1
SFChronicie DEC 2 5 r 7 5 8 ,aruncisco ClKonicle * Thur., Dec. 25, 1975 C- A icough Leave CIA Agents Are Playing in a Paris While violating the American understanding of the limits of espionage activities, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is not a maverick in the shadowy interntational fraternity of the world's major spy networks. CIA involvement in assassina- tion 'plots, domestic surveillance and exported subversion as dis- closed by the U.S. Senate appears to fall within the normal rules of the game as it is played by the world's most powerful espionage agencies, a survey by Washington Post correspondents of the Brit- ish, French, West German, Soviet and Chinese services indicates. Ranging in size from France's 2000-member official spy agency to the Soviet Union's vast KGB apparatus of half a million, foreign cloack-and-dagger organi- zations appear to play the game at least as roughly as the CIA. The publics they serve or spy for do not appear to be as easily shocked by intelligence-style dirty tricks as the Americans are. The major foreign services come out of societies with long histories in which Byzantine conspiracies are assumed to be an integral , part of public life. The major agencies of the Old World have all been quick to use the dagger when their interests were threatened. Each of the Western spy agencies considered has a history of straying beyond its legal charter and of indulging in - domestic spying; which is one of the KGB's principal tasks in the Soviet Union. The size of the dirty-tricks bag each service has employed in disrupting or overthrowing for- eign governments- seems to vary with .the money and manpower available to it as well as with th3 economic and strategic import- ance of the country targeted f or action. British intelligence stage- manages coups, burgles safes, blackmails the vulnerable and practices many of the curious arts that the CIA inyestigation has brought into public view, Bernard D. Nossiter reports from London. "We know very well that men who go into this domain are not little angels," says a Frenchman once deeply involved ,in his country's dirty, tricks sector. "And we would not want them to be. They would be worthless against the kind of enemy we must all fight." The other major services have managed to keep their cloaks in place much better than the CIA has. None have been subjected to the rough public questioning and disclosures that have made the CIA a major public issue in the United States. There have been internal investigations and purges after intelligence scandals broke into the open in Britain, France and West Germany, but they have been handled inItetu3e for the most part. The West German public and Parliament appear to have higher tolerance of questionable activi- ties by its agency, the BND, Michael Getler reports from Bonn.' The generally conservative tilt of the adult population and the country's unique geographical position on the front line with Communist Eastern Europe dampen the desire for the kind of public review undertaken by the U.S. Senate. In France, the dirtiest tasks have been given to strongarrn groups outside the government framework and, according to critics, outside of government control in many instances. This has provided comfortable insula- tion for French leaders from the nastier aspects of the craft, but it has also led tp repeated scandals and the involvement of, the country's intelligence groups in drug smuggling, blackmail and gangland murders. Britain appears to have strong governmental control over - its Secret Intelligence Service. Foreign Office advisers sit in on discussion of covert operations and must give their approval. In the Soviet Union, the question is not just whether the government controls the KDGB, but also whether the KGB con- trols the government. The Soviet agency is not just another instrument of the state, as the CIA clearly is. It is an integral part of the way the country is run, Peter Osnos reports front Moscow. Its agents and informers have infiltrated every, sphere of Soviet life, including the top levels of the government. Political assassination ap- pears to be a far more common- place tool in international espio- nage than the American reaaction to the CIA's involvement in plotting against Patrice Lumum- ba and Fidel Castro would indi- cate. s mailer countries, with fewer resources and narrower security margins in which to operate, appear to resort to political murders even more often than the major powers. Israel's Mossad has tracked down and assassinated more than a dozen Arab operatives and Palestinian leaders outside of Israel in the past three years. Arab secret services are more often used to murder their own. Iraq, South Yemen and Morrbcco have ordered domestic political opponents assassinated at home and abroad, as has non- Arab Iran. With the exception of West Germany, which focused its earli- est destabilizing efforts on East- ern European Communist nations,: the other major services, have : joined the CIA in making the weak states of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia the world's main : espionage battleground. Latin. America appears to have been left as a CIA preserve. Britain has made a specialty of smoothly deposing incompetent tribal sheikhs in the Persian Gulf to preempt successful leftist revo- lutions against them. During the rule of Charles de Gaulle, France toppled or preserved with relative ease the governments France itself had installed in its former colonies in Africa. Britain and France , were acting within the power spheres created by their colonial man- dates and usually to protect important economic and strategic interests ranging from petroleum deposits in Abu Dhabi to large French air bases in Chad. . The Chinese, H. D. S. Green- way writes from the Far East, seem to concentrate on, defensive operations against the Soviets and even seem willing to cooperate with the West in this endeavor. Washington Post -

