◆ SpookStack

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED 8Y DATE 8-12-98 JACK ANDER$ON and DALE VAN ATTA Ex-Agent Joins'Call for CIA Watchdog ongressional efforts to install an independent The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