European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes saturday july 25,1987 James Reston history says hearing results will be forgotten the real danger of the present inquiry into the Reagan administration s Covert warfare operations is thai after All the painful analysis the conclusions will be filed and forgotten. This is what has happened in the past. We need to refresh our memories. The Central intelligence Agency As conceived in 1947, was to concentrate on the collection and analysis of Intelli gence. Covert action by the Cia began the next year under president Truman with a budget of $82 million. President Eisenhower however came to the while House in 1953 feeling that Truman had underestimated the evil intentions of the soviet Union and had placed too much Reliance on expensive conventional weapons. Ike believed in the Efficacy of subversive warfare and by the end of his first term he had turned the Cia into a secret army of the executive Branch and increased its budget to 1800 million. In August 1953 the Cia overthrew Mossadegh in Iran and resumed the Shah this throne thus helping assure the re sen menu that led to Ayatollah a Diomei in. It next got rid of what in regarded As the threat of the Arbenz government in James Kilpatrick Guatemala. In 1954 the Cia helped install a so called pro Western government in Egypt it tried to get rid of the indonesian government in 1958, and helped dump a government it did l like in Laos in 19s9. And just before the end of his Sec Ond term Eisenhower organized the at Lempel to overthrow fide Castro which Percsi Donl Kennedy was Daft enough to carry out at the Bay of pigs there was some evidence that the Cia also had a hand in blowing up the plane thai was to carry the chinese Leader Chou in Lai to a conference of nonaligned nations in Bandung and Little double that it tried to assassinate Castro and the congolese Leader Patrice Lumumba although Eisenhower apparently knew nothing of these attempts. Eventually Congress began to worry about such antics so Ike Cre ated a president s Board of consultants on foreign intelligence activities. The Board commissioned Robert Lovett a former Secretary of defense and David Bruce a distinguished Diplomat who had run the office of strategic services in Europe during world War ii to study the problem. They reported that Cia a cols were making mischief All Over the world and no one other Chan i Host in the Cia immediately concerned with their Day to Day operations has any de tailed knowledge of what is going if the . Government continued on this course Lovett and Bruce asked. Where will we be tomorrow we know the answer to that now. The Board endorsed the Lovett Bruce report and in 1958 asked Eisenhower to reconsider programs which find us involved covertly in the internal affairs of practically every country to which we have in its last report in 1961, the Board declared that Cia Covert action was not Worth inc risk Money and manpower involved and had detracted subs an rally from he Cia s primary Intelli gence gathering this report however got the file and forget treatment and thai was More than a Quarter of a Century ago. Sen. Mike Mansfield subsequently introduced a Resolution in Congress calling for a joint congressional committee to Over see the Cia. Ike said this kind of Bill will be passed Over my dead eventually of course the committee was formed and its members have been silting on Capitol Hill these past weeks listening to More evidence of mindless Covert meddling in Iran and Nicaragua concealed from Congress in a massive cover up of lies and deception. Add to inc file and forget catalogue a Book compiled some years ago by sen. Henry m. Jackson of Washington. The president and the committee members might Well read it today. In the Best of circumstances Jack son wrote in is difficult for a powerful executive to escape the yes men Hazard one of an executive s major tasks is to create a climate in which dissent is encouraged and welcomed even though the dissenter s recommendation is rejected. The Clear eyed executive will under stand that he should be concerned about the possibility that he May with the Best of intentions misuse his Power through some Lack of sophistication mis take in judgment or shading of the truth to protect his personal this gets the whole thing about right. The problem is not with yes men Oliver North and John Poindexter but with the president himself. Dupont s a Long Saiof but Don t count him out Middleburg a. Pierre Samuel Dupont in Pete to Hii friends turned up in this pre revolution Ary Village the Oiher Day. His Campaign fund had just topped the 12 million Mark and he hoped to raise another big chunk from his friends in the Hunt coun try. He will need every dime he can gel. In pursuing the Republican presidential Nomi nation Dupont is embarked upon the toughest steeplechase of his political life. He has to gel past a couple of hurdles named George Bush and Bob Dole. He has to overcome the Handicap of a name that is universally familiar bul politically unknown. His biggest obstacle is the kind of recklessness identified Wilh riders who break records or break legs one or inc other. The gentleman has ideas and he has no caution about expressing them. For example do Pom wants to do something dras Lic about social Security. He wants to preserve full benefits for those workers already in the system but he wants to create an alternative plan for Young people just entering the work Force. He proposes individual retirement accounts to be financed by mandatory contributions from both employers and employees. The plan makes Good sense. In makes such very Good sense thai members of Congress Are scared to death of it. The Houghl of such an alternative strikes terror into political hearts. No committee of inc House or Senate will even conduct hearings on the idea. Yel Here is do Ron pushing the concept anyhow. Dupont looks at farm subsidies amounting to 126 billion a year and says they have to Slop. Lois of people say the program has to Stop. The Cost is monstrous and the results Are nil. 16,000 the following year and so Forth. Where is he trying to sell this plan in Iowa that s where. He looks at Public welfare. Over the past 10 years As he said in his announcement speech the present system has poured s300 billion into Grants to families with dependent children but Loday More of our Citi Zens live in poverty than 10 years he would mount a comprehensive program to train recipients for jobs bul if some persons still can l find work in private Industry he would put them to work for the government at 90 percent of minimum wage. At the very Leasi welfare mothers could manage Day care centers. One Way or another he would lie welfare to workfare. What would Dupont do about Federal deficits he would not raise Federal taxes he would nol permit rein Lalion and he would Slop adding to it. Like Ron Ald Reagan he would ask Congress to gel rid of non essential programs. Getting a rein on deficiency pay meals to Farmers would have a High priority. As a successful governor of Delaware 1977-85 he believes in the old fashioned values of federalism. I would push As Many decisions As possible Back to the states and Al the same time for programs thai truly Are nation Al in character he would use leverage to compel stale governments to fall in line. If Congress is pro Viding inc Money. Congress has a right to say Whai the Stales must do to gel Dupont is not much on constitutional Amend ments. He would like an amendment to provide presi dents a line item veto on appropriations Bills. As governor he used his veto sparingly but he found inc in real of such a to often was effective. Otherwise his inclination is 10 leave the Constitution Llone. At 52. Dupont feels he has the experience As a businessman As a lawyer As governor and As a two term member of the House that qualifies him for the while House. He stands 6-fool-2 he weighs in at i Tom i is pounds he finds he thinks Best and works Best Early in the Day. He Hain t smoked since he ined a few cigarette As a teen Ager. He drinks straight blended Whis key in Omier. Gin and tonic in summer. Nothing against cats but he s a dog Man. In recent weeks along Wilh a few spy thrillers he s read Paul Johnsons Modem Yinru i and Winston Churchill s Wilder Ness he plays Innis though nol Well and likes ice hockey. Married one grown daughter three grown sons. In l Worth about $6 million. Can 1 u Pont Makk Illo glory Al the Republican convention Nen year at Proem the bookies would place him on the Low. End of Long Odds hut he has a Goud miracl re Cord. Don t count him out
