F.B.I. still searching

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32636, 18 June 1971, Page 9

F.B.I. still searching

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, June 17. F. 8.1. agents renewed their search today for the person who leaked the top secret “Pentagon papers” to the “New York Times,” the “Chicago Daily News” reported.

The Justice Department is considering criminal prosecution if it can determine who .gave the newspaper access

to the 47-volume study of the United States involvement in the Vietnam war. Fifteen copies of the 7000page study were reported to be in existence, including six copies in the Pentagon, two in the State Department files, two in the National Archives and another in the White House. The Rand Corporation, a private “think tank” that does research for the Pentagon, also has two copies. Single copies were sent to the Lyndon Johnson library in Austin, Texas, and to Mr Clark Clifford, former Secre-

tary of Defence in the waning months of the Johnson Administration. Mr Clifford, questioned by reporters said that his copy has been in his law firm’s private vault—unread—ever since it was delivered in two cartons in July, 1969. Apparently no copy of the study was provided to Mr Robert McNamara, who ordered it to be prepared by a Pentagon task force shortly before he resigned as defence secretary. Meantime, the Pentagon circulated the first three instalments of the “New York Times” series, together with the documents printed in the paper, in its “Current News" clipping service. The Justice Department has obtained a Federal Court order to prevent the “New York Times” from printing the last two episodes in the controversial series on the ground that the articles would cause “irreparable damage” to the national security. Explaining why the Pentagon circulated the allegedly damaging articles, a spokesman said: “The exclusion of already published material would serve no purpose.” Mr Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, publisher of the news-

paper, returned from London to attend tomorrow’s court hearing on the Justice Deparment’s request for a permanent injunction. “Governments in general don't like things published,” Mr Sulzberger said. “They tend to stamp secret too many things. They don’t want people to know things that are embarrassing. “It's a wonderful way—if you get egg on your face—just to stamp it secret.” In Los Angeles, VicePresident Spiro Agnew joined the Administration critics of the “New York Times.” “What I am worried about is the action of people who knew this information was classified but proceeded to publish it in a secretive and clandestine fashion,” Mr Agnew said. The “New York Times” reported today that it had refused to hand over the documents in its possession and had been ordered to appear in a District' Federal Court, to give reasons for its decision, Reuter reported. The order for the “New York Times” to appear in court at 10 o’clock this morning was made by Judge Murray Gurfein after the Justice Department asked him to order the newspaper to turn over the documents.