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Page 1: French air bases in Chad. Britain and France , were …jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White Materials/Security-CIA/CIA...and Chinese services indicates. Ranging in size from France's 2000-member

SFChronicie

DEC

2 5 r 7 5 8

,aruncisco ClK

onicle * Thur., D

ec. 25, 1975

C-

A

ico

ug

h L

eave

CIA

Ag

en

ts A

re P

layin

g in

a

Paris W

hile violating the Am

erican understan

din

g o

f the lim

its of

espio

nag

e activities, th

e U.S

. C

entral Intelligence Agency is not

a m

av

eric

k in

the sh

ad

ow

y

intern

tational fratern

ity o

f the

world's m

ajor spy networks.

CIA

involvement in assassina-

tion 'plots, domestic surveillance

and ex

ported

subversio

n as d

is-closed by the U

.S. S

enate appears to fall w

ithin the normal rules of

the g

ame as it is p

layed

by th

e w

orld's most pow

erful espionage agencies, a survey by W

ashington P

ost correspondents of the Brit-

ish, French, W

est Germ

an, Soviet

and Chinese services indicates.

Rangin

g in

size

from

France's 2000-mem

ber official spy agency to the S

oviet Union's vast

KG

B apparatus of half a m

illion, foreign cloack-and-dagger organi-zations appear to play the gam

e at least as roughly as the C

IA.

The publics they serve or spy

for do not appear to be as easily shocked by intelligence-style dirty tricks as the A

mericans are. T

he m

ajor foreign services come out

of societies with long histories in

which B

yzantine conspiracies are assum

ed to be an integral, part of public life.

The m

ajor agencies of the Old

World have all been quick to use

the d

agger w

hen

their in

terests w

ere threaten

ed. E

ach o

f the

Western spy agencies considered

has a history of straying beyond its legal charter and of indulging in - dom

estic spying; which is one

of th

e KG

B's p

rincip

al tasks in

the Soviet U

nion.

Th

e size of th

e dirty

-tricks

bag each service has employed in

disrupting or overthrowing for-

eign governments- seem

s to vary w

ith .the money and m

anpower

available to it as well as w

ith th3 econom

ic and strategic import-

ance of the country targeted f or action.

British

intellig

ence stag

e-m

anag

es coups, b

urg

les safes, black

mails th

e vuln

erable an

d

practices many of the curious arts

that th

e CIA

inyestig

ation h

as brought into public view

, Bernard

D. N

ossiter reports from L

ondon. "W

e know very w

ell that men

who go into this dom

ain are not little angels," says a F

renchman

once d

eeply

involv

ed ,in

his

country's dirty, tricks sector. "And

we w

ould not want them

to be. T

hey would be w

orthless against th

e kin

d o

f enem

y w

e must all

fight." T

he o

ther m

ajor serv

ices h

ave m

anag

ed to

keep

their

cloaks in place much better than

the C

IA h

as. None h

ave b

een

subjected

to th

e rough p

ublic

questioning and disclosures that hav

e mad

e the C

IA a m

ajor

public issue in the United States.

