JOURNALISTS AS SPIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100200093-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 15, 2007
• Sequence Number: 93
• Publication Date: April 16, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Approved For Release 2007/06/15: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100200093-0
L)zJ MU.1 EEGIST R (IA)
16 APRUL, 1980
ou alls1s. as' s ie$
When. Central,Intelligence;_,`-'ganizations'for.. cover: purposes,:
Agency.-Director _--.Stansfield:': but it:would nqt prohibit the CL4.:_
Turner. told: a meeting oi.editors 4 from enteringin' to paid-relation=
last weekithat he had approved ,Fships with. working journalists,
for intelligence purposes the user= ..Tu_rner said he would': covertly.
of three journalists accredited by ,,employ-. journalists `only under
U.S_ news. organizations;severalA `the`:most. extraordinary :circurn
members-..., of.=.the;. audience,,.. -stances." Even if thatwere so;<
expressed .. nutrageThe com- the -knowledge that some corre;V
plaining- editors were; under the - "spondents. for U.S.- news. organi-j
impression that CjIXgcruiting of zations might be working-for the_?
journalists wast a thing: of the CIA would. tend to 'make U.S.
past.. journalists suspect generally-;
They: should have':-known ` The wayTurner chided the pro-
better-.Turner told a congression- testing ;- editors ,., about`- their-
al committee in 1977=. that the concern makes us ,wonder how:
CIA would, not "enter into any re- rare it would be :for the CIA chief I
lationships" with journalists for. to invoke his" authority.to inake T.
tions in the case of the three jour-:s.`" report objectively about; their=,.
nalists, tbough..circum stances government and' be a spy.1orthat:x
later.. prevented actual use . _of. governmentt',Journalists iriist
The Church Committee in 1976 ship with the. governaientandthe
reported. fairly extensive use= of ther institutions they -' cover
journalists by - the..CIA.-- Profess the press is tar havecredib'litp
sional journalism - organiizatiot.s The disclosure that three jour
protested; and Congress seemed dualists are spying for the-Federal
outlawing the practice of:placing,. `:three=?were willing to spy "for"th I
journalists accredited-by U.S CIA shows the peed for theni'an
news organizations :. on the CIA their_employaee to learn= soin
sentiment.=to unleash :the `CIA disclosures also underline
The main=CIA=charter:proposal need- for Congress to force a
before-Congress, calls for barring cIeari-separation between t e
h
CIA agents from using news d
or press an intelligence agencies.
Approved For Release 2007/06/15: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100200093-0