285. Memorandum for the Record1
SUBJECT
- State/CIA Relations
Alex Johnson met on November 13, 1972 with Ray Cline, Dick Davies, Tony Ross, Rodger Davies, Bob Beaudry, Ed Peck and the undersigned,2 to consider means by which the Department could gain more adequate notification than it now receives on certain CIA clandestine collection activities. Recent Agency attempts to persuade diplomats of the Governments of Yugoslavia and Turkey to report to CIA on third country targets, which were the subject of protest by these Governments, had not, to the Department’s knowledge, been coordinated either with affected Ambassadors or in Washington.3 A previous uncoordinated collection activity in Port Louis had already been made the subject of representations by the Department to CIA.4 Alex said that he had already raised the Yugoslav and Turkish incidents with Dick Helms, and expressed State’s concerns.
The discussion confirmed that notification on such activities was spotty; that on occasion notification was made to Alex; that on sensitive activities in communist countries notification was often made through EUR; that in some other areas notification had been made to the Department or an overseas mission; but that there was no pattern indicating a) consistent notification; or b) notification through established channels.
The concerns expressed on notification centered not on a desire to know specific details but on the general scope of programs, though it was noted that in the case of certain foreign individuals advance notice should be provided on any planned approach. The discussion disclosed that much of the Department’s concerns had to do with activities directed toward third countries, regarding which notification was [Page 644] frequently not made to an Ambassador since his host government was usually not directly concerned. It was agreed that an operation, for example, against the USSR, conducted through a third country source involved political sensitivity for the third country as well as for the USSR.
In a letter of 17 July 19725 Dick Helms confirmed to the Deputy Secretary an understanding concerning notification to State on clandestine activities indicating that consultation would normally be arranged with or through the State Department representative on USIB. In order to insure that one central point in State is in a position to monitor the range of CIA activity coordinated with the Department, it was agreed that if policy bureaus are apprised by the Agency of sensitive clandestine collection activities, they are to advise INR, normally through DDC, of the essential information on the projected activity.
It was agreed that Ray Cline would discuss with Dick Helms the Department’s concerns on matters such as the Turkish and Yugoslav incidents, pointing to the agreement reached last summer in the exchange of correspondence on NSCID 5, which called for notification to the Department normally through the State member of USIB. Ray will discuss with Dick the Department’s desire to be notified of broad programs and of approaches to sensitive individuals and will seek to establish which type of activity should be discussed with the Department, which with the Ambassador and which with both.
- Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, State/CIA Relations, 1970–1972. Secret. Drafted by William McAfee, Deputy Director, Directorate for Coordination, Bureau of Intelligence and Research.↩
- Richard Davies, Rodger Davies, and Claude Ross were Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State. Robert Beaudry and Edward Peck were Johnson’s Special Assistants.↩
- Cline discussed this incident in an October 31 memorandum to Johnson. (Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, State/CIA Relations, 1970–1972)↩
- McAfee discussed this incident in an August 18 memorandum for the files and a September 11 memorandum to James Gardner (INR). (Ibid.)↩
- A copy of the letter is in the Central Intelligence Agency, DDO Files, Job 80–00037, Box 9, Folder 2, US–7, State 1972.↩