SCARLET AND BLACK

 

Salutddy. February lo. I969

IIlllllIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllh

CONTINUED FROM
FEBRUARY 2 ISSUE

(Editor‘s Note: Last sep-
tember ii and 15, THE EVE-
NING STAR in Washington
ran a series oi two articles by
noted civil rights lawyer Wil-
liam Higgs, which revealed
how Tairlie House, a ram-
bling Virginia estate current—
ly used by government agen—
cies as a “think center”, is
actually being controlled and
linanced by the CIA.

THE EVENING STAR later
denied all responsib ty for
the articles, but Higgs re-
mains adamant in delense oi
his accusations.

In last week’s Issue 0! the
5&8, Higgs outlined the or-
ganization of Airlie House
and gave the agencies. such
Is the White House, Silt:
Department, Congress and
others, that use the center
tor high-level conferences.
This week, he documents how
the CIA employs its iinanoial
control to elaborately bug the
center for sound Illd taping.)

IllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllIIllIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllw

By WILLIAM HIGGS
Liberation News Service

(Note: Last September 14
Ind 15, William Higgs, ii
Washington lawyer noted (or
his work in civil rights cases,
revealed It) THE EVENING
suit in Wuhlngton docu.
ments proving beyond reas-
enable doubt that Alrlla
House, a huge conterence
center in Warienton, Va.
which is used by many gov-
ernment agencies tor “think
sessions," is tirmly under the
mntrol oi, and has been fl-
nanced by, several govern-
ment agencies, notably the
out. In addition, Higga
proved that the entire conter—
ence center is elaborately
bugged for sound and taping.

THE EVENING STAR re-
ceived a call from Richard
Helms, director oi the CIA,
and on Seplr 19, it Publicly
apologized tor its two articles
based on Higgs’ intoi-uration,
asserting that Airlic is entire-
ly financed by independent
sources. But in a letter to
THE STAR written subse-
quently, Higgs pointed out
that THE STAR had exam-
ined only the tax and rev-
enue data from Airlie’s 1935
records, and reasserted that
it is the present Control. and
not the present linancing, ot
the Center that determines
its legitimacy.

Airlie House is suddenly in
the news this week, as the
International Association of
ChIeIs 01' Police have chosen
it as their meeting place.
The police chlets employed
one Negro consultant through
last August, but since then
have remained a completely
white group. Last week,
Mrs. Willie Hardy, Washing-
ton ghetto mother and or-
ganizer, went to Warrenton
to confront the police but
was iumed away torcehilly.

Meanwhile, Higgs has coni-
pleted this account or the
history and control or what
probably is the most impor-
tant conlerence center opera.
tive In this country.)

A GOOD OLD FASHIONED EXPOSE

THE CIA AND AIRLIE HOUSE

in 1957, Kenneth T. Young,
director or the State Depart
menl's Southeast Asia Altairs
desk and a Iel‘mer ofﬁcial in
Air Force combat intelligence,
prepared a lengthy private
memo that was circulated
among top government oiiici<
als. A supplemental-y imple-
mentation memo was then sub-
mitted to the Under Secretary
at State.

The basic memo asserted
that lriendly local leadership
in the developing countries of
the world was essential to the
iirrthering at us. interests
abroad. Young advocated the
cultivation and training of a
local elite group in these coun~
tries — in his words, “Ihe nil-
ing elite." Turning to the spe-
ciﬁc Young declared:

"In View of the highly devel-
oped military and police lech—
niqucs iii the West and particu-
larly in the us. and the spirit
or comradeshlp in the protes
sion oi arms, the military es-
tablishments In the newly do.
vcloping countries are proba-
bly the most open. friendly, and
sympathetic group irom our
viewpoint.”

II: COMRADESHIP IN
THE PROFESSION 0F ARMS

Young added, “The impor-
tant’targ‘el . . r is the mouth
mum number of the future top
elite sharing goals and values
compatible with our own.”

