Page 4-Sunday, December 10, 178-The Michigan Daily hie3idbi gan iBa61g 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Eighty-Nine Years of Editorial Freedom Vol. LXXXIX, No. 78 News Phone: 764-0552 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Dear Stansfield Turner: Semester in review 'WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE this opportunity to'clarify our position on the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency and respond to some of the important issues you raise in your letter to The Daily dated November 14, 1978. As you point out in your letter, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities chaired by Senator Frank Church (D-Idaho) reported that a broad range of factors has shaped the CIA, including the course of international events, pressures from other government agencies, and its own internal norms. This is an obvious assessment with which surely no one could differ. But it does not bring to light the essence of our basic difference, that the CIA is out of control. To understand this basic conclusion, it is helpful to look back on some of these factors which have, over the course of the CIA's 31-year history, shaped this government agency which has always been, and remains, a threat to the ideal of democracy. The CIA was established in 1947, under the National Security Act, when the Cold War was building and many in this country perceived World War II as a very real possibility. United States policy makers needed accurate intelligence on and objective analysis of events outside of the country. The CIA was created to provide that service. xAccording to the Senate Select Committee's final report: "There is no substantial evidence that Congress intended by passage of the National Security Act of 1947 to authorize covert action by the CIA or that Congress even anticipated that the CIA would engage in such activities." Again, according to the Committee's- report, the director of central intelligence (DCI) approved all covert action projects on his own authority between 1949 and 1952. From that point to the mid-1950s, there was only minimal restrictions placed on the DCI - the DCI coordinated approval of covert action projects with a subcommittee of the National Security Council. What is most important about this virtually unfettered period in the CIA's history is the attitude which pervaded the agency and the tone, if not the general demeanor, it set for all further CIA covert activities. This attitude about, and rationale for, covert activities was described in the introduction of a top secret report on CIA covert activities prepared for President Eisenhower. The report stated: It is now clear that we are facing an implacable enemy whose avowed objective is world domination by whatever means, and at whatever cost. There are no rules in such a game. Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the U. S. is to survive, longstanding American concepts of 'fair play" must be reconsidered. We must develop effective espionage and counterespionage services and must learn to subvert, sabotage, and destroy our enemies by more clever, more sophisticated, and more effective methods than those used against us. It may become necessary that the American people be made acquainted with, understand and support this fundamentally repugnant philosophy. T WAS THIS "fundamentally repug- nant philosophy" in the CIA which gave rise to the secret 25-year, $25 million effort by the agency to learn how to control the human mind. Under the project names of BLUEBIRD, ARTICHOKE, MKULTRA, and MKDELTA, the CIA essayed to develop, according to a January 25, 1952 CIA memorandum, 'any method by which we can get information from a person against his will and without his knowledge." used as a subject. Despite the apparent immensity of the program, it was just part of the abuses perpetrated by the CIA since its inception. In Western Europe after World War II the CIA, in an effort to keep France and Italy from going communist, recruited underworld figures to squash labor strikes. But these seem like minor infractions when compared to the overthrow of Premier Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran, the coup which brought Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to power, the overthrow of President Jacofo Arbenz Guzman of Guatemala, and the overthrow of President Salvadore Allende in Chile. These are just a few of the numerous guerrilla warfare expeditions the CIA has carried out around the world. The CIA has also funneled a great deal of energy and money into a mammoth propaganda program to sway world opinion in favor of United States foreign policy. In some cases, the CIA used, and continues to use, American university and college professors to write propaganda. This brings the discussion to CIA activities within the United States and particularly on university campuses. Today, the CIA is using several hundred academics - professors, administrators, and graduate students involved in teaching - to covertly recruit students on campus. The domestic spying operation, which the CIA has no charter to perform, can only be mentioned in passing, along with the other covert operations mentioned hence. The list of abuses is long and still largely unknown, due to the agency's obsession with secrecy in the name of national security. You state in your letter, Mr. Turner, that "rather than being out of control as (we) allege, the United States intelligence community, and specifically the CIA, are under the tightest internal and externals controls of their history.'' The question here is, whose control. Yes, President Nixon did give the word to eliminate President Allende. But the justification that "we were only following orders" sounds