U.S. WON'T CHARGE EX-AGENT OVER BOOK ON C.I.A. OPERATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100080010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: March 21, 1977
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/04/17: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100080010-5
NEW YORK TIMES
21 March 1977
ation" that he was weighh'.g various
U.S. ~JWon )t Charg..o measures to crab th
p , g L he disclosure of infor-
mation about intelligence activities, in-
, g r Over
..(? ~~a chiding stronger application of -existing
legislation and seeking stronger lays,
~-~' ~? ,~ against dsclosure.
.., He said that he had found it disturbing
to learn that a Department of Agriculture.'
By ANTHONY 1IARRO 1employee could be sent to jail for disclos-
^? pecii i to 7..?_ ;re-- y,r%RR tag information affecting
r
while it was "ve crop futures
~YA
SHI\CrTO?v', March 20-The Justice an intelligence ~' difficult" to prosecute
Department has told Philip B. F q rofficer for disclosing na-
the? former Central int_llig Agency ? tionr. sec` tcame information.
officer who wrote a controvereia1 book Mr. Age under heavy criticism
about the agency, rom his former colleagues in the agency,
oethat he will not be many of whom believed that his book,
prosecuted for violations of the Espionage Inside the Company: ' CIA Diary
if returned 'ardized agency fives
The decision, w11chere from England. gencri projects and operatives
n was made Friday lin Latin America because of the great
by Benjamin R. Civiletti, the new head amount of specific detail about agency
I of the criminal division, came less than I programs there.
two months after his predessor in the D'ir Ages maintained that he
i Ford Administration, Richard L. Thorn- providing was
citi-
burgh, ens to the
bhtold Mr. Agee that he was still
a ype ofeclandetine activities
the subject of an investig
use nian 1that the agency erwas a unsehe Nk and that
of classified material disclosed be na his had ben either illegal or impropvro
er.e about
' book, and that he might be prosecuted Melvin Wulf, one of Mr. A gee's attor-
if he returned net's, said today that it was not certain
Mr. Civiletti said today that his decision whether Mr. Agee would return to the
did not represent any change in attitude United States to live but that he expected
on the part of the department toward lair. Agee would at least return to lecture. i
possible violations of the Eppionage Act. wants to take part in the debate)
but simply reflected the fact that the in- ,over the future role of intelligence agen-
vestigation had come to its logical end, cies," Mr. Wulf said.
tnd that no ground for prosecution had' Mr. Wulf, who until his recent resigna-
beep found. tion was the legal director of the Anleri-
The decision by the department comes can Civil Liberties Union, and Ramsey
it a time when Mr. Agee is facing depor- Clark, the former Attorney General, met
tation from Britain "in the interests of-with Dir. Civiletti last Thursday to discuss
national security" and at a time when :the Agee case. Mr. Wulf had maintained
officials of the Central Intelligence Agen- in the past that it was wrong that Mr. have current Iabsenre penly adequate that Agee should face prosecution here, say-
?9 to prevent ing, It continues to Puzzle me that Agee
the release of classified information. is :in jeopardy while all the scoundrels
Andrew Falkiewicz,' a spokesman for Who broke the law are home free."
the agency, said today that the agency Mr. Civiletti said that before his meet-
was told Friday that the Justice Depart- ing with the two lawyers he found that
ment had given the notification to Mr., the investigation of Mr. Agee had been
Agee through his lawyers. Of course ended "sometime in January" upset," Mr. Falkiewicz said. "It's it had been concluded that there was no
tot that we want to hurt fir. Agee, butt grounds for r ry and that
t [reinforces] ourar4u..e= P?se
rave laws to rever[ ,t-that we don'c On Friday he sent a a letter to Ivir, Wulf
P p_ople from disclos and Mr. Claris, saying that Mr. Agee was
ag classified information." not under investig
Earlier in the day, without manking department couldanot guarantee't th the
at it
ny specific reference to Mr. Agee, Stans- might not reopen the matter if additional
eld Turner, the new Director of Central evidence came to light that would suggest
itelligence, said on C133-TV's "Face the a violation of Federal law.
STAT