Another- excerpt from the
lengthy memo set forth a clas—
sic justification tor govern-
ment by military might: “A
cohesive, patriotic group at top
officers can serve as a bal<
ancewheel, a guardian ot pub-
hc salety, and a grand reieree
among antagonistic political
groups. Ill addition to Serving
as a restraining influence on
the ambitious or whims oi po-
litical leaders, the security
to ' can sometimes sense the
va ions moods and icelirrgs ot
the people better than the iii--
bantzed bureaucracy because
military personnel may be
closer in attitude as well as lav
cation to the populaiinn"

Then, Kenneth 1‘. Young
stated:

2. New arrangements should
be set up in Washington and
the held {or ascertaining and
designating potential leader-s,
tacilitating their tours at study
or Visits in the United States
or elsewhere in the Free World,
and lollowing up with them in
their home country {or several
years after their retllm. Much
is being done along these lines
now, but our collective efiorts
should be improved quickly.
The latest psychological tind—
ings on the discovery or intel-
lectual nptitudes and lender~
ship skills should be systema-
tized lor this program. Better
ways and more means should
be allocated to per-reeling the
experience at toreignet-s here.
especially those from Africa
find Asia. They should be beta
ter received, better looked cite
er, and better exposed to

PART TWO

American whys. Our greatest
tletrciency is in the lack ol
iollowatp in the hoiue country.
oin- personnel abroad is al-
ready taxed, but nevertheless
our overseas starts should he
directed and trained to main
tour a personalized contact
\\'lIIl selected returnees . ., .

or New measures will be
needed to coordinate us. gov-
ernment activities with founda-
tions, universities, and busl-
ncsscs in order to bring the
enormous private resources to
bear in the leadership pro-
gram. Thees thousands or per-
sons coniing here on private
arrangements will lie outside
any political orientation what-
soever unless some coordina-
tion Is oriented One small
means would be to rotate spe-
cialists among the v.5. orienta—
tion center, the new institute
tor advanced study or national
development, and regional cen-
ters In the Unlted States. All-
other means would be to ask
the private agencies to collab-
orate 0n the roster, so that
Ihere would be u single clear—
ing house tor records on illl lor-
eign persons coming here tor
ti-alning or education r . .

The principal elements need-
ed tor the tinanolal support ot
this program would he the tol-
lowing:

l. The presentation of the
program in executive session to
the appropriate Congressional
Committees in order to obtain
Congressional or legislatrve
support tor undertaking this
program.

2. A new item in the State
Department‘s budget tor ham
dling the administration at the
program in Washington and the
field. However, some conliden.
tial tunds may be required.

3. A program of partnership
hrtencrug to build and maintain
any at the new tacrlilies meri-
tioned above it Would be ad-
visable [Cl use A combination DI"
ilintls from ICA and Slate, PL
480 local currency, the IBRD,
the private iouiidatioils, Amel-
icau and ioreigri banks, and
m‘ivale intIiVldual investors.
Probably a great deal more
could be done with PL 480
iunds and private Individuals
than is now the case. The lat-
ter might be interested in sup»
p0l1lng new colleges or institu-
tions abroad.

3. The Department or State
should then assume the leader-
ship to put the program into el-
iect alter inter-agency consul-
tation via the NSC or DC as
required.

in the supplemental memo
that he prepared tor the Under
Secretary of State. Young
stated:

1. The us. government in
Washington and in its field
missions needs a mechanism at
the policy level to coordinate
the political eltects on each one
of its overseas programs: ex-
change of persons. economic
and financial assistance, techs
irrcal cooperation and rsstst—
ance, military aid and training,

lnlor-mation, CIA operations,
the overseas programs of La
bor, Commerce, Agriculture
and other dcparllnems and
agencies, and those at private
agencies and businesses. We
have many agencies, projects,
facilities and funds hilt they

are too dispersed and undirect—
ed now

3. Policy: (a) The most up
gent and abiding requirement
is a high-level policy decision
that the political aspects ot aid
programs in underdeveloped
areas will be the overrlding
priority. This decision Is indiSs
pensablc because many other
Considerations now overshadow
political {actors in the selection
of projects and setting of prior-
ities in all our overseas pro
grams, with some exceptions.

Unless there is n NSC direc-
tive or Cabinetelevel decision
binding the departments and
agency heads, any attempt to
move ahead with this program
will be hobbled at lower lev-
els. . . .

