Intelligence

Ex-Chiefs Disagree on Intelligence Overhaul (washingtonpost.com)

Ex-Chiefs Disagree on Intelligence Overhaul (washingtonpost.com): "By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 15, 2003; Page A03
A former CIA director yesterday endorsed a drastic overhaul of the nation's intelligence system, while another said radical change could make matters worse.

The opposing views of former directors John M. Deutch and James R. Schlesinger, who testified before a bipartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, illustrate the depth of disagreement among experts over whether intelligence failures before the attacks can be solved through major reforms.

The debate over the creation of a domestic intelligence agency akin to Britain's is a central question facing the commission, a 10-member panel created by Congress to investigate issues related to the attacks in New York and on the Pentagon.

Deutch, who ran the CIA for two years during the Clinton administration, said that the government should create a domestic intelligence agency to take over counterterrorism responsibilities from the FBI and vest the director of central intelligence with more authority.

Greater centralization "is the best way to improve intelligence and the safety of the American people," Deutch said.

But Schlesinger, who headed the CIA during the Richard M. Nixon years, urged caution. "Tinkering with the organizational structure can help, but by itself will not produce major improvement," Schlesinger said.

Yesterday's hearing -- the fourth held publicly since the panel was formed last year -- was interrupted by a lengthy emergency meeting that involved a "remarkable development" related to disputes over access to documents between the commission and the Bush administration, according to chairman Thomas H. Kean.

A commission spokesman said the development involved an agency other than the White House, but Kean and other members declined to reveal any other details. Kean said the panel will release more information by today. Several administration officials declined to comment or said they were unaware of the dispute.

Kean, a Republican former New Jersey governor, and the commission's vice chairman, former representative Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), have said that the panel's work would be harmed if it does not receive access to crucial administration documents immediately. The commission has subpoena power.

The panel, which has come under sharp criticism from some relatives of Sept. 11 victims for not being aggressive enough in demanding information from the Bush administration, is legislatively required to release a final report in May that will cover broad areas of intelligence policy, border security, airline safety and other matters.

Stephen Push, who heads the group Families of September 11, said he and other relatives are frustrated because "the deadlines always seem to be pushed back" on obtaining key documents, which sources have said include classified presidential daily bulletins issued in the weeks before the attacks.

© 2003 The Washington Post Compay"

October 22, 2003 at 11:53 PM in CIA | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home