'LEAKING' THE TRUTH TO SAVE A GOOD NAME

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100010058-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2012
• Sequence Number: 58
• Publication Date: January 17, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100010058-7
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WALL STREET JOURNAL
17 January 1986
Letters to the Editor
`Leaking' the Truth
To Save a Good Name
We are attorneys for Charles Water-
man, who was mentioned in a news arti-
cle about Stanley Sporkin Dec. 13. The ar-
ticle alleged that Mr. Waterman was sus-
pected by the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion of espionage, that he was never prose-
cuted and that he resigned in 1984.
Mr. Waterman first retained this law
firm in the spring of 1985. Our client was
incensed about tasteless allegations made
against him in leaks to the press, appar-
ently by those opposed to the nomination
of Stanley Sporkin to the federal judiciary.
Throughout the course of our representa-
tion of Mr. Waterman we have had numer-
ous conversations with officials of the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency, including Mr.
Sporkin, and officials of the Senate Judi-
ciary Committee. We have yet to see infor-
mation in any document, or hear any alle-
gation that Mr. Waterman was suspected
of espionage. In addition, we have not seen
any information which would constitute ev-
idence of any such suspicion.
In November 1985, the Senate Judiciary
Committee requested that Mr. Waterman
testify in closed session, because the in-
quiry involved classified information. As
Mr. Waterman's attorneys, we were per-
mitted to review the files concerning Mr.
Waterman from the CIA. After our review,
we recommended to Mr. Waterman that he
testify, in accordance with his expressed
desire to do so.
At the closed hearing before the com-
mittee, Mr. Waterman testified freely
about his work as a CIA employee, and
about his relationship with Mr. Sporkin.
After Mr. Waterman testified, Sen. Denton
dropped his objections to Mr. Sporkin's
confirmation, and voted in his favor.
Mr. Waterman's testimony and the re-
sponse to it by the U.S. Senate is inconsis-
tent with an allegation of espionage. Mr.
Waterman was never threatened with pros-
ecution by any agency of the federal gov-
ernment, and he struck no "deal" to re-
sign as an alternative to such a threat.
Mr. Waterman's reputation has been se-
riously harmed by "leaks" of biased and
inaccurate information by unnamed
sources. We believe it is necessary that the
truth be "leaked" so that a good man can
continue his life and profession in peace
and untarnished.
G. Jey SHAW
WILLIAM L BRANSFORRR D
Neill, Mullenholz. Shaw & Seeger
Washington
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100010058-7