President Truman created the CIA so he could obtain the best intelligence in order for him to make the best possible decisions that affect America. It was an intelligence gathering agency only who had no operational authority. President Eisenhower changed that when he authorized CIA to equipt and train Anti-Castro Cubans for an invasion at the Bay of Pigs. The CIA has not been the same since and that was the beginning of CIA lies, illegal activities, dirty tricks and you name it.
The latest now is the Senate intelligence report on Torture. The torture is new but not the violation of laws by the CIA that has been going on for over 50 years. The U.S. House and Senate have intelligence oversight committees who are supposed to ride herd on the CIA and make sure they know what the CIA is up to. They have failed their responsibilities in that regard. Senator Frank Church in the Church report of the 1970's and many others since then documented the illegal activities of the CIA and their out right lies.
So the question is whats new and how to put an end to an agency out of control for so many years. A sane congress should have put an end to the CIA's activity once and for all after it was determined that the CIA even withheld evidence from the Warren Commission in conjunction with the assassination of President Kennedy.
The answer is simple. Congress and the President need to take away the operational capacity of the CIA and once again return the agency to its original mandate, that is intelligence gathering only. The CIA's operational ability has allowed them to make their own foreign policy and not be accountable to anyone. According to the book, "JFK And The Unspeakable" the author on pages 332 and 333 wrote the following.
On December 22, 1963 one month to the day after JFK's assassination former President Truman published a very carefully worded article in the washington post warning the American people about the danger of the CIA taking over the government. He wrote as following: I think it has become necessary to take another look at the purpose and operations of our CIA. For some time I have been disturbed by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy making arm of the Government. This has led to trouble and may have compounded our difficulties in several explosive areas. We have grown up as a nation respected for our free institutions and for our ability to maintain a free and open society. There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shodow over our historic position and I feel that we need to correct it.
Six months later in a letter to the managing editor of Look Magazine concerning an editorial copy that was published in Look the President wrote. Thank you for the copy of Look with the article on the CIA. It is I regret to say, not true to the facts in many respects. The CIA was set up by me for the sole purpose of getting all the available information to the President. It was not intended to operate as an international agency engaged in strange activities.
Since President Truman set up the CIA, several Presidents has given the agency broad authority to engage in activities over the years that has resulted in much trouble for our country. The latest torture report is a good example along with other lies and illegal activities. President Kennedy found out about the CIA's dirty tricks during the Bay of Pigs training and vowed to break up the CIA. He fired CIA director Allen Dulles after the Bay of Pigs and was in the process of curtailing their operations when he was assassinated.
Paul O'Neill, President George W. Bush's first appointed Treasury Secretary in his book,"The Price of Loyalty" at one of the President's cabinet meetings said, reading documents CIA director George Tenet passed out it laid out a plan of covert activity around the globe. At its core was the enabling provision that there be virtually no civilian over sight. The concept was tell us how you want to look Mr. President and we will handle the rest. Author's note: This is the same CIA director who sat along side of Secretary of State Colin Powell before the U.N. who outlined the so called proof of Iraq's WMD. But as every one knows they did not exit at any time during the Bush administration.
Congress needs to gain self respect, character and courage by taking away from CIA all operational authority and leave the CIA only with the authority to gather intelligence for the President to use in his decision making. Although :President Truman established the CIA over 50 years ago, he showed greater wisdom than leaders who came later. He was aware that a out of control CIA would be a disaster for the country.
It is time for Congress to act once and for all on the matter.
This commentary written by John Lucia
