Leo Cherne, our man with the CIA The Rulin Class By Robert Scheer his native land, where he had worked later the Friends group fired off a vainly for the French against Ho Chi Minh congratulatory telegram to the Saigon President Ford's boldest and was forced to find safety within the generals who had collaborated with respdrise to date to the disclosures of cloistered surroundings of Cardinal the CIA in killing Diem.) CIA malpractice has been the Spellman's sanctuary. After Dien Bien The Friends of Vietnam came designation of a new three-man board Phu, when the French sued for peace. into being two months after the public to supervise the Agency's activities. Diem was brought out of his clerical relations director for Cherne's IRC, one Just why this new board should be-any mothballs and sent packing back to Harold Orem, signed a contract to more effective than the Foreign Saigon to save the day for democracy. have his public relations firm Intelligence Advisory Board that has Cherne followed Diem to Saigon, and, represent the Diem government in the ro counseled the President for 15 years after much discussion with Diem and U.S. Dram's "campaign director" on without making a single public the U.S. in-country team, he was so the Vietnam account was the criticism of the CIA must be explained impressed that he dispatched his aforementioned Gilbert Jonas (who solely by the fact that it has three assistant, Joseph Buttinger, an later replaced Orem as IRC public members rather than 15. For the three, Austrian socialist refugee, to Saigon. relations director). Both men were Robert D. Murphy, Stephen Ailes and Buttinger worked intimately for the registered as foreign agents acting for Leo Cherne, are the same sort of next year with the CIA's top operative the Vietnamese government and both pro-CIA hard-liners who made up the in Vietnam, Colonel (later General) turned up as executive members of the original committee. Indeed, Cherne . When I interviewed Friends of Vietnam (and as PR officers has been a member of the FIAB since Buttinger and Lansdale in the of Cherne's IRC). 1973. A few days after Cherne's Since Jonas was the executive appointment .the Times secretary of the Friends group and disclosed that the International Cherne was an active board member, Rescue Committee, which Cherne they should have no great difficulty in founded in 1946 and of which he has recalling the name of one Wesley been president ever since, was the Fishel, a fellow executive committee recipient of funds from the Kaplan member. Ftshel was the head of the Fund. a conduit for CIA funds. Cherne Michigan State project in Vietnam: the denied that he knew of any CIA links story of that CIA cover is now well - with the Fund, and directed press known. Fishei was one of Diem's top inquiries to one Gilbert Jonas. who advisers while his subordinate had been the IRC public affairs professor/CIA operatives in the project director and fund-raiser. Jonas also took over the Vietnamese secret police stoutly denied that he had any mid-Sixties, both Lansdale and several other agencies. For nine knowledge of any such CIA links and and Buttinger told me that they met on years Leo Cherne, Gilbert Jonas and echoed Cherne's disbelief that the CIA the first day of Buttinger's arrival in Wesley Fishel formed an intimate would be at all interested in the work of Saigon. A scant four days after political clique that attempted to mold an organization dedicated to the Buttinger's plane set down, the CIA American public opinion, and it has simple humanitarian goal of helping man took the IRC representative to been amply documented that the political refugees. meet Diem. Michigan State-Saigon end of the But from its inception, the IRC Buttinger returned to the U.S. project was a CIA operation. Perhaps was interested in helping only a and helped Cherne found the it is true that Cherne did not know of certain type of political American Friends of Vietnam, which the Michigan State University-CIA refugee—politicians and intellectuals mounted a massive pro-Diem lobbying connection, just as it may be true that who would be useful in the effort in this country that had a great he didn't know of Lansdale's CIA fight against communism. These deal to do with getting the U.S. into the status. And maybe it is even true that refugees, once spotted and assisted . The pitch was that Cherne did not know that the by the IRC,were then—when Diem's government was a lonely foundations that gave money to groups useful—recruited and trained by democratic outpost against the like his were conduits for the CIA. various government agencies to form Commie hordes. At one inspired But if all that is true, how in hell free world "movements" that would dinner, Leo Cherne's IRC combined can it now be claimed that one so oppose the communists. efforts with the American Friends of continuously suckered by the One of the political refugees Vietnam to present CIA—and one who has never so far as I assisted by the IRC was a fellow with the Admiral Richard E. Byrd know uttered any public criticism of named Ngo Dinh Diem, who, it will be Award for "Inspired Leadership in the the Agency—is now qualified to be remembered, fled the oppression of Cause of the Free World." (Six years one of the CIA's watchdogs? •

1S NEW TIMES

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