◆ SpookStack

Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100330001-5 SECRET UNITS...Cont'd world when American citizens were in- volved in airplane hijackings and at- tacks on American embassies or diplo- mats and will be involved in protecting against terrorist attacks at the Los An- geles Olympics. . €One unit, identified as Navy SEAL Team Six, based at the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base outside Nor- folk, Va., operates amid extraordinary secrecy. Its members dress in civilian clothe:, are permitted to have long hair and beards, and train at civilian instal- lations, including the Pinal County Air Park near Tucson, Ariz., which was a C.I.A. air base in the 1970’s, according to former intelligence officials. When one team member was killed in a skydiving accident at the air park last year, his colleagues initially ordered doctors and nurses at St. Mary's Hospi- tal in Tucson not to turn over the body to the country medical examiner for “national security reasons,”’ hospital authorities said in a recent interview. ‘Civilian skydivers at the air park were told not to take pictures of the team members, and employees were in- structed not to record their names. Pentagon Wanted Its Own Units Intelligence officials said the De- fense Department, impatient with the C.1.A.’s leading role in conducting cov- ert operations, particularly paramili- tary activities, has pressed in recent years to establish its own units capable of directing and carrying out such operations. Starting in 1980, after the failure of the mission to rescue American hos- tages in Iran, the Army, under the di- rection of Gen. Edward C. Meyer, then chief of staff, created a small, secret intelligence organization called the In- telligence Support Activity. The group was formed without the knowledge of the Secretary of Defense, the Director of Central Intelligence or Congress, according to intelligence of- ficials. . Group’s Original Mission Its original mission, according to for- mer Army officers familiar with its origin, was to collect intelligence to plan for special military operations such as the Iran rescue attempt. Eventually, however, the unit devel- oped the ability to conduct special operations and became involved in sup- porting C.I.A. covert activities in Cen- tral America, including aid to Nicara- guan rebels, according to intelligence officials. In the last few years, the Joint Spe- cial Operations Command has evolved beyond its original mandate of counter- ing terrorism to other kinds of special operations, according to American offi- cialis familiar with its operations. As one official described it, the command “has become mostly a nighttime operation, with its own weapons pro- curement and research, as well as communications.” Congress has carefully prescribed, through legislation and practice, the SPECIAL EDITION NEW YORK TIMES Italy Opens an Inquiry — Into a Report on Pope ROME, June 11 (UPI) — The Rome State prosecutor's office opened an in- quiry today into how an American jour- tor’s report the purported Be s on Bulgarian fonnection othe 1981 attack on the Pope, jan news agency ANSA reported je journalist, Clatre Sterling, cited the } in an article in The New York Times on Sunday. The decision to conduct the inquiry followed formal protests today by Ital- ian lawyers acting on behalf of reporting and oversight responsibilties for covert operations conducted by the C.LA. The Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980 requires the executive branch to keep Congress “currently and fully in- formed” about intelligence activities. In addition, a 1981 executive-order on intelligence issued by President Rea- gan required agencies engaped in intel- ligence activities to cooperate with Congress. Limit on ‘Special Activities’ The executive order also limited “special activities,” a synonym for covert activities, to the C.I.A. unless the President determined that another agency was better able to conduct such activities. The order, however, did not fully spell out the definition of “special ac- tivities.’ National security rts and Congressional officials say there is some ambiguity over whether some types of commando operations carried out by the Pentagon would fall within the definition of special activities. The staffs of the House Select Com- mittee on Intelligence, Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations subcommittee on defense have been seeking clarification about these issues from the Defense Department, Law- makers and staff members said they were concerned about the somewhat ambiguous area — one staff member called it a ‘‘gray zone” — between mili- tary and intelligence operations. These sources also say they worry about a situation in which secret com- mando operations unknown to Con- gress might lead to open combat, draw- ing United States forces into a wider conflict. Under the War Powers Act, Congress must be informed about, and in some cases ultimately approve, the use of American troops overseas in combat situations. It is unclear how the law applies to commando operations. The Defense Department has_re- sponded to oversight inquiries by the Intelligence Committee, but officials ~- TERRORISM -- 26 JUNE 1984 12 June 1984 Pg. 9 Ivanov Antonov, a Bulgarian airline of- being held in Italy on suspicion of complicity in the assassination at- The New York Times said Bulgaria recrpited Mehmet Ali Agca for the at- 1 eae ees life as part of a plot to weaken Poland’s ity union was re- WASHINGTON, June 11 (AP) — The State Department refused comment today on reports that the Italian state Prosecutor had concluded that. the as- sagsination attempt on Pope John Paul Il in 1981 was part of a plot in which the secret service played a key role.; say the Pentagon is less cooperative than the C.I.A. in discussing its opera- tions. Representative Joseph P. Addabbo, Democrat of Queens, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, said he hoped the existing Presidential directives, coupled with assurancesgiven to his subcommittee by Pentagon officials would provide guidelines for proper oversight. Mr. Addabbo and other officials said the as- surances were contained in classified responses by General Rice, the direc- tor of the Joint Special Operations Agency, and other Pentagon officials to questions posed during and after the April hearing. “Hopefully, we have the apparatus to know what they’re up to,” Mr. Ad- dabbo said. He added that he o posed the creation of a uniformed cba. “T think we have too much covert opera- tions already, as it is,’’ he said. In a prepared statement in April be- fore the defense subcommittee, Gen- eral Rice said the Joint Special Opera- tions Agency was organized to allow the Joint Chiefs of Staff to better man- age special operations forces. The agency's organizational structure in- cludes a research and development division to provide items for use in anti- terrorism, unconventional warfare, psychological operations and direct ac- tion activities, General Rice’s state- ment said. The organizational structure also in- cludes a support activities branch which provides ‘‘sensitive support’’ to other governmental agencies, includ- ing personnel, training, logistics, operational services, cover and opera- tional intelligence support, according to the written testimony. The Pentagon’s current budget re- quest for special operations forces is about $500 million, according to data introduced at the hearing. Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100330001-5