Young’s statements we”
pregnant {or the later developr
merit of us. foreign policy —
the roles ot the us. ioreign
aid program and penetratlon
of American foundations -
just to mention two key points.
it has become increasingly ap-
parent that America’s aid pr0~
grams are in tact an arm or its
toreign policy with particularly
close association woth the CIA
Assistant AID administrator for
Far East Rutherford Foals
stated as much in testimony
this April beiore the House
Foreign Aria l rs Committee,
And the Ramparts article has
exposed some at the activities
of American foundations and
private organizations in acting
as agents tor the CIA.

But one point oi Young's Dr-
iginal memo is ol immediate
concern. The State Department
oilicial proposed that:

A new lacility is needed: (a)
the establishment or an insti-
tute tor such orientation in the
Washington area. A large house
in the country near the city
where hey oliieials could spend
a iew days at concentrated at-
tention on this problem with
specialists at n d ollicers in
Washington would tacilitate the
prograuh

To conclude with Dr. Young:
He was appointed Ambassador
to Thailand in early 1961. At
his confirmation hearing on
March 23, 1961, before the Sen-
ate Foreign Relations Commit-
tee, he admitted being an oili»
Cial of Standard Vacuum Oil
Co. with oil interests in Thai—
land. No mention was made nor
questions asked about the 1957
documents. Young served un~
(II 1963 as Thailand Ambassa-
dor and SEATO representa-
live. He is now back with Stan-
dard Vacuum Oil Co., is a
member of the Council on For-
eign Relations and is chair-
mail of the Advisory panel to
the State Department on South-
east Asia. Young is the some

he: Nino

person who chaired the 1965
Airlle conlerence on ‘Stlategy
for Peace.”

s u it

III: ENTER THE
MYSTERIOUS HEADS

It was on June 8, 1955, that
Dr. Murdock Head bought the
iirst piece oi land of what was
later to become the Airlis
House Conielence center. The
price was apparently about
growl).

On July 10. 1959, the Heads
bought an adjoining gainer-e
parcel—known as "Alrlie"; evi-
dently the cost was about $110,
000.

Four months later, on Nov.
12, 1959, a nonproiit Virginia
corporation was created called
Airlie House Foundation. Thil
corporation was allowed to (II.
on Sept. 15. 1960. The directors
were: the Heads, William Duel-
ler, Edgar Wilson, Don Wengerl
Gordon Letterman, and Joseph
Sisco.

Doeller is an attorney in War-
renton, tour miles east or Airlle.
Wilson is from Macon, Ga., and
is also a lawyer. Dr. Don S.
Wenger is a Washington sur-
geon and Was a Brlgadler Gen-
eral in the Medical Corps.
USAF. Dr. Gordon Letterman I
a plastic surgeon in Washington
and holds membership, as does
Wengel’, in the Association oI
Military Surgeons.

Joseph John Sisco entered
government service through the
Central Intelligence Agency in
1950. He then joined the State
Department and served in vari.
ous capacitles, particularly in
affairs. Today he is Assistant
Secretary of State for lntelna~
tional Organization Aiialrs. Sis.
co is Head’s brothervinelaw.

On April 1, 1960, the nonproﬁt
All‘lle Foundation was created,
also a Virginia corporation.
Mot-timer M. Caplin was the
registered agent, one at iour
directors, and secretary. Joseph
J. Sisco was President and One
of the only four directors. The
other two directors were Dr.
Don S. Wellger and Edgar H.
Wilson (also vice president).
The incorporatars were Caplin,
William C. Battle, and Douglas
D. Drysdale.

Mortimer M. Caplin was Com-
missioner of Internal Revenue
during 1961-1954. He was with
the Oilrce at Naval intelligence
(luring World War II: returned
in the New York law him of
Paul, Weiss, Wharton, thlting
and Garrison after the Nani
then ieii to teach law at his
alma mater, the University at
Virginia, In 1950 In Virginia
Caplin also joined the firm or
Perkins, Battle and Minor.

William C. Battle was U. S.
ambassador to Australia 1962.
1964. He was also a member of
the Perkins, Battle and Minor
law ﬁrm. Douglas D. Drysdalc
is also a member at the Para
kins firm.

on Oct. 25, 1960, Lillian and
Robert Gibson — the parents
of Jane G. Head — conveyed
355 acres of land to the Head:
In consideration for “love and
alreclioii,” land which they had
purchased 15 days earlier lot
is sum of about $100,060.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIIlllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllii

(Continued In Next Issue —-
Friday, March ll)

 

