LETTER TO HONORABLE STANSFIELD TURNER FROM EDWARD P. BOLAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87S00869R000400120007-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 14, 2003
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: August 14, 1979
• Content Type: LETTER

C-iA.LaS ROSE. N.C.
poMANO nA7..ZOtJ. KY.
Y*MINETA, CALIF.
r FOWLER, JR., GA.
KENNETH FroaiNsom. VA.
,O14 M. ASHSROOX. OHIO
>OBS-Fa MCCLORY.
WILLIAM WHIT?'-HURST, VA.
W. BILL YOUNG, FLA.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PERMA ,Nwor /
Approved For Release zuoN ?Wir ? :71100869'r R0004001200
hOMAS K. LATIMER. STAFF DIRECTOR
,IICHAEl.. J. O'NEIL. CHIEF, COUNSEL
WASHINGTON, D.C. 205(5
August 14, 19F.9
0
Honorable Stansfield Turner
Director of Central Intelligence
'Washington, D. C. 20505
Dear Admiral Turner:
Os
A6.?.Fl[E.
ut,c1
The Congressional Record of Thursday, August 2, contains
a Statement on page H7190, a copy of which I enclose, in which
I announced to the House and to the public the results of an
investigation which I had asked the Committee staff to under-
take concerning a 1978 incident involving a CIA employee's '
unauthorized access to files crof the Select Committee on
Assassinations. I ended that 'statement by announcing that I,
acting for the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, had
reached an understanding with you, as Director of Central Intel-
ligence, to the effect that, "should circumstances arise which
suggest illegal or improper actions by intelligence officers or
employees, or which otherwise relate to concerns of this Committee,"
you would promptly bring them to the attention of the Committee.
I also said that such an arrangement would improve an important
area of Congressional Oversight.
I am encouraged by this arrangement. I feel your acceptance
of it is positive evidence of an effort to establish real two-way
communication with this Committee. When a dicussed the under-
standing we had reached ;;Tith the Committee. before issuing my
statement, members agreed that such an arrangement was necessary
and that it ought to be confirmed in the future with successor
Directors of Central Intelligence. It was also suggested that
an intelligence charter should contain such a provision. In
assessing what ought to be communicated to you as an area of
particular concern to the Committee, it was proposed that the
Committee be informed of anything which would tend to embarrass
the intelligence community. It was felt that this description,
thoughgeneral in nature and susceptible to problems of interpre-
tation, would encompass the necessarily broad reach oE Congressional
oversight of intelligence activities. As one member put it, anything
which might tend to embarrass the intelligence community would also
embarrass this Committee because the Committee is supposed to know
what is going on in the intelligence community.
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I ielt that u wonid
t itgjtL :6 XL liabfftadiaq
PrqVe0C9 1/0 k-??kR64t -
of how = ommiLL.23e.V ctu.aL. .0 member
-
noted, this Committee's relationship with the intelligence.
community is still developing. I personally believe that more
people in the community are beginning to understand that the
Committee is working to protect the national interest 7- to
-protect the nation's secrets -- and that it does that best
when/it operates from a firm understanding of what is happening
in he intelligence community. I want to improve understanding
between the Congress and the intelligence community. .I believe
your actions in providing information to the Committee will
advance that effort.
With every good wish, I am
Enclosure
?
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.4 ? .. .
-11.7100 ? CONGRESSIONAL RECORD?HOUSE August 2, 19'4
e g the vote on the matt
o'r trivalidata an019SeViteggirylkiMc 2?951Paqi :ccElkeIRP&W?P9L129-9?4-P9AgAPP7-1P4..ri
in sections 301 and 303.. ? ? ' ' cerned another comnuttee of the House. of Representative Crteetzs C. Drees, .11
TITLE III?MISCELLANEOUS The investigation was initiated at the IpIroaseusent.Joxinwot oiltd hmoaltitveifvonted373...aFlye" rl ra
adoI be
IIROCEDITAX _
* ? . request of that committee. ,
?
Sc. 301. (a) An actica to enforce any Parentheticalien the chairman of the call No. 404eitt
rights or liabUitlea created by this Act may Select Committee on etteassizintions,
be brought in e. dietrict court of the, United Representative Lours Staries, has since
PERSONAL E=1,ANATION
States without regard to the amount in con-
made a definitive public statement about
troversy or Ln? any other courts of competent
th
jurisdicti.en. . e facts surrotuading the incident. and (Mr. PEPPER asked and was et/
perrnission to extend his remarks at ti
the investigation.
(b) Trathe case of an action arising under
this ..ct which is brought in a district court What concerned me at the time of the point in the Recoan and to include t
of the United States, the action may be Post story, and what would have con-
tra.neous matter.)
0
brought in the Judicial district where all the cerned me at the time of the incident, Mr. PEPPER. 2.1.r. Speaker, due to c
plaintina reside in addition to any other
t
had / known of it, was whether some cure-stances beyond my control I misz
judicial district provided by law.
d
illegal or improper intelligence operation the following roilcall votes las night.
I were present I woul have voted:
(c) No action may be brought under this had occurred.,
Rollcall No. 423. "nay."
Act later than six years atter the right to
'
that action arises. . ' The Permanent 'Select Committee on
(co In any acti-oa brought. by any sales Intelligence has since caudated its own Rake-11 No. 428, "nay."
