
Former Central Intelligence Agency "The Reagan administration has
Director Stansfield Turner criticized a weakened this check by not wording it
series of President Reagan's actions, quite-as mandatorily, which signals to
which he said have "unleashed" the me at least an intent not to be as strin-
CIA, during a talk at Branner Hall Fri. gent," he said.
day. Turner also had criticism for U.S.
Turner called a 1981 Reagan execu- military operations in Nicaragua, de-
rive order that for the first time au- signed to curb the flow of arms ship-
thoried covert' operations inside the ments to El Salvador.
United States a "bad move." "I think it is a very ill-advised mgve
..It was bad from my point of view, that the government and the CIA are
because they opened up the possibility making. We have blown Central
of the CIA spying on Americans. I America out of proportion in my opin-
don't think that it was desirable or ion:'
Turnery said that when Congress ap-
necessary. They unleashed (the CIA) riotes money for El Salvador,
to an extent which I think was a bad prop
move:' he said before the audience, of Reagan was told that "none of this
120. money is to be used to try to destabilize
Turner, who headed the CIA for the Samosa regime:'
three years during the Carter administ? "The administration is saying we are
ration, gave a brief talk and then making these raids to prevent the
answered a variety of questions from Nicaraguans from supplying arms to
members of the audience. the El Salvador rebels. It's a very fine
Turner also said he was worried and tenuous line. If they are down
abouta "gradual erosion" of checks on there with the intent of destabilizing,
'the CIA. they are doing it against the law today,
"The series of controls and oversight he said.
on the intelligence process has been Turner also criticized Reagan's
weakened," he said. Soviet-American policies, by saying
"They (the CIA) need guidance. that improvements in relations bet-
They need some form of checks. We ween the countries are not possible in
have developed those. I really hope "this administration that talks so stri-
they (Reagan administration officials) dently against the Soviet Union:'
don't weaken them further. I don't We must maintain a line of com-
think they have weakened them sari- munication with the Soviet Union. If
ously, but I am worried about a gradual we ever get to where we really don't
? understand each other and we don ,t
erosion, he said.
Turner cited a number of adttittistra- communicate at all, it could be danger-
oes for the whole ~~.. he said.
tion actions in the past two years that In have increased the power and secrecy abuses response power, a Turner d" urner said about that CIA
al-
of the CIA. ' though the CIA may have been guilty
The executive order issued in late of such abuses in the past, it has always
1981 lifted a long-standing ban on had
"good motives:'
covert operations inside the United
States, permitting physical surveillance "I believe that those excesses, those
of U.S. residents when "significant improper performances and intrusions
foreign intelligence" was sought. into the life of Americans, were the
In addition, the Intelligence Identifi- excess of the dedication and the desire
cation Act enacted June 23 last year to serve the country:' he said.
made it a crime to disclose names of "The people in the CIA are not
U.S. intelligence agents. even when the malevolent, but secrecy in any organi-
information was publicly available. zation, in any society, breeds abuse,"
Accnrdina to Turner. Reagan may he said.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/19: CIA-RDP90-008068000201030014-0