RICHARD M. HELMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000500150050-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 1, 2000
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: August 21, 1980
• Content Type: NSPR

ARTIG
ON PAGE
or Release 200$/i1igs : IDtRO
21 AUGUST 1980
Richard M. Helms
This letter is in response to your
excellent article (Aug. 1G) on Rich- :
ard M. Helms, former director of the?
Central Intelligence Agency. I am a
retired CIA official, and during my
long tenure with the agency I had
the privilege of meeting with Helms
on operational matters several
times. ? .? .
' Helms is a very intelligent and
forthright individual with outstand-
ing leadership abilities, and in addi-
tion he is considereci to be one of the.
most knowledgeable public figures
on international' economic and po-
litical affairs -.in this country.
? Moreover, he is one of the few for-
mei high-level!CIA officials that
nas not rushed to write and publish
:his memoirs, and to hit. the lecture
circuit in order to:make a fast buck .
or his vast knowledge of interna-
tional intrigue and espionage.
?. The leadership of both the Re-
'. publican and Democratic parties
should take note of Helms' percep-
_tive observation of the sad state of
:Our foreign policy, which is partly
.the result of paying heed to the
bunch of "false prophets" who have
-unduly influenced U.S. foreign poli-
cy over the past 25 years.
JACK F. MATHEWS
Carpinteria
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For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RD 91561N1000050
ON CHICAGO TRIBUNE
13 August 1980
ick Thiminesch
-
urky. law regulates t
e registration of
- SVASHINGTON?The' Billy Carter rum-
ptis--caused me to think about how diEfi-
..-du1t7the law Concerning :registration of
',"foreign .agents'...' sis to administer: En-
deed, - it often can operate in a down-
right foolish and inconsistent fashion., .,
'In this town, all manner of,people ,act
is "foreign agents:" Some register and
'some: don't. The latter bunch gets away
- with; it because 7 .of ,vagarieS.
:sum; the law, requires that evcrY person
..who becomes an ,agent for a foreign
priiicipal":: shall disclose . the;?relation-
ship,- specifically where it involves politi-
? caLactivity, representatitin; financial ac-
tivities, or consultation... ,
The -key question , is:-.'whether the
agent", is in a Control' situation with the
"foreign principal,!' term covering
governments, compariie-s";' : associations,
'and-Z. individuals.. In '-'practice, nearly
:everyone who. -;registers: as - a foreign
.,agent ,with the Justice Department is
, paid for, -servi%.s.,tendered a
foreign interest::
The law waS 'enacted: in 1938 when -
Gernian and British-agents were trying
to influence U.S. policy at a time when
'World War II was about. to erupt like a.
? violent summer, thunderstorm; The laws:
has:- since been-:amended in. a _sort of
truth in labeling manner, so the govern-...
meat at least Imoivs-who is' representing.
what, foreign. interest.'?The number.; of
,registrants:'-haS.-donbled in the last t
years, and now stands at about 700
.-. Check. the -list and you find the most
wealthy and prestigious- law firms, some
getting _retainers in -six figures ' to look
the interest or-zsmall: and large,
atations,...'"Corporations-,and tourist agen....'
;ciesa4.7.Liberi ai.,Germariy, ;Mauritania,,;.
'France,-, the :Argentine Meat Board, the,
mushroom paekers- and fireworks Inann-:,-,
;lecturers of ....Taiwan; a' lineup. of Arab's
:nations; and the World Zionist Organiza7.,,,
.tion1--,they're all therez? ...
Every so often someone is prosecuted
ornot'registering,-:. Reading the :New
:York -Times business section is standard
at the. Justieer? Department "to 'find
out who just: wpna;foreign conti act -
.Since- the. registration lists and'accom-
panying -.materials ,.are'-:open to public
inspection,., activist:,. groups pounce on
certain...new": registrations,-.. as evidence
.that a given lobby?Arab,,Jewish, Irish
?Revolutkmary,. pro- or. anti Taiwan or
. whatever?is becoming bigger_ and bold-
- _ ,
er
? .
One lawyer here with 'a pro-Arab.repu-
tation claims .that the day after he went
to the Justice DepartMent to discuss
_whether he should register, a. Washing-
Jan newsman was phoned Ufa represent-
ative of a Jewish organization, with an
account of the visit. There is plenty of
evidence that Jewish 'groups provide
journalists with material on,"Arab mon-
ey" and: activity by ? Arab . "foreign
agents." ?
The term -"foreign agent" sounds al-
most -sinister. It brings to mind the;
-shady- fellow wearing a trench coat and
oversized hat pullecrover his face who
lurks about a fog-enshrouded waterfront
foreign agents- who 'register
. here, however, are not about to subvert
,the republic. They' either. affect .to be
"straight," right out in the open, or in
some cases want to let 'prospects know
they are available. . .
