HELMS SEEKS DELAY ON STATE DEPT. JOB

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100040020-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: September 16, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ST Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP91
U ARTICLE AP FEARED 16 3?EPT ,~=R 1932
ON PAGE ! ` ? .
HELMS SEEKS DELAY
ON STME DEPT1 JOB'h
Raises Security Questions on
1979 News Article by Aide,
an ex-Times Reporter
Special toTbe.lew York Throes
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 - Senator
Jesse Helms tried today to delay the
confirmation of Richard Burt as Assist-
ant Secretary of State-for European Af-
fairs by asking for an investigation of
the effect of a 1979 news article in The
New York Times written by Mr. Burt
when he was a reporter for the newspa-
per.
The article discussed plans by the
United States to replace electronic
monitoring stations in Iran with a satel-
lite system and a large radio intercept
antenna in Norway. The stations had-
been lost. because of the revolution in
Iran. '
In a letter-to Senator Charles H.
Percy, Republican of Illinois, who is
chairman of the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee, Mr. Helms asked that
Mr. Percy request the Senate's Select
Committee on Intelligence to undertake
a "damage assessment" of the June 28,
1979 article by Mr. Burt, whiz was then a
Washington correspondent for The
Times.
No Comment From Percy
Mr. Burt joined the State Department
when President Reagan took office in
1981, serving first as Director of the Of-
fice of Politico-Military Affairs. His
nomination to be Assistant Secretary
for European Affairs was announced
this year, and a confirmation hearing
by the Foreign Relations Committee
today. was the occasion for Senator
Helms, Republican of North Carolina,
to make public his letter.
There was no immediate comment'!
from Senator Percy. If he declines to
ask for such an investigation, it is nassi-~
ble that Senator Helms may ask for a!
delay in voting on Mr. Burt's confirma-
,.iion, Senate staff members said.
Senator Helms's letter asserted that
the news article "broke ext:remelyi
sensitive classifications" and that itsi
effect was "to compromise our ability
to detect Soviet missile testing." Mr;
Helms said he found it "disturbing that;
a person involved in compromising our:
verification procedures be appointed to
an important post."
Mr. Burt told the hearing that deci-
sions on whether to publish material
that might have been derived from clas-
sified documents were ultimately made
by The Times editors in Washington'
and in New York.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040020-5