DRAWING FIRE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100060014-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2007
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: February 12, 1977
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ARTICLBA2 Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100060014-3
QNV PAGE ,3 TH6 LCUNUMLST
12 February 1977
Appointments ' -, ''
Dr'awingfirb t...
,. t Washington, DC
:.Time morality and the -.Vietnam war
have shrunk. and fragmented .the elite', group 'available Ito:.ensure a:'sinboth
. foreign 'policy'. transition: .from. one
administration to the next.. Survivors
from the old regime,. like the .new'
secretary., of ':state, . Mr Cyrus Vance; .1
the 'new. =secretary of defence, MrHarold Brown, . and.': . the --new-11'
presidential:.;. assistant ` ` fora national
security ,affairs, Zbigniew.
Brzezinski, are naturally fetching in
.some fellow-survivors of the establish-.
?ment;,but, from.political necessity as'
well, as 'sheer depletion of manpower,
.they.,, are also bringing . in young
dissenters, bright men, full of push but
devoid of experience. in the hope that.'
the} .wili.settle; slown:''~c b.4'
First;. 'however, ':most' of -them " have-
to he cmnfirmed in: their:jobs:hy:..the
senate:::Their.:.:past=:! utterances;;-i are'.
being combed .through;.for danger`s or,
::discrepancies!, It is'a rare nominee'that'.:
has 'not coiitrihuted articles-so 'Foreign
.Policy..ur'::Foreign . AAffairs; roughly
speaking, the;:more .circumspect' and
;uninformative 't- the article;':- then; less.,
trouble: it:;gives a`nominee,` when his
public..hearing~comesup..m;,
his first:offieial press. conferenceyi Mr.
Warn'ke will not.. in.. fact, have great
power.. The:critics.,were,..gettina at, the:
presiden ;,.,who-.seerns to them. unduly.
anxious:to ,get ?a ?new :strategic:.arms;
control :agreement. A close vote on :thee.
Wan k6 confirmation. would. be..a.shdt
across;' ,'the bows,,, of ' the' Carter-.
administration ,,.
As, ihings. iave..turned' out; .ihe-:same.
contversy is likely: to,. spill . over intoi
.
the .discussion of the 'm erits 6f'-Mr
Carter's 'new " choice of: a director of:Central Intelligence to fill the gap.left.by Mr -Sorense'n's. w-ithdr awal._ La'te'-,11
last `.year? the :.'central Intelligence
Agency, sharply :raised-'its. estimate of.-
.,
oviet Union was spending-;-
what the: Soviet*
on defence, a-change.'that' can mean,
according to ones : point . of " view,
either=that the Russians have siarted'I
to expand their: forces at a 'terrifying:
rate, or just that"the' earlier ;estimate
-?
was'too`low. Debate has,been'racincr
it won't _be : plain sailing for Turner'';#_ t
iri_ -the. inielli~eriee='eommunity -=and
among the practitioners of ? strategic
studies about- "the" 'gravity' of -the
Russian military:- threat. The - next
.director of Central Intelligence, in his
'advice to the president, may' have to
'take sides.
C04/1,1170450
STAT
Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100060014-3
 Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100060014-3
Mr Carter's choice, Admiral I
Stanfield Turner,;. at present' Nato
commander-in-chief '' in ? southern
Europe, has the- reputation " not only of
a vigorous and' accomplished sailor but
also of a thoughtful and sophisticated
:-naval strategist.: Man-, might think he
cwould be better employed running the
nas' than in reconstructing,. the-
:battered Central" Intelligence,''Agenc}',
but Mr-Carer is in "a diffculty"'with
rthe CIA and inus1 ` have 'appealed ` to
-:his old Aziriapolis;classmate in strong
terms:' Pick- in aft` =eminent 'military
,man, i is, one obi,iOus way.` to ride `over
rah e;7 'suspicions-'' that :: undid' Mr
Sorensen:'' 'Admiral Turner - ,is ." not,
.- howev"er,;' the': conventional, "big-navy
man 'Ithat .-admirals--,;generally' `are
be.
expected -to
y=. He, too,, has been writing forForeign
":Affairs;: in the, last'-issue of " which he
"
,;,,poured polite scorn on those who take
a: crude , numberof;-Soviet naval;
,vessels,:: compare it with a crude
number of ;American naval vessels;:-and
jump "Jo.. the conclusion that- the
Russians are: on top. at.- sea He .stated
other criteria by ,-*+.nich the .adequacy
of =the. American naval forces should
be .definedcriteria that included not.
only.. quality. and _efficiency,:but ability
6:--discharge the, ., several _ . 'tasks-
strategic " offence;, protection of "power,
f'navalpresence, sea, control-that face
`'lie navy.
In? 4' doing so r he dismissed as
meaningless. a-. numerical equaof,
Soviet submarines;;, with "^ American'
submarines, or of