There h

ave b

een in

ternal

investig

ations an

d p

urg

es after intelligence scandals broke into the open in B

ritain, France and

West G

erman

y, b

ut th

ey h

ave

been handled inItetu3e for the most

part. The W

est Germ

an public and P

arliament appear to have higher

tolerance of questionable activi-ties b

y its ag

ency

, the B

ND

, M

ichael G

etler reports fro

m

Bonn.' T

he generally conservative tilt of the adult population and the co

untry

's uniq

ue g

eograp

hical

positio

n o

n th

e front lin

e with

C

om

munist E

astern E

uro

pe

dampen the desire for the kind of

public review undertaken by the

U.S. Senate.

In France, the dirtiest tasks

hav

e been

giv

en to

strongarrn

groups outside the governm

ent fram

ework

and, acco

rdin

g to

critics, o

utsid

e of g

overn

men

t control in m

any instances. This

has provided comfortable insula-

tion for French leaders from

the nastier aspects of the craft, but it has also led tp repeated scandals an

d th

e involv

emen

t of,

the country's intelligence groups in drug sm

uggling, blackmail and

gangland murders.

Brita

in a

ppears to

have

strong governmental control over -

its Secret In

telligen

ce Serv

ice. F

oreign Office advisers sit in on

discussion of covert operations and m

ust give their approval. In

the S

oviet

Unio

n, th

e question is not just w

hether the governm

ent controls the KD

GB

, but also w

hether the KG

B con-

trols the government.

The S

oviet agency is not just another instrum

ent of the state, as th

e CIA

clearly is. It is an

in

teg

ral p

art o

f the w

ay

the

country

is run, P

ete

r Osn

os

reports front Moscow

.

Its agents and informers have

infiltrated every, sphere of Soviet

life, including the top levels of the governm

ent.

Political assassin

ation ap

-pears to be a far m

ore comm

on-place tool in international espio-nage than the A

merican reaaction

to th

e CIA

's involv

emen

t in

plotting against Patrice L

umum

-ba and F

idel Castro w

ould indi-cate.s

mailer countries, w

ith fewer

resources and narrower security

marg

ins in

which

to o

perate,

appear to

reso

rt to p

olitic

al

murders even m

ore often than the m

ajor powers.

Israel's M

ossad has tracked dow

n and assassinated more than

a dozen

Arab

operativ

es and

Palestin

ian lead

ers outsid

e of

Israel in the past three years. A

rab se

cre

t serv

ices a

re

more often used to m

urder their ow

n. Iraq

, South

Yem

en an

d

Morrbcco have ordered dom

estic political opponents assassinated at hom

e and abroad, as has non-A

rab Iran. W

ith the exception of West

Germ

any, which focused its earli-

est destabilizing efforts on East-

ern European C

omm

unist nations,: th

e oth

er majo

r services, h

ave :

join

ed th

e CIA

in m

akin

g th

e w

eak states of Africa, the M

iddle E

ast, and Asia the w

orld's main :

espio

nag

e battleg

round. L

atin.

Am

erica appears to

hav

e been

left as a C

IA preserve.

Britain has m

ade a specialty of sm

oothly deposing incompetent

tribal sheikhs in the Persian G

ulf to preem

pt successful leftist revo-lutions against them

. During the

rule of Charles de G

aulle, France

toppled or preserved with relative

ease the g

overn

men

ts Fran

ce itself had installed in

its former

colonies in Africa.

Britain

and

Fran

ce , were

acting within the pow

er spheres created

by th

eir colo

nial m

an-

date

s and u

sually

to p

rote

ct

important econom

ic and strategic interests ranging from

petroleum

dep

osits in

Abu D

hab

i to larg

e F

rench air bases in Chad.

. T

he Chinese, H

. D. S

. Green-

way

writes fro

m th

e Far E

ast, seem

to concentrate on, defensive operations against the S

oviets and even seem

willing to cooperate

with the W

est in this endeavor. W

ashington Post -