SENATORS WANT INQUIRY ON REPORT OF OFFICIALS SDI 'DISINFORMATION'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000402860005-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: March 20, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
1 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP90-009658000402860005-0
WASHIr`iGTON POST
20 March 1~~86
Senators Want Inquiry on Report
Of Official SDI `I?isinformation'
By Fred Hiatt
Waehmglon Pont Staff Wnter
Four U.S. senators asked the
Senate Select Committee on Intel-
ligence yesterday to investigate
reports that the Reagan adminis-
tration has provided classified in-
formation to the Soviet Union on
the "Star Wars" missile defense
program while channeling "disinfor-
mation" on the program to Con-
gress and the U.S. public.
Lt. Col. Simon P. Worden, special
assistant to the director of the Star
Wars program, formally known as
the Strategic Defense Initiative
(SDI), said in a public forum earlier
this week that U.S. officials provid-
ed a "classified briefing" on SDI to
the Soviets.
A spokesman for the SDI Organ-
ization, Lt. Col. Lee DeLorme, said
yesterday that Worden "misspoke."
DeLorme said that Lt. Gen. James
A, Abrahamson gave the Soviets an
unclassified briefing at the arms
control talks in Geneva, which be-
came secret only because all details
of negotiations must be kept secret.
But according to a transcript of
his remarks, Worden went on to
explain why some classified infor-
mation would be provided to the
Soviets but still kept secret in the
United States.
"In some cases, it is useful for the
U.S. to tell the Soviets what we
know about them and it is not useful
to tell, to have the debate publicly
[on~ how we get that information,"
Worden said.
The alleged disinformation cam-
paign was reported this week in
Aviation Week and Space Technol-
ogy magazine, which said that the
CIA and Defense Department have
initiated a "disinformation program
that it is applying to a number of its
aircraft and weapons development
Two Demceratic lawmakers among those seeking investigation of disclosures.
projects," including SDI, in order to
confuse the Soviets.
The article said that some disin-
formation might be transmitted in
congressional hearings.
Democratic Sens. William Prox-
rnire (Wis.), J. Bennett Johnston
(La.), Dale Bumpers (Ark.) and
Lawton Chiles (Fla.), all members
of the Appropriations Committee,
asked the intelligence committee [ti
investigate both "disturbing re-
ports." An intelligence committee
staff member said an inquiry will be
conducted.
Worden's remarks came in re-
sponse to questions during a forum
at the American Jewish Congre>,
convention here Monday. [n re-
sponse to a question about sharing
SDI technology with the Soviets, as
President Reagan has suggested,
Worden said "we have given them a
classified briefing on the SD[."
"Indeed, we have some com-
plaints from Congress that we gave
the Soviets the same one we gave
Congress," Worden added.
Worden was then asked why in-
formation given the Soviets would
remain classified.
"That's a good question," he re-
~ponded. "[ argue that it shouldn't
be. The point is that we have an
agreement with the Soviets that all
details of the proceedings in Gene-
va other than just general progress
is at a secret level."
Worden then went on to say that
there are "two key areas" that can-
not be fully disclosed in public, "in-
telligence sources and methods" be-
ina tl~e first.
"1'he second one is a more com-
L~lex one," Worden said. "There is
only one official secrets act in the
United States and that was the
Atomic F,nergy Act of 1955. Be-
cause the SD[ deals with nuclear
weapons and defenses against
them, that comes under an entirely
different set of rules and regula-
tions, and Congress has mandated
that certain of that information
must remain classified at that lev-
el"
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP90-009658000402860005-0