Agent’s secrecy breach was for money —Judge

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 6

Agent’s secrecy breach was for money —Judge

)NZPA Alexandria, (Virginia) l The judge at the trial of a| former United States Central) Intelligence Agency agent,! Frank Snepp, has said the) effectiveness of the nation’s! intelligence network would! be destroyed if people like) Snepp were able to violate secrecy oaths. Speaking at the conclusion; ■of arguments in the two-day trial. District Judge Oren Lewis said he believed

Snepp’s decision to publish a book about the 1975 fall of , Saigon without submitting it to the C.I.A. for clearance!, “was a wilful, deliberate 1 ’ oreach of the highest trust,; and he did it for money.” j, “It is so plain, so open!’ and obvious to me,” Judge) 1 Lewis said. He would not I* make an immediate ruling l ' on Government charges that), Snepp had violated his!" agreement. ; *) The Government has!, asked that Snepp be barred ; from publishing further 5 information and have his| s royalties from his book —

’“Decent Interval” — go to Ithe Government. ’! Judge Lewis openly speculated about the size of the ; | fine he might levy, menjtioning $lO million, but ) insisted he had not yet ’reached a final decision in |the case. i “If all C.I.A. agents can I tell whatever they want to ... I don’t have any trouble determining that the United) States would not have any, co-operation from foreign in-1 telligence sources,” Judge! Lewis said. “The C.I.A. might as well) Igo out of business.” Snepp’s lawyers have withheld any decision about an appeal until Judge Lewis makes his ruling, but they appeared sure the verdict would go against them. ;; Judge Lewis, who noted! he had been reversed as well!, as upheld in the past by the! Supreme Court, said the)’ lawyers had “the right of ) appeal with or without rea-■1 son.” Il Snepp has testified he wasil

o I assured by a superior in the 1C.1.A. that his secrecy oath i-idid not cover unclassified el information used in his -(book. ti . However, that C.I.A. offi-

tjcial has contradicted Snepp. a- Taking the stand in his ■own defense, Snepp said a i! C.I.A, official, Robert Grify fin, had assured him privates ly when he joined the agenI cy in 1968 that the agreer ment — including a require•iment to submit manuscripts ■ for review before publication — was intended to protect II classified information. But Mr Griffin, who said ’he processes new C.1.A.) : employees, said under oath; he had no memory of inter-) viewing Snepp and denied) ever giving such an assur-) lance. ! The Judge said: “I just; I don’t believe anybody would) | forget he had taken someone! lout in the back room.” ; Snepp charges in his book) ■that the C.I.A. mismanaged; ithe evacuation of Saigon at)’ ithe end of the Vietnam War. I;