CIA director misled FBI about how agency spied on Pentagon Papers leaker
New FOIA docs show that the CIA director misled the FBI about how the
agency spied on Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.
"In a June 28, 1972, memo to
his deputy, Vernon Walters, Helms wrote that he asked the FBI to
'desist from expanding this investigation into other areas which may
well, eventually, run afoul of our operations.' Those details are
included in the 155-page CIA inspector general's report that was
obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the
conservative legal watchdog Judicial Watch and released Tuesday. Other
elements of the document were first reported Tuesday by Fox News.
"Helms' misdirection enabled the CIA's role in the Pentagon Papers case
to go undiscovered for 11 months amid a growing political scandal that
would eventually force President Richard Nixon from office and lead to
an extensive investigation into abuses by the CIA and other parts of the
U.S. Intelligence community."