7But who is-. a foreign agent?. Is Henry
:Kissinger one 'because he contracted to
provide his judgments on international
affairs to General Electric of.GreatBrit-
'ain7Hon British soil, -only, he: says. -Kis-
. singer isn't registered; nor, was former
CIA. Director Richard Helms for 'serv-
ices provided Iran when it was.tun by
;.the shah. What about a professor asked
say,: Japan,-: to da a. study- On. how
Congress might legislate against foreign
cars? Should he register?
have rummaued through 'half a ton
of miSerable-dor.'uments, and' ItrinsEcon-
cludev that :this foreign agent -area is
murky; indeed. There are many in ? his
t
town who ? legally don't have- to, regis or -
but should do so for the. sake of honest .r
..:
Anyone' who read 'Stephen .Isaa s'.7
"Jews - and.. American' -Politics" -or.- as?
. been around Capitol Hill knows- thereis,
a --network of", congressional- .staffers.
_ [Isaacs calls them .."sernitophiles"1 often.
. orchestrated ? into :pro-Israeli' actions -ay:
Morris.Arnitays American -Israel_Pub lc:,
. Affairs Committee Now AIPAE claims.-
it has only "informal" contacts with tie
Israeli Lmoassy,-- but anybody .whoIbe-,
heves that is misguided.
The same' 'goes foranyOne who -be- .
heves- that -the National Association if.
Arab Americans,. a newand increasing y.
feisty outfit, does-not co-ordinate some:
Of its activities with:Arab nations Or;
interests.: - -- --,... "-- : _
- Neither-AIPAC or NAA is registered,.
but a poor :little group called' the Leba-
nese- Information - and :Research Center,'
Iyhich distributes . -a ? relatively' calm
newsletter, is, tho-tighits. impact on Corp.
gress- and the government is about-that
of .a feather. hitting the Rock of -,Gibra_
tar
Finally, 'anotherWashington souf:Who,
should- -register: is --former :U.S.:: Semi.,
7 James- Abourezk who :works ' -for--.Khot7
meini's -Iran -.'and'.fits;- even ? the.7.fuz,ty
.
guidelines. Of"..iithis .:.bewildering'laiv:
-- Abotirezk-'dOesn't - look like.' a '-"foreign:..
agent!.bitt. :he _flacks- for -' Iran --while.-
claiming to perform:poly legal work; .7 "
._ . a..
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,-oproveitpcyltillelease 200111213/113 Ft IOWA
ON PAGE /*-- BOOK WORLD
10 August 1980
g FIFTH HORSEMAN. :By Larry .Collins. and Domi-
, nIqtielap*e. SimOn-and Schuster. 478 pp. $13.95
By RICHARD HELMS
. ?.
T,N A PLOT whin. Sets up -a contest between the
villa and skills of the president of the United
States and. Libyan strongman Muammar al-Qaddafl,
the leading character turns out to be a detective first
grade in the New York Police Department, Angelo
Rocchia..-
? The, Fifth -Horsenici* Is a noVel- about thermoint4
clear bombs in the hands of terrorists. Whence this
title? Those who are up on chapter six of The Revela-
tion of Saint John may recall that 'white,'red, black
and pale horses had riders who might be called Pesti-
,lence, War, Famine and Death. These were known as
?`The Font Horsemen of the Apocalypse," enshrined'
many years ago in the. title of a book by Blasco Iha:-
:,a'Fifth Horseman has emerged from,
the entrails, of hell to scourge humanity with terror,.
with arms so terrible even John's hallucinating imagi-
nation could not have conceived them," to quote,
, from this book.s;:
In the genre of Th'e Crash of '79 and The Day of ihe"
Jackal, this suspense novel is readable and in places'
' exciting. It mixes fact and fiction?names, pIaees,:
:events And details--so relentlessly that a word of eau-
:, tion is in order, The reader had best regard the entire
;;.b601c.aS fictional and not attempt to judge which de.
tailS-arelact and whichare fiction: If he does attempt
.;.-.,this;he is bound to form an exaggerated opinion or
ttliq technological prowess of our country and the ex-
tent to which a deity looks after our affairs.
But for some, especially Washington readers, it will
be intriguing to note which officials in this book are
given their real navies and which have new identi-
ties. The secretary of state, Andrew Peabody, is fie-
tional. Warren- Christopher, his deputy, gets his real
name, Harold Brown Is secretary of defense andva.
Lam Webster is director of the FBI. The head of
CIA, however, is Gardiner .`.?Tap" Bennington, sal to
ihe
, be a devotee of Allen Dulles. (Since when did that dk-
, tinguished director of Central Intelligence spell ! is
' name !rAllan"?) One Is bound to yender, whether the
Elo I
authors felt that certain 'Of these,lndividuals had ;
nrie assured tenure than others; and if so, what
?Crystal ball they used l'rovidentiaily, the president
.is not given a name.