all too terribly familiar. No President of the United States should be able to use such a destructive tool as the CIA. It was never intended and should not be. Mr. Turner, the point which you seem to be missing is that regardless of where, for example, the order to eliminate President Allende came, it was wrong - morally and unequivocably wrong. It was not in keeping with American foreign policy objectives - at least what most Americans believe is the essence of American foreign policy. Do you sincerely believe that, if in 1970, a plebiscite were held, Americans, by ' a simple majority, would have voted to order the CIA to overthrow the President of Chile? Do you even believe that if the question were put to Congress that it would have voted to order the CIA to overthrow Salvadore Allende? The facts speak for themselves. The conclusion is simple and yet of the utmost importance: the CIA must be disbanded. To simply reorganize or pass new legislation would not be sufficient. It would leave in place the mechanism and the temptation to again abuse the human rights of all individuals for the sake of national security. Clearly policy makers have a need for intelligence and objective analysis. We would like to see a new intelligence President Fleming resigns When University President Robben Fleming arrived on campus in 1967, he said a person should only retain such a post for 10 years. On September 14 of this year, he ended the rumors and speculation by announcing he would leave the University in December, after an 11-year reign. Fleming told the Regents that heplanned to assume the presidency of the Washington D.C. based Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in January. University Law Professor and former Vice, President for Academic Affairs Allan Smith was chosen to y<. be acting president while a committee of Regents, faculty, alumni and students conduct a search for Fleming's permanent replacement. Fleming said the decision to leave was a difficult one, but he noted that he would become eligible for a University pension when he reaches age 62 in December, and he reiterated the philosophy behind his "10 years and out" statement of 1967. "I think it is good for universities to turn over their top leadership," he explained. The Regents lauded Fleming for the stability and leadership qualities he brought to the University. . "We will evernbe in your debt for the service you have given us,"~ said Regent Thomas Roach (D-Detroit). Fleming came to the University during a Fleming was, at the time, Chancellor of the lull between crises, but he became well- Madison campus of the University of known for even-handed management of the Wisconsin, and contemplating an offer to era of student protest in the late 1960s, and become president of the University of early 1970s. Minnesota, when the Regents finally offerec Fleming replaced Harlan Hatcher, who had him the Ann Arbor post. proved himself totally incapable of handling With Fleming in charge, the office of th( the student power movement. Hatcher presidency changed. He made himself isolated himself in his office, and refused to available to students, and encouraged them to meet with student groups. express their views. In fact, he even sidec The Regents were aware that the student with tiudent protesters on several issues movement was growing, and this was an most notably his anti-war stance and his important factor in choosing Fleming. His support for a non-voting student Regent. background as a top labor negotiator, and his Fleming earned the respect and thanks of easy, affable nature convinced the Regents the faculty, adr'inistration and'Regents for that he would be the perfect mediator his level-headed actions during those between the students and the University. turbulent times. Sam off strugg Political Science Assistant Prof. Joel Samoff continued his fight to overturn his tenure denial this semester as his supporters stepped up efforts to keep Samoff in Ann Ar- bor. Samoff has twice been denied tenure-a job guarantee, without which he will be dismissed by the University. Inadequate research was given as the of- ficial explanation for the departments tenure refusal. However, Samoff's backers charged that political bias may have been involved. Samoff, who specializes in the study of southern Africa and Third World affairs, uses a Marxist methodology in his work. His sup- porters say that other faculty members may have been unwilling to have another Marxist in the department. Ironically, Samoff received a distinguished service award from President Robben Fleming at the annual State of the University address Oct. 9 for his teaching and con- tributions to the University community. Samoff's backers say his tenure denial also highlights the lack of emphasis on teaching ability in faculty tenure decisions campus- wise. In September, Samoff filed a formal appeal of his case to the Literary College (LSA) Executive Committee. Under LSA procedures, a tenure appeal board, consisting of one member nominated by Samoff, one chosen by Political Science Chairman Sam Barnes, and a third picked by the first two, will hear the appeal. The Samoff Support Committee, mean- while, has been pursuing public channels to fight the tenure denial. Their biggest showing was at the November meeting of the Board of Regents,'when more than 100 students and faculty members appeared to push for Samoff's retention. As the Winter term approached, the support group opted for a more militant strategy. Some 15 students signed a protest letter, vowing to boycott courses offered by the Political Science Department until Samoff receives tenure. How many others will join the boycott remains to be seen. Clearly the Samoff case is far from closed at term's end. .4