CIA PANEL TREADS FINE LINE BETWEEN REVELATION AND SYMPATHY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-01208R000100250008-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: June 11, 1975
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP90-01208R000100250008-8
11 .;.~E 1975
AMA
By James R. Dickenson
wash;neten S:3r Staff Writer
For all the furor over the
timing of the release of the
Rockefeller commission re-
port on the CIA's domestic
surveillance activities and
the decision not to publish
its findins? on allegations
of agency involvement in
overseas political assassi-
nations, the report presents
nothing in the way of sub-
stanial Hew revelations.
In the post-Watergate
era, this immediately trig-
gers suspicions of a cover-
up, suspicions that were
first evoked by the conserv-
ative, establishment nature
of the panel, some of whose
members had had previous
ties with the intelligence
community.
There is apolitical rule of
thumb, ho,.-ever, that the
most difficult problems are
referred to a sympathetic
commission. Even if Presi-
dent Ford issued no guide-
lines or helpful hints, the
report appears to walk the
fine line that he obviously
wanted: To conduct an
investi_ation that at least
appear:, s tisfactory but not
one that would impair the
CIA.
ALONG WITH its find-
ings of v; rcr. -doings, the
report contains judicious
recommendations for im-
proved congressional over-
sight a::d administrative
reforms that would prevent
them in the future.
Even though all the
commission's major find-
ings confirm reports al-
ready in the press, the sys-
tematic snooping, opening
of mail and compiling of '
dossiers on American citi-
zens, most of whom were
engaged in anti-war or civil
rights activities, is still
.staggering as outlined in
the report.
It describes a 21-year
program of surveillance in
which 8,700 pieces of mail to
and from the Soviet Union
were opened and a seven-
year program of spying on
Americans in which files
were opened on 13,000 peo-
ple and organizations and
index records kept on
,another 300,000.
is not iikely to whitewash
the agency.
Church yesterday
characterized the commis-
sion report as "limited in
scone" and said the recom-
mendations did not go far
enou_ .
a'nat is needed is
specific prohibitions in the
law penalties attached
The name of this pro-
gram, begun in 1967 at the
insistence of President
Lyndon B. Johnson, tells
something about the Cold
War mentality: "Operation
CHAOS," was its name,
-which calls to mind the
sinister "KAOS" agents in
the television comedy
series, "Get Smart!" .
to vio at;ons of the la?,c, he
said in an interview on pub-
lic teievision. A
just as happy to let the
Demccratic-controlled Sen-
ate committee reveal this.
. It also dismayed some
conservatives such as Sen.
James Allen, D-Aia., who
grumbled that with the
Ccnzr ess's record for leaks
Ford might "just as well
have cut it on national tele
visio
His refusal to publicize
the potentially embarrass-
ing assassination allega-
tions pleased other con-
servativ'es. ho?.vever, many
of '.v~:-ora in his party are
restie under the Ford Rockefeller leadership and
are ico:king for an excuse to
s, someone like for-
n-ier California Gov. Ronald
Rea=an.
SUCH TACTICS would be
the Post-
tcrr.
,Z ky in era'
a.P ,u,.ve er.
ari =7 such a
pert:.a?.,
- ' ' `'` explosive Sub- jest. observers,
r or =over' doubt tiia_ Ford
is c-tabe of planning and
executing such a maneu-
ver. At any rate, there is
also a strong suspicion that
had their
some of the plots
inception in the Eisenhower
administration.
THE REPORT also tells of 32 illegal domestic wire- taps, 32 electronic bug
ga ngs, and 12 burglaries by
the CIA. By comparison,
CIA a Senate committee
la last January that there had been files opened on 10,000
A five break-ins and 21 tole- phone taps.
One barrier to 'any possi-
ble e cover-up is that Presi-
dent Fcrd is turning over
the 30 page chapter on
sassination plots and the
as material on which it is
based to the snecial Senate
committee that is also
i the the chairmanship of
Frank Church of Idaho, a
liberal ral Democrat and foe of
the Vietnam war,, the panel,
FORD'S DECISION to
g give the assassination
material to the committee inspired some cynical
speculation that the Kenne-
dy and Johnson administra-
'ions were involved in the
assassination plots and that
`Ford would probably be
"'tit: hen did Ford ever
l'-, anything that compli-
that the administra:ion still
g
has a knack for fcuiinup,
which the popular.
A.lal:agueZ rescue operation
had obscured.
"It's a mistake not to re-
lease the bad stuff your-
se!i." says one veteran
Republica. ^c:. this
da? and p_c^.e can
think of too mary reasons
v--h-,; vcu didn't.-
One-reason some eople
are thinking of is chat the
commission's investigation,
which it didn't ha time to
complete, would suffer by
comparison to '-.-c one
Church's c?~ ~^ ..ice is ex-
pected to undertake.
SOME SOURCES at the
White -.ouse were critical
of Rcckefe.ier - :ausc of
tie cor: miss.an?s :.:;lure to
ad '5.. until
tv:o or three ?xee::s aeo that
it was :s nveSti-
gazion of .. _ed assas-
sination plots to their
domestic .. Ica:ices.
T? ' n ,.om-
bers de:-ended ..:eir work.
n_Xxe'.er. and a:.r:bu:ed the
a.bsencc c: n_-.v revelations
aZgreS;ive ess. "I
._.. "Ne m;_Ce ; careful a
.:-'? as v.-n, said C.
New
... ban'.ker
o -2rve0 _::h the
~r:.other an,. :ennedy
adym:nistrations. '.Ve
couldn't find a. . inn that
amounted to . ..i^,g that
the press had not already
found out."
ccated that worked out?~_,
asks one conservative
critic. Another, a Southern-
er, thought the change of
signals on releasing ? the
chapter on assassinations
over the weekend showed
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP90-01208R000100250008-8