Senate Select Committee Senator Church's account S …jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White...
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c. L A T ,NY Imes MAR 6 1975 1 7- 24 'Ford Limits Suppoit for Spying Inquiry THE NEW YORK TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 6, . jv NICHOLAS M. HORROCK Special to The New York Thnes WASHINGTON, March 5-= President Ford gave the leaders pf the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence onlyaqualified pledge of support in their inves- tigation of the United States intelligence apparatus, Senator Frank Church, the committee phairman, said today. t the Whit e House with the sident and Senator John G. ower,, Republitan of Texas, 'yke chairman of- the commit- Mr. r omp t n Oli ow ur s ch - s e 0otd e ireoi r n an it e th a at hehadfou nd the session "very 'endly and constructive,? sand Tfhat President Ford• had said lie "hoped to be as cooperative as possible" wi$h the inqui- ry'4I.; But Senator Churc h isald the President had given 'm no commitment on any of the three requests the two Senators had carried to the I Fm eeting. Senator Church said last wee that he intended to ask the President formally to direct the agencies of the intelligence Community o cooperate with "the investigation. e, He also sought from the Pres- reports of an "oral" section ident a treport on the Central Intelligence Agency's .domestic activities prepared by William E. Colby, Director of Central Intelligence, and turned over to Mr. Ford earlier this /year. And the Senator asked for Mr. Ford's assistance in working out an arrangement to obtain the evidence and testimony being gathered by a White House commission on the C.I.A. headed by Vice President Rock- efeller. Mr. Church said the President had declined to .issue a written directive to the agencies to cooperate with the ,committee, preferring to handle the matter "informally." Mr. Church said that the President had indicated he wanted to deal with the committee's requests on a "case by case basis" rather than give carte blanche to the Congressional investigators. The President, Mr. Church said, deferred a decision on issuing the Cdlby report to the committee until the committee voted to obtain the report. Mr. Church said that he had asked the President about press of the report dealing with as- sassinations. The President responded, Senator Church said, that he would discuss the matter with committee leaders at an "ap- propriate" time. „LA; Press and television.- reports, beginning last Friday, have said that Mr. Colby told President Ford of several assassination plots against foreign heads of state which, if made public, would embarrass the United States and hamper foreign poli- cy. These reports indicated that it was the President's concern over the disclosure of these matters, that in part, influenced his choice of men to sit on the Rockefeller commission investi- gating C.I.A. domestic activities. No Commitment Mr. Church said he had told the President that the Senate ' committee wanted to avoid court battles in its effort to obtain evidence from the exe- cutive branch. But he said that the President had not ruled out the possibility that he might invoke his executive esi. pri- vilege ad withhold some data or witne The controversial doctrine of executive privilege holds that the President can withhold cer- tain executive-branch data from Congressional investigating committees. The President put no barrier in the may of the committee's working out an arrangement to, exchange evidence with the, Rockefeller commission, but he made no commitment on it, Mr. Church said. Mr. Church said that the President seemed satisfied with his report on the methods the committee was following to pr6vide security for the do- The New York Times/Mike Lim Frank Church, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, leaving the White House yesterday after asking President Ford for help, in the committee's investigation of the U.S. intelligence apparatus. ----- that the President had had and that Mr. Ford had felt it was "a constructive and worthwhile meeting." A meeting of the Senate com- mittee scheduled for today was i postponed indefinitely. cements and evidence it , was provided. Later, Ron Nessen, the White House press secretary,said that Senator Church's account S of the morning meeting was es- sentially the same recollection
Transcript of Senate Select Committee Senator Church's account S …jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White...
c. L A
T,N
Y Im
es M
AR
6 1975 17- 24
'Ford
Lim
its Su
ppoit for Spyin
g Inqu
iry TH
E N
EW
YO
RK
TIM
ES
, TH
UR
SD
AY
, MA
RC
H 6
, .
jv N
ICH
OL
AS
M. H
OR
RO
CK
S
pecial to T
he N
ew Y
ork T
hn
es
WA
SH
ING
TO
N, M
arch 5-=
President F
ord gave the leaders pf the S
enate Select C
omm
ittee on In
telligen
ce only
aqualified
pledge of support in their inves-tig
ation o
f the U
nited
States
intellig
ence ap
paratu
s, Sen
ator
Fran
k C
hurch
, the co
mm
ittee phairm
an, said today. t th
e Whit e H
ouse w
ith th
e sid
ent an
d S
enato
r John G
. ow
er,, Rep
ublitan
of T
exas,
'yke ch
airman
of- th
e com
mit-
Mr.
r omp t nO
li owursch-s
e 0otdeireoirn
an
it e thaat
heh
adfo
u n
d th
e session "v
ery
'endly
and co
nstru
ctive,? sand
Tfh
at Presid
ent F
ord
• had
said
lie "ho
ped
to b
e as coo
perativ
e as p
ossib
le" w
i$h
the in
qu
i- ry'4I.;
But S
enato
r Churc h
isald
the P
residen
t had
giv
en
'm n
o c
om
mitm
ent o
n a
ny
of th
e three req
uests th
e two
Senato
rs had c
arrie
d to
the
I Fm eeting.
