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,n Approved For Release 2008/11/06: CIA-RDP04M01816R000502010009-4 senior government official outside the CIA and FBI with knowledge of the East Coast Project. He again informed CIA officials that, unless higher level approval for the project was obtained by February 15, 1973, he would withdraw the Postal Service's cooperation. James Schlesinger, who had succeeded Helms as DCI, decided that the foreign in- telligence and counterintelligence information derived from the project did not outweigh the risk of embarrass- ment and potential public repercussions presented by its continuation. On February 15, 1973, the East Coast Project was suspended and, in effect, terminated. Whether the failure of the Departmen~'s investi- gation to uncover any direct evidence, written or oral, of presidential knowledge or authorization was caused by the nonexistence of such knowledge or authorization, by confusion of mail openings with "mail covers," which were generally viewed as legitimate, or by the passage of time and the "presidential deniability" concept discussed above, cannot be determined. However, on the existing record, the government could not prove in a criminal prose- cution beyond a reasonable doubt that the East Coast Project was conducted without presidential approval or without presidential knowledge and acquiescence. •,~,1._: ··:-. • . A roved For Release 2008/11/06: CIA-RDP04M01816R000502010009-4