t1;67
L?:,
i~aiie
::any such conditions. We state
Y- ,cakegorically that the did not.
''t'"I jj ' j r1 rT I + `1 ;'Allegations - that we were
/.~:`x::\~ 1r~J:iiJi1iit 'trapped'. or 'duped' are arrant,
nonsense."
Such charges have been made,
k2 Leaders Say They Kep by present association officials.
The former ' presidents said,
Indcpelident Judgment athat although they constantly'
sought other financing, "this re-~
CPYRGHT----- " la.tionship was the only r calls-
. S T;:VE V. OBEIttTS tic and responsible alterative
Twelve former presidents o l available to us at that time."
:_,
,~ ~ National Student Associ
lion said yesterday that they
had retained "the utmost vigi I
amce and independence of judg
meat" while receiving as muc
ad 5100,000 a year from tit
Central Intelligence Agency t
operate their international pro
gram.
The former presidents note
taa.t the 'association had con
sistentiy opposed official Amen
loan foreign policy even whit
Three Policy Areas Cited
areas:the association maintained
an independent foreign policy
that often conflicted with offi-
cial views, the presidents said.,
.S.A. consistently sup-
ported and sought to strengthen
democratic student organiza-
tions in those countries where
they existed and encouraged
their formation where, they didi
early recognized the crucial im-
portance which nationalist-
was taking large subsidie.
from the Federal Government
The statement issued yester I
day was signed by every presi
cent-with one exception-wh
t?etween 1052, when tile hillf
was first forged, and 1064. The
one exception was Richhrd J
Murphy, now Assistant Post
?Imastcr General, who decline
to s He was president i
11932-J.
I Step ,en Robbins, president in
is in the Army and
could not he reached. The two
most recent presidents, Philip
JSherburne and W. Eugene
Groves, have opposed the asso-
ciation's relationship with the
Charges Are I:ccalIcd
The two most recent presi-
'ldents and other ex-officials of
the association have maintained
that the intelligence agency did
4iinfluence association policy:
They insist that former prey:-
i
ncnts, some of whom either
worked for the agency or were
,,s,u:;idizC6 by It, tried to influ-
;ence elections and occasionally
association policy on such issues
j as the war in Vietnam. .
The former presidents said
in their statement that in the
.early nineteen-fifties the stu-
dent association "recognized the
vital importance of American)
student participation in interna
tional student affairs which,
otherwise would have been
dominated by the well trained
and well informed representa-I
vcs of Eastern Europe and the
; m1et Union." .
I-Iowevcr, they said, "without
substantiai funds, N.S.A. inter-
national program would have
;,beer; immobilized,"
"Yet each of us concluded
y that, w - shout question, we
'In-ould have chosen immobiliza
tion if the only funds available
-;were co:,citioned on-impairment
`+nf Lilo independence of any of
principles or pro-1
th~ai tized - ALP
Latin America would have in,
shaping our world."
With the Soviets and Eastern)
Europeans not as ideological
pariahs but as political advcr-
years ago might not seensso
~t,1011)pcarcd responsible course of actlo1"`
students today. They thus
to defend the decision
hey said, "the responsibility of
act group of current leaders
f N.S.A. to lead the organiza-
ion in the direction which
corns to them appropriate dur-
. The 'twelve 'signers, and the
car in which they -left office
ro: ,
tanford L. Glass, 1956..... - .
"raid C B
1957 `, .''
kk
.
a
e
ichard A. Rettig, 1061.;
dwar d R. Garvey, 1062:'.
regory.l~1, Gallo, 1964.
roved For Release : CIA-RDP75-001'49'R000300020015-4