.
representeuve against any principal under StUdy, which reaches the same coneltz-
Rolicall No. 427, "aye" e
this Act. the .burden of proof on the issue. sion 3 as did Mr. Swans- . that is, that
or whether the prinv.ipal acted without good the.CIA employee acted by himself and ASSURThrG CZECEOSLOVAlKLe. i
cause shall rest on the principal. - . ' not for or at the behest of anyone at CONTINTJED U.S. SUPPORT
(e) ett any successful action brought by a CIA. ' ?
sales representative under this Act the court Nonetheless, the committee had no (Mr. PEPPER. asked and was gi.
may award reasonable attorneys' fees and the
coat of the action to the sales representative, opportunity to draw its own conclusions perreitsion to extend his remarks at a
. t
en Payment at indemnification under until the st,ory was made public. point in the Recoan and. to include
this Act shall be deemed to be a payment at Most importantly, the committee was traneous matter.) '
wages and salary under title II. United never notified of the incident nor, a year
M. PE l'
State,* Code. sections 507(a)(3) and (4). later, that a newspaper article concern- 1,96gerwPaEsPadayof ISinfamykerp. August.erp etrat
upon. the able. historical and freeda
. (g) The right to inderanidcatIon ariseson- the date the principal has completed the hag it was in the offing.
actions listed in section 202 and dote not The committee's Erst notice came loving People of Czechoelovakia when t
terminate upon. the death of the sales repre- from the Washington Post. Russians by military farce in. a bold a
sentatire. . . ,, . . Because of questions raised by the savage exercise of military power tc
, WArrat PROHOITTED ' Post article, the committee staff con- over the government of the country. 7',
SEC. 302. Any provision in any contract be- ducted an investigation of the incident. Usurpation of power by= military force
tween any sales representative and any prim- The conclusions of this investigation 'the -Soviet Union came as a sad a
cipal requiring the sales representative to compliment those announced by Repre. shocking end in military subjugation
waive any of the provisions of this Act shall sentative STOKES. ? this proud people which had won th.
be void.
emancipation 'from the Austria-Hu
. The committee found no evidence of
e - armor ON SA DE LAW CIA direction or involvement in the in- earl= empire after World War I a
- sic. We. Nothing in this At shall invall- cident, although it is difficult, if not im.- had established under the leadership
date or restrict any right or remedy of any possible, to determine the CIA ern- that venerable and great states=
M
sales representative under the law of any
State.* ployee's motive or purpose for doing Thomas azaryk. an independent 2
what he did.
public. Incidentally. Thomas Mae=
- . .
1 also wrote to the Director of Cen- lived at the old hotel at e400 16th Stn
rkinof : .out. ur Govern
me i
,
PERSONAL .a.a.PLANATION ' teal Intelligence, Admiral 'Turner, 'ex-
vthiln
while he
hcoactrren'?e
0 Mr. LEWIS. Mr. Speaker, I was de- pressing ray concern that the committee strong
tatted in a meeting when the conference had not known earlier of this incider.t. the independence of his beloved count
report to accompany H.R. 3324, the /n- He has since replied to my letter I visited Prague in 1945 as a Senal
ac-
ternational Development Cooperation knewledging that the C/A should have and had a long conference -with th
Act of 1979, was voted upon. If I had kept the committee informed. President Eduard Berms and had ala
been present, / would have voted "aye." 0 He and I have reached an understand- dinner consultation with the son
ing that in the future, should circum- Thomas Mazaryle, Jan Garrigue Ma2
stances arise which suggest illegal or ine. leek. then Minister of Foreign _eflai
CZA?ASSASSMATIONS COMMITTEE ? proper actions by intelligence officers oe They told me of the sad days of the i
INVESTIGATION . ? employees, or which otherwise relate to public when the nation was taken 01
(Mr: BOLAND asked and was given concerns of this committee, he will un- by Hitler and how they yearned to i
permission to extend his remarks at this dertake to promptly bring them to the gain. eheinareecterri. During the war t
point in the Rvieoan.) attention of the.' committee. ? country was overrun by Soeiet. troo
es Mr. 330LAND. Mr. Seaker. on Jur.e I feel that if this undertaking, which Finally, the G-errrians were eepelled a
13, 1979, the Washington Post carried a I consider very forthcoming, works as I the people of Czechoslovakia dared
front page story headlined, "CIA Of- believe it should, this committee will hope that they were about to beam
Ecen Since fired, Rified Hill Panel's have achieved a significant improvement free again. The Russians, by the w;
Files." in this important area of congressional alera-ys claimed that it was they w
The story described how, over a year oversight. freed Czechoslovakia of the Cern-tart i
before, a CIA employee detailed to guard The committee has generally enjoyed -eiders but vae know that the Unit
good working relationships in its over- States had a large part in this enti
a CIA-safe in the offices of the House sight of intelligence agencies. prise. Preside.nt Benes told me of h
Committee on Assassinations, had rifted It is my hope that, growing out of this the OCCUPY
Ing Soviet Army was in
through sensitive committee files, in
affair, those relationships will improve treating and, brutalizing the people
The story also contained comments on in one important aspect .o Czechoslovakia. President Beres reinc
strated with Premier Stalin himself a
the incident made by a CIA spokesman,
who incliceted that the individual had Stalin promised President Beries ti
been dismissed after an internal CIA in- PERSONAL EXPLANATION he would curtail'much of this mistre:
vestigation.? (Mr.. PEPPER asked and was given merit. President Benes said the situati
t
That newspaper story was the first in- permission to extend his remarks at this did improve after this promise. But
dication. that / ilettFtFc4RMOSie 200305Y06 IR CtI4ERDIREPS001809R000417042000tMrd on.
timePermanent Then President Benes said that Sba c Committee on In- traneous matter.)
telligence had received about this inci- 0 Mr. PEPPER. Mr. Speaker, due to at- told him that if the Czechoslov
dent arid its related investigation.. tendance or a funeral I was not able to Government would allow the Soy
STATINTL
Approved For Release 2003/05/06 : CIA-RDP87S00869R000400120007-0
Approved For Release 2003/05/06 : CIA-RDP87S00869R000400120007-0