Friday, February 2. WM

By WILLIAM HIGGS
leemtlnn News Service

(Note: Last September If
and I5, William Hfggs, a
Washington lawyer noted for
his work in civu rights cases,
revealed to THE EVENING
STAR in Washington docu-
ments proving beyond reas-
onable doubt that Alriie
House, a huge conference
center in \Varrenton, Va.
which is used by many gov-
ernment agencies for “think
sessions,“ Is firmly under the
control of, and has been ﬂ-
named by, several govem-
merit agencies, notably the
CIA, ln addition, Higgs
proved that the entire conten
ence center is elaborately
bugged for sound and taping.

THE EVENING STAR re
ceived I! call from Richard
Helms, director of the CIA,
and on Sept. 19, it publicly
apologized for its two articles
based on Higgs’ information,
asserting that Airlie 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 1968
records, and reasserted that
it is the present control, and
not the present ﬁnancing, of
the center that determines
its legitimacy.

Airlie House is suddenly In
the news this week, a the
International Association of
Chiefs of Police have chosen
It as their meeting place.
The police chiefs 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 andror~
ganizer, Went to warrentnn
to confront the police but
was tnmed away loroetully.

Meanwhile, Higgs has com-
pleted this account of the
history and control of what
probably is the most impor-
tant confelenoe center opera-
tive in this country.)

I: THE CIA IN
DOMESTIC POLITICS

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 22
(LNS) — in the wake of the
Ramparts magazine expose of
the CIA’s relations with the
National Student Association
(Feb, 1967), the executive
branch of the U.S. government
— of necessity deeply involved
in the shenanigans — moved
swiftly to contain the extent of
the revelation breach.

The President appointed on
February 15 a special commit-
tee chaired by Under Secre-
tary of State Nicholas Katzen—
bach, with NEW Secretary
John Gardner and CIA Direc-
tor Richard Helms as the other
two members. The committee
was instructed, in Katzenbach’s
words, “to formulate a policy
that will provide necessary
guidance for government agen-
cies in their relationship to the
international a c t i V i t i e s of
American educational organiza»
tions."

Five weeks later the special
committee delivered its report
to LBJ. It contained a basic
ltatement oi policy:

No Federal Agency shall pro-
vide my cover! ﬁnancial u-

SCARLET AND ELACK

 

A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED EXPOSE

THE CIA AND AlRllE HOUSE

sistance or support, direct or
indirect, to any of the Nation‘s
educational or private volun-
tary organizations. This policy
specifically applies to all for-
eign activities of such organi-
zations and it reaffirms pres
ent policy with respect to their
domestic activities.

Just to nail the matter down
the committee added a foot-
note:

If the Statement of Policy is
to be effective, it must be rig-
orously enforced.

it is clear from the policy
statement that all covert finan—
cial aid — lrom any agency of
the federal government — is to
be promptly ended. Such was
the popular interpretation of
the Presidents’ immediately
ordering the policy statement
into effect.

As part of its containment
policy, the CIA drew the lor-
eign versus domestic line: the
Agency only dealt with foreign
matters, of. in the case of the
NSA, with an organization that
was engaged in activity in the
ioreign ﬁeld. The spy depart
ment steadfastly maintained
that it had gotten into domes-
tic affails.

The truth of the matter, how-
ever, is that the CIA, the State
and Defense Departments, and
the nation’s intelligence sys-
tem has been intimately and
secretly involved in the guid-
lag and pulse-taking of domes-
tio thought and politics.

The instrument of this com«
prehensive program is a little-
known conference center about
40 miles west south west of
Washington, just off US. high-
way 50, called Airlie House.

The operator of Airiie is Dr.
Murdock Head, a mansior-aii-
seasons Who holds professional
degrees in dentistry (Louis
ville), medicine (Vermont). and
law (G e o r g e Washington).
Born in Trinity, Texas, about
1923, Head remains a rather
mysterious tigure, even though
the Saturday Evening Post,
Newsweek, and other maga-
zines have had feature articles
concerning his work at Airlie.

According to an Airlie bra-
chure, the center is run by Air«
lie Foundation, a non-profit
Virginia corporation. Airlie’s
source oi funds, however, is to
say the least ambiguous In its
June 23, 1562 article. the Satur-
day Evening Post referred to
Airlie as “a $2,000,000 set-up
financed by Head and private
benefactors.”

In Newsweek of March 16,
1964, is the Comment: “Head
launched Airlie House seven
years ago with a small person<
al inheritance and bluntless en-
Ihusiasm. Borrowing additional
money from insurance com-
panies and banks. he estab»
lished the non-profit Airlie
Foundation, now Worth $2 to $3
million.”

in an interview with Head in
the Sunday Magazine section
of the Washington Star of Aug»
ust 11, 1963, reference is made

PART ONE

to the wealth of Heads wife’s
parents from Louisville, Ky,
together with extensive borrow-
ings irum banks and insurance
Companies.

Airlie is situated in the bean-
tiful rolling hunt. country of
northern Virginia. The ram-
bling conference center over-
looks a scenic pond and is only
part or a remarkably complete
complex of private clinic, ra-
dio station, cattle barn, sauna
baths, game lodge, stables,
swimming pool, guest houses,
and private airport.

