W.XPost
4uN
Editor Calls Charge Outrage
3 1974
Goldwater Sees 'Treason'
In Post Use of FBI Data
Sen. Barry M. Goldwater (R- Washington Post, The New
Ariz.) charged yesterday that York Times and The Boston
The Washington Post had com- Globe yesterday sharply conmitted an "act of treason" by tradicted Kissinger's sworn
printing secret FBI documents testimony before the Senate
that contradict Secretary of Foreign Relations Committee
State Henry A. Kissinger's de- that he did not order wiretaps
nials that he initiated wire- placed on the telephones of
taps on government officials his aides in an attempt to
and newsmen.
stem four major news leaks in
" . . . It's very obvious to 1969.
me that any information that The FBI documents quoted
the government has can be ob- indicated that some of the wirtained by The Washington etaps were requested by KisPost or any other newspaper singer and his chief assistant
that wants to pay the price," at the time, Gen. Alexander
Goldwater told reporters after M. Haig Jr.
delivering a Senate speech in In his Senate speech, Golddefense of Kissinger.
water urged Kissinger to "lay
"This is plain, outright trea- the case out in a plain and
son, and I won't stand for it," simple fashion so that any
he added.
newsman will be able to unBenjamin C. Bradlee, execu- derstant it . . . What I mean is
tive editor of The Washington that it is time we decide once
Post, replied in a statement, and for all whether it is more
"That's really an outrageous important to protect secret incharge. We neither stole the formation relative to our govdocuments nor bought them." ernment, or more important to
Bradlee added, "We have a provide more circulation for
right to look at any informa- newspapers, more viewers and
tion given to us by responsible listeners to the electronic megovernment officials, whether dia, and more money and aduit's a senator or a President or lation for people willing to
a bureaucrat. And we have a turn against their governresponsibility to print all in- ment."
formation that is relevant and To reporters, Goldwater
newsworthy." '
said: "I'm worried about the
Reports published in The fact that The Washington Post
can print a facsimile of a topsecret paper stolen from the
FBI and nobody does anything
about it. I think the Attorney
General should haul The
Washington Post in and demand an explanation of how
they got it, what they paid for
it, who gave it or sold it to
them, and go through the FBI
and find the same thing.
"This is really serious. What
Dr. Kissinger did is nothing
compared to the dangers involved in the constant leaking
of top secret information here
in the city of Washington," he
added.
After making his charge
about treason, Goldwater told
a reporter: "I'm not blaming
anybody, because if a guy like
(Daniel) Ellsberg can get away
with it, if I were a newsman
with it, if I were a newsman
I'd feel I could print anything
I could lay my hands on, but
as a senator . . . I'm going to
raise all the noise I can