C.I.A. bribes okay — Carter

Press, 25 February 1977, Page 7

C.I.A. bribes okay — Carter

NZPA Washington President Carter has said he has reviewed reports that the Central Intelligence Agency secretly paid millions of dollars to foreign i leaders and concluded. “II have not found anything! illegal or improper” in the' agency’s work. Appearing somewhat angered, Mr Carter also said that Americans must understand the need for secrecy — and the danger of leaks —in some aspects of covert intelligence work.

And in the second news conference of his Presidency, he also:

Said some natural gas was being withheld from consumers, called that “understandable,” and said he might do the same if he ran an oil company;

Disclosed that the leaders of all parties to the Middle Last conflict will visit him by the end of May, starting with the Israeli Prime Minister. (Mr Yitzhak Rabin) on March 12 and followed by leaders from Egypt, Jordan. Syria, and Saudi Arabia; Suggested he might stop production of the Bl bomber if the Soviet Union demonstrated “a commitment to disarmament;” Said the world was “disgusted” by the horrible murders in Uganda but said there was a fresh worldwide trend toward safeguarding of human rights.

Mr Carter said he would take corrective action and tell the American people what had happened if he discovered any “illegal” or ‘improper” C.LA. operations in the future. Mr Carter said he and Admiral Stansfield Turner, nominated to head the C.LA., “will try to be sure that everything we do is not

only proper and legal but [also compatible with the at'titudes of the American people.” On intei national issues, he ’said he was not trying to. pick on the Soviet Union with his repeated statements on the subject of human rights. He said he had made similar comments about conditions in South Korea, Cuba, and some unidentified South American nations.

“In Uganda, the actions there have disgusted the enI tire civilised world ... Britain is now considering asking the United Nations to go into Uganda to assess the horrible murders that have apparently taken place I there.”

I The Senate Intelligence 'Committee has unanimously recommended that Admiral Turner be confirmed as ’director of the C.LA. j Senator Daniel Inouye I (Democrat, Hawaii). the ’committee chairman, said he ’would recommend full Sen(ate confirmation today.

Admiral Turner in two days of testimony had told the committee he would resign as C.LA. director rather than carry out a Presidential Order for activities he felt were illegal.

’ Admiral Turner, who is (53, a former classmate of ■ President Carter at the ’Naval Academy will be permitted to keep his naval ■ commission. Senator Inouye said Admiral Turner has 'agreed not to seek either the position of Chief of Naval (Operations or chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff if (the posts became available ’during this tenure.

However, Senator Inouye said, this would not preclude the President assigning Admiral Turner to such posts.