Senator C
hurch said last wee
that h
e in
ten
ded
to a
sk th
e
Presid
ent fo
rmally
to d
irect the
agencie
s of th
e in
tellig
ence
Com
munity
o co
operate w
ith
"the investigation. e,
He also sought from
the Pres-
reports o
f an "o
ral" se
ctio
n
iden
t a treport o
n th
e Cen
tral Intelligence A
gency's .domestic
activities p
repared
by
William
E
. Colb
y, D
irector o
f Cen
tral In
telligen
ce, and
turn
ed o
ver
to M
r. Ford
earlier this /y
ear. A
nd th
e Sen
ator ask
ed fo
r Mr.
Ford
's assistance in
work
ing
out an
arrang
emen
t to o
btain
th
e evid
ence an
d testim
ony
bein
g g
athered
by
a W
hite
H
ouse comm
ission on the C.I.A
. headed by V
ice President R
ock-efeller.
Mr. C
hurch said the President
had declined to .issue a written
dire
ctiv
e to
the a
gencie
s to
cooperate with the ,com
mittee,
preferring to handle the matter
"info
rmally
." Mr. C
hurch
said
that the President had indicated
he w
ante
d to
deal w
ith th
e
com
mitte
e's re
quests o
n a
"c
ase
by
case
basis"
rather
than
giv
e carte blan
che to
the
Congressional investigators. T
he P
residen
t, Mr. C
hurch
said
, deferred
a decisio
n o
n
issuin
g th
e Cdlb
y rep
ort to
the
com
mittee u
ntil th
e com
mittee
voted to obtain the report. M
r. Church
said th
at he h
ad asked the P
resident about press of th
e report d
ealing w
ith as-
sassinations. T
he P
residen
t respo
nd
ed,
Sen
ator C
hu
rch said
, that h
e w
ould
discu
ss the m
atter with
co
mm
ittee leaders at an
"ap-
propriate" time. „L
A;
Press and television.- reports,
beginning last Friday, have said
that M
r. Colb
y to
ld P
residen
t F
ord
of sev
eral assassinatio
n
plo
ts again
st foreig
n h
eads o
f state w
hich
, if mad
e public,
would
embarrass th
e United
S
tates and hamper foreign poli-
cy. These rep
orts in
dicated
that
it was th
e Presid
ent's co
ncern
ov
er the d
isclosu
re of th
ese m
atters, that in part, influenced h
is cho
ice of m
en to
sit on
the
Rockefeller com
mission investi-
gating C.I.A
. domestic activities.
No C
omm
itment
Mr. C
hu
rch said
he h
ad to
ld
the P
residen
t that th
e Sen
ate 'c
om
mitte
e w
ante
d to
avoid
court b
attle
s in its e
ffort to
o
btain
evid
ence fro
m th
e exe-
cutiv
e bran
ch. B
ut h
e said th
at th
e P
resid
ent h
ad n
ot ru
led
out th
e p
ossib
ility th
at h
e
might invoke his executive
esi.
pri- vileg
e ad w
ithhold
som
e data
or witne
The controversial doctrine of
execu
tive p
rivileg
e hold
s that
the President can w
ithhold cer-tain executive-branch data from
C
ongressio
nal in
vestig
ating
comm
ittees. T
he P
residen
t pu
t no
barrier
in th
e may
of th
e com
mittee's
work
ing o
ut an
arrangem
ent
to, ex
chan
ge ev
iden
ce with
the,
Rockefeller com
mission, but he
mad
e no co
mm
itmen
t on it,
Mr. C
hurch said. M
r. Churc
h sa
id th
at th
e
President seem
ed satisfied with
his rep
ort o
n th
e meth
ods th
e co
mm
ittee was fo
llow
ing to
p
r6v
ide secu
rity fo
r the d
o-
The N
ew Y
ork Tim
es/Mike L
im
Fran
k C
hurch
, chairm
an o
f the Senate S
elect Com
mittee
on
Intellig
ence, leav
ing
the W
hite H
ou
se yesterd
ay
after askin
g P
residen
t Ford
for h
elp, in
the co
mm
ittee's investigation of the U
.S. intelligence apparatus. -----
that the P
residen
t had
had
and
that M
r. Ford
had
felt it was
"a constructive and worthw
hile m
eeting." A
meeting of the S
enate com-
mittee scheduled for today w
as i postponed indefinitely.
cemen
ts and
evid
ence it, w
as provided.
Later, R
on Nessen, the W
hite H
ouse press secretary,said that S
enato
r Church
's account S
of
the m
orn
ing m
eeting w
as es-sen
tially th
e same reco
llection
