THE GABBY AMERICAN WAY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100040070-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 70
• Publication Date: February 17, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040070-0
A? I L1? p ARED
ON PACE 23
Meg Greenfield
THE WASHINGTON POST
17 February 1982
The Gabby American.
As the decibel level rises in this coon- " cause it won't work, but because it will
try concerning our policy toward El Sal- 'The presidential do positive harm as well. I think the dif-
vador and how we should approach the r ference between our two systems in this
Polish debt, my mind keeps going back to reflex to plug leaks is respect does have implications for a
an earlier, eerie silence, eerie in retrospect number of our activities, the character of
anyway. It is the silence that was main= as understandable in our agreements with the Soviets, for ex-
tained on the Russian side all the while ample, and the degree of security and
.that the lightning-stroke repression of the origin as it is doomed verification we need to have on any risk-
Poles was being planned, presumably laden deal: they can break an agreement
argued about and ,fmally executed. in practice. without Rona Barrett's finding out
,Within hours, out of nowhere--like the about it. But the presidential reflex to
construction of the Berlin wall, the move this advantage our own disheveled and plug every one of those leaks and classify
on Czechoslovakia and: too ninny other undisciplined blathering' can appear all more things secret-is something else
affairs-it was done.. J he more reckless and &M-damaging. If again. It is as understandable in or bin as
Just like that- And the only back- there is someone, somewhere, who has it is doomed in practice.
ground noise you heard before-or after -not got the idea by now that this govern- Right now in Washington there is a
was, naturally, ours. There we were be- ment is. perplexed, .divided and, in any - 'great effort under way at this plgging
forehand, arguing about what the Rus- case, not entirely -free' to do what it and caulking si {ns .would probably do (an outright wants (once it figures out what that is) in and finding out who s doing
Han the troublesome talking (when the talk- gary-style invasion?) and what our 'Central America or Central Europe, well, ing isn't being done ` artlessly for the
response should or shouldn't be. After- that someone can't be-very bright We record, that is). The guys with the short
-ward, once' again surprised,` ive' took to advertise our imprecision and'disagree.-..."foreheads, as the security men are en-
,our telephones to ask each other what ment, which also go by such-names as,,, dearingly known, are going around town
t
hat was-we thought we had just heard on checks and balances and pluralism. ; : questioning this one and that one about newa
the
Conf once settled into our amthe, worst w hiar hand- v e- at : - It's not just that our- institutions and the innumerable leaks.- The polygraphs
g . our traditions incline. us to this type of are out. And terrible legislative and ad-
..ing and acrimony about whose fault it free-for-all between, say, government ministrative steps are planned to restrict
was and what to do. They do the deed, and press and among the different more information and to punish harshly
and we hold the hearing -' - ` ` --- T branches' of .government.- It's also- that "'those -who disseminate it. 'The: thing
I sometimes have this fantasy that this administration, maybe even more - about all this is drat it won't work but it
the Soviet system falls apart and than some of its unruly predecessors, might do harm-including to the admin-
begins.: to resemble-ours because we seems given to a lot of public and semi- , istration that promotes it and sees it into
.have dropped a nonlethal but abso- public infighting-to the joy and glory of law.
,
. lutely destrudtive weapon called the those of us who are paid too write about it . The harm will come from what
First Amendment bomb on them, fol- and those who have. been elected to the grows in the darkness when too much
;,lowed up by a biological agent called Congress that governs-along with it. information is put beyond the reach of
virus-of congressmen (there would also We are all having fun, but I find it -any but a few-a few who are bound to.
be an especially exotic strain called dis- unimaginable that this' festival. of .-grow arrogant (as we have seen) and to-
affected Cabinet officer). democracy is doing much to help along tromp off on their own ill-conceived se-
Only imagine. Pravda and Izvestia such serious strategies as theadrninistra- .. ?
~ cret missions. But beyond that, it's a
would have been competing to expose tiom is able to contrive; thanks to the mugs' game; it can't be done. Of course
the policy'-on Poland.. The leakers side that lost the internal battle,.. the ' there is a range of material that needs
would have been in full gush.' The secret news rarely seems to hold until ' to be protected. But you cannot really
denials, as is always true, would have the last black limousine has pulled change the sloppy, ebullient, gabby, ex
been telling much of the story-a story away from whatever marble palace it asperating nature of the society, espe-
for which the- headlines write them- . was. that.,the top-level meeting was' cially of the political society, and I
selves: KGB PLAN TO "DESTABI- held in. And notall of the. disclosure. is don't think, even with the screaming
LIZE" .:SOLIDARITY 'CHARGED; - subs rosa or indirect. We now.have a-- _.' disadvantage this -creates in many
POLITBURO SOURCE ASSAILS - whale of a battle going-right up there , overseas relationships, that you would
MARTIAL-LAW OPTION, BREZH- and out loud-over the ,Polish debt want to. You can distort the social and
NEV SAYS MARTIAL-LAW OP- - and what the administration should do political process with Draconian mea-
TION NOT. RULED OUT, CEN-, -in relation to it. The Weinberger-Haig sures. But you can never stop the leaks .
TRAL - COMMITTEE DEMANDS. confict, in general, gets more, not less, or the determined self-expression or
.POLITBURO DOCUMENTS ON vivid everyday. ~- the fact that we can't by our very na-
wARSAW PLAN, RUMOR PHONE - This stark contrast between Soviet se- tine do it their way. A president can
LINES BEING' CUT IN'GDANSK, crecy and -discretion : and. 'compulsive only learn to make the best of the sys-
RED. -,=, ARMY, REPORTEDLY American _ revelation' sooner' or later ten as it is. The alternative, in. a fa
iANGR' ATSMALL ROLE `ENVIS threatens to put every president berserk. mous phrase, is to "destroy" the unruly
AGED IN' POLAND. It's :wonderful; And, why wouldn't.it? The, "problem. is , democratic. culture "in rder . to save
but it's not that way yet. that'there'is very little that can' be done it. Instead, the eerie silence with its at
gre t9 change the situation and a great deal
*19(Q Newsweek rot
abiding advantage obtains:' Arid against - that shouldn't be attempted, riot just be Reprinted by perrnt ton?3tt rlghts reserved
N:flw-1...1.x.,: aa..
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040070-0