It would spoil the story to say more about the
plot than that the terrorists have smuggled a hy-.-
drogen bomb into Manhattan .te blackmail the ?
'president. But it is fair to -note that inhabitants of -
. greater New :York will find' themselves thought-
fully:figuring how they would evacuate that great
'city on short notice. It is the 01(1 shouting-``Fire"-in=
.'a-crowded-theater syndrome; only on -a far more =
massive arid agora...44g kale. In Washington a little-
laiown-argardzatieli.,called the Fedeial Emergency:
,;.16.nOgement Agency is: responsible for such mat=
Thi reader-wilt 411164y -wine to the Prayerful
agency is-. on top of its job and
axnong other things .isieheaing. its shelters dutiful- ,
Hew reassuring is*;'it.._ ai know that as of 1980 "
.-YEMArs defense.poliehasiamong-it'si'',,
'Prograrrig 'one which includes; "plannirig ?for gotta- .-
jation relocatioh, during times of international,
,Crisia. is 'Well as b::atraptal?fe to;.lieltvIdeat with
natural disaSters, and other peacetime emergen-
-
In a setting Of power, advaneil technoiegy and
.international negotiation, the one figure in the
- book who has true-to-life identity and emotions is
' our New York cop, Angelo Rocchia. His street
smarts.; his experience, his personal woes make
him stand out among the plastic figures who dot
;the landscape. perhaps he belongs to the wrong
generation, but the treatment he receives from his
'paramour,. Grace ICnowland, a reporter for The
.;,Netv'..yo'rk Times; makes one wonder about cer-
'thin modern attitudes. Professionally, however, he
"Is what every citizen Wants in a detective, and he
may be forgiven his resentment of the FBI since
'most big city cops share it: -='-- ? ' .t
The authors, Larry Collins and Dominique La-
, pierre, former journalists for Netvsweek and Parisi
Match ? respectively, have collaborated on five i
books Of which this is the first novel. Their initial:
-:effort ; Ls. Pori:S.:Burr/4./1g? was an exciting recrea-'
4iorilof Lifein:theFrench capital dozing World War
fIfasi*eatlisoughtlie.e.yes. of intensely human par-
C 011T1.100.
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Approved For ReiggFaVqpivi9egg iopwwp9v9ggoi4R99 500150050-5 4:1
, n a
j. -characters and settings in The Fifth Horseman. have ?a.
particularly solid resonance.
Thepublishers of this book could hardly have counted
on. the recent. publicity_ given- to -Billy ' Carter's arrange-
ments- with- the Libyan_ governrrient. From the point of
view of sales it is almost too good to be true: But don't let
this distract us from the faet-that Libya,in theiwords- of
President Carter, ."has repeatedly-provided support for
of ,intemational terrorism:kin:art unclassified-Andy
a few years ago the,Centrallbtelligence Agency made the
;judgment ?that.'"Colonel? al-Qaddafi-ha been One of the
worlds least :inhibited practitioners ot. international tef-
-,Georde E Vitt,: the columnist.',I.vrtitef.ai-yearAgo,z after?
an -international conference On 'terrolisin in/Jeri:Bale/it
When a governmen4such as that of-Libya,;is involVed in-
terrorism from Ulster to Israel, then only prudential con-
siderations on-the.part of the nations attacked can weigh
against actions to.change_that government. -This subject
conies under the heading of thinking the unthink-
able. But the beginning of 'wisdom in dealing with terror-
ism: 1s; to; face this fact: no act is unthinkable when so
.
manY terrible acts are successful.";
WI:nay-perhaps- give a shudder to the readers of The
Fifth Hdi'semein to hear another judgment written in the
same, CIA-study noted above: "The prospect of nuclear-
armed-terrorists; can, in fact, no longer be dismissed. But
becanse'. of the Taijor problerns that would be involved in
the :a-equisitiostorage, transport, and employment of a
nuetear device; A more likely scenario--at least in the ,
short term?would be a terrorist seizure o1. a nuclear
weapons storage facility or a 'nuclear power plant to
ex-
ploit the publicity and the bargaining power inherent in
the attendant-threat of pollution." -
TheVot :Of this-bdok iSbyne-meariSAS farfetcheii as it
inay:at'dirSt' appear,. The- eeinbination Of :nuclear. power
and- tet,torism:has:;indeed created- a.,Viftlitorseman" to
.rnenaCe man'ssurVival. The implications are sobering in
the extreme;Q: :
RICHARD HELMS spent 30 years in InIelligence. HO a
former director of the Central Intelligence Agene
'former ambassador to Iran and.is now an jnte.cnational
:COnsultant in Washington, ,?,-
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