TOP SECRET
General Cutler at this point read pertinent language from
the statute relative to the resvonsibility of the Director of Central Intelligence in this area, and to the requirement that intellirence of the departments and agencies of Government be open to the
inspection of the Director of Central Intelligence.
The Attorney General thought that the wording of the stat- ute on this point was such that one could set up thereunder almost
any kind of procedure one wished.
Mr. Dulles indicated that his procedure would be to call
in the FBI.
The President thought that it would be a good idea to call
in the FBI in matters of this kind. On the theory that everybody's
business is nobody's business, the President thought it preferable
to call in the FBI in case of such breaches, rather than to ask each
agency to investigate itself.
Mr. Alan Belmont (FBI representative to the IAC) said that
his agency had investigated many leaks in the past in the several major departments. In most instances the FBI was unable to pin dow
the source of such leaks because a great number of people had knowledge, elther through oral advice or through reading one of the vast
number of copies of documents which contained the information in
question. He said that such copies proliferated extensively, or
personnel were orally advised thereof, to the point that as many
as ten thousand people have had to be investigated in connection
with one breach. In the one or two instances wherein the FBI was
successful in establishing the source of the breach, very little
punitive action was taken. He said the FBI approached these investigetions from a prosecutive rather than an administrative standpoint. It was the Bureau's view that the way to take care of these
situations was for each department head to control his ow house
rather than to have someone from outside go into each of these departments and agencles whenever a breach occurred.
It was the President's thought that the best results in
matters of this kind would be by the Director of Central Intelligence directing, rather then requesting, the conduct of the necessary investigation by the intelligence agency or agencies concerned,
with the Director of Central Intelligence thereafter coming before
the Netional Security Council to make an accounting.
Mr. Dulles agreed with the general idea expressed by the
President, but said he would prefer to work it out on a cooperative
basis by consulting with the IAC agencies concerned rether than by
directing such investigations. The President did not agree, and
emphasized that the Director of Central Intelligence must direct
the cooperation--not ask for it.
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