In essence, Airlie House is
an ideal conference center. As
the brochure truthfully states:
“This Center , . . offers dis<

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Department of Justice, the
Office of Education, the Board
of Education of the District of
Columbia, the National Insti-
tules of Health, the Atomic
Energy Commission, the De-
partment of Labor, the Depart»
ment of Commerce, the Arms
Control and Disarmament
Agency, the U.S. Public Health
Service and the Internal Rev»
enue Service.

Airlie is a frequent location
tor many of the nation’s pri-
vate organizations, such as
universities and social organi-
zations. For example, the
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
has consistently used Airlie to
bring togedier civil rights law-

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Deb Hodlerne. East street Gallery
Grinnell College‘s only interaction with the Central Intelligence
Agency came in spring, 1966, when six students including
Muffy Meyer, ’66 (front), and Scott nonahoe, ex-‘GB, protested
a CIA recruitment visit, The demonstration was not violent,
and the administration took no pun‘llive action. The above
photo was one sent by the Associated Press all over the United

States.

tinct advantages for confer-
ences in national and intema-
tional aitairs."

r a v

And many of the leading
citizens of our nation have
tuund Airlie to match up to its
billing. Senators, Congressmen,
Justices of the Supreme Court,
members of the White House
staff, Cabinet members, and
leaders of American economic,
intellectual and social life have
enjoyed the peaceful serenity
of the rustic 1,200 acre site.

A little detail will give some
idea of Airlie’s role on the
frontier of the nation’s life.

Beginning in about 1961 the
center hosted groups from al-
most every agency of the U.S.
guvemment, including the
White House, the State Departr
merit, the Bureau of the Bud-
get, the Congress of the United
States, the Agency for lnter—
national Development, the
Community Relations Service.

yers and leaders from over the
country

A great many of the out-
standing lacidty members from
institutions of higher learning
throughout the nation have
come to Airlie tn Exchange
views and ideas in its atmos-
phere of quiet Isolation.

The Scholarship, Education
and Defense Fund for Racial
Equality — the tax-exempt olf—
shoot of CORE — conducted a
fourrday training session on
Aug. 19, 1967, to instruct 35
new Negro school board mem-
bers from southern states in
school administration and pol-
icy-making.

On May 26, 1965, over 100
prominent Americans attended
a “Strategy for Peace" confer-
ence, which focused in on the
problems of Communism and
insurgency in the underdevel-
oped world. Conference chair<
man was Dr. Kenneth Young.
former Ambassador to Thai-

cho Eleven

land, current President of tho
Asia Society and chairman of
the State Department’s advis‘
ory panel on Southeast Asia. A’
national columnist commented
“The Airlie House Report Will
be studied by many unless of
the government and not least
in the White House.’ ’

Twenty-five nationally promi-
nent Latin American Scholars
met an Oct. 9, 1565, {or two
days with top Administration
men to discuss U.S. policy in
Latin America toward military
dictatorships and Communist
insurgencies. The government
was represented, among oth-
ers, by McGeorge Bundy, spe-
cial assistant to the President
for National Security Alrairs,
Jack Hood Vaughn, Assistant
Secretary of State for Latin
American Affairs, and Leonard
Marks, Director of the U.S. In
formation Agency.

on Jan, 28, 1966, 40 top po
lice off 'als from 17 major
US. cities met to consider new
techniques and systems of law
enforcement. The conference
was jointly arranged by the
Depamneht of Justice and the
International Chiels of Police.

The White House Conference
on Mental Retardation wan
held at Airlie on Sept. 19, 1963.
The meeting was attended by
ﬁcials and its tone was set by
top-ranking Administration of-
iicials and its tone was set by
B message from i118 President.

On Jan. 4, l967, the House
GOP leadership, at the sugges<
tion of Minority leader Gerald
Ford (a member of the House
CIA oversight subcommittee)
held a tWtHlay conference for
the 58 new Republican mem-
bers of the House. Even mem.
bers’ wives attended. The com
lerence offered a lull panoply
of seminars on loreign policy.
national defense, the budget,
economic policy, and House
procedure, Both Ray C. Bliss,
Chairman of the Republican
National Committee, and Arc
thur Burns, Chairman of tha
Council of Economic Adviser!
under Eisenhower, spoke to the
Congressmen.

It must be emphasized: Th6
above illustrations are just I
very few of the very many top-
level conferences and meetings
held at Airlie. They have oc-
curred almost without interrupt
lion, hack—(whack since 196].
Moreover, Airlie can accommo-
date up to three conferences
sirnidtaneously.

t a o

The preceding paragraph:
tell only a part of Airlie’s very
private but very pervasive role
in relation to the decision-male
ing process in the domestic and
foreign policy of the U.S., and
to a degree, in the life of oth-
er nations.

In the Center‘s conference
rooms, in is guest rooms, on
its spacious lawns, beside Its
luxurious swimming pool, while
horseback riding on its lovely
acreage or even ensconced in
its sauna baths discussions of
vast national and world impala
tance occur. Truly, Airlie has
become the nation's “think cen-
ter" for domestic and foreign
affairs.

a u -

But idyliis, rustic Airlie ll
something more — much, much
more.

(Continuum Next Issle)

 

