CIA'S NEXT JOB: GUARD ECONOMIC STRENGTH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-01448R000401650007-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: July 17, 1990
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/24: CIA-RDP99-01448R000401650007-6
TM Washington Post
TM Plow York Tlm $
TM W Nhington TImM
The Wall Strut Journal
TM Christian Scianu Monitor
MW York Daily News ---
USA Today
TM Chicago Tribune
Topic: THE CHANGING CIA
By David Tellez, USA TODAY
William Webster
William Webster, 66, has
been director of central in-
telligence for three years.
Previously, he directed the
FBI for nine years and
served as U.S. Appeals
Court judge. He also served
in the Navy as a lieutenant
in world war II and Korea.
Webster was interviewed
about the post-Cold War di-
rection of the CIA by rnem-
bers of USA TODAY's edi-
tors board and News and
Money staffs.
CIA's next job: Guard
economic stre
USA TODAY: Why do we
need a CIA in a world that
seems to be growing more
stable every day?
WEBSTER: It is silly for me
to debate that kind of issue.
The important thing, though, is
that we not continue to target
an enemy that is no longer
there or to target problems that
have changed.
USA TODAY: What new
problems will the CIA face?
WEBSTER: An example
would be transnational issues
that have not occupied center
stage in the past, but which
could very well act to upset the
stability that is emerging from
the change in East West orien-
tations. You think of missile,
biological, chemical prolifera-
tion, and narcotics. I think also
how important it is that we un-
derstand the economic factors
that are working in the world
today and be able to translate
that into useful material for
policymakers.
WEBSTER: That means,
both overtly and covertly, col-
lecting economic intelligence
to permit our policymakers to
make wise decisions in the in-
terest of our country and to
keep the playing field as level
as possible. Knowing what our
competition is doing and being
able to confront it or confound
it, whichever the case may be.
WEBSTER: As we gather the
kind of encyclopedic informa-
tion that I've described and as
we seek to understand inten-
tions, particularly of countries
that are guiding their private-
sector development technical-
ly, some information invari-
ably will come to us.
USA TODAY: Will you pass
it on to our businesses?
USA TODAY: What do you WEBSTER: We are not go-
mean by "economic intelli-
gence"? ing to pick up the phone, call
General Motors and say, "I
WEBSTER: Increasingly, have a hot tip for you.,, The
economic interrelationships af- question that's yet unanswered
fect stability and, hence, na- is how to deal with that infor-
tional security. We want to be [nation.
on top of the trends, the re- USA TODAY: Would It be
sources and constraints of na- all right for the Japanese to
tions and regions, financial do the same to us?
USA TODAY: What about like asking me if it's all right
tech~ for the KGB to do the same
WEBSTER: Who has it? thing we're doing. I think we
Who's going after it? What it should not deny our country
means in terms of competitive and its players a level playing
ability for American business- field.
es. We need to know what the USA TODAY: Is there still a
other fellows are doing to us in military threat to our national
terms of technology transfer. security?
And, to a degree, efforts to
steal important business tech- WEBSTER: I've given testi-
nology that could upset Amen- mony on the nature of the
ca's lead In key areas threat and on the reversibility
of that threat. But I never said
USA TODAY: That sounds there was no threat I never
like industrial spying, said that the Soviet strategic ca-
pability wasn't as strong today
WEBSTER: We're not turn- as it was a year ago. We're in a
ing to the business of spying on time of important transition.
business. What we are turning USA TODAY: If the CIA
to is a better and richer under- heavily into economic in-
standing those economic telligence, won't Its basic re-
trends that t affect us all. sponsibilities suffer? The re-
USA TODAY: But won't you cord hasn't been very good in
tion valuable predicting events in Eastern
f
orma
uncover In
USA TODAY: In what way? to U.S. businesses? Europe, Tiananmen Square,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/24: CIA-RDP99-01448R000401650007-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/24: CIA-RDP99-01448R000401650007-6 Z
or locating the hostages in
Lebanon.
WEBSTER: I don't subscribe
to your hypothesis. The fin-
ished intelligence that has
been supplied to the govern-
ment and viewed by the intelli-
gence committees has been
pretty darn good at identifying
trends and conditions.
USA TODAY: There are re-
ports the CIA is often in-
volved with drug traffickers
Does the end justify the
means?
WEBSTER: We have not en-
gaged in drugs, we don't sup-
port people who engage in
drugs and we will communi-
cate any information we have
about drugs to the proper au-
thorities. The CIA has no right
to withhold any kind of infor-
mation on illegal activities
against U.S. citizens.
USA TODAY: You don't an-
ticipate anything embarrass-
Ing to the CIA coming out of
Manuel Norlega's trial?
WEBSTER: No. My knowl-
edge of our relationship with
Noriega was correct and im-
portant. It produced useful in-
formation and the amounts
paid were quite modest
USA TODAY: What do you
say to published allegations
that the CIA may have con-
tributed to the fraudulent ac-
tivities of at least 22 S&Ls and
that some of the money was
sent to support the contras?
WEBSTER: Absolutely cra-
zy. There is nothing to support
this rumor at all. The CIA is a
convenient lightning rod for
people who are trying to de-
flect attention from what they
are doing to something else.
USA TODAY: You're say-
ing there was no CIA involve-
ment in any of the failed
S&Ls?
WEBSTER: Our records re-
flect no CIA involvement with
any type of activity that would
in any way influence the S&L
industry.
USA TODAY: Do you ex-
pect cuts in intelligence
spending?
WEBSTER: Yes, there will
be reductions. It's inevitable,
realistically, that we will be
taking cuts in our budget be-
cause we're locked into the de-
fense budget But at a time
when so much is changing, the
ability to understand those
changes and provide important
information that's useful and
timely to our policymakers and
to analyze it effectively has
never been greater.
7?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/24: CIA-RDP99-01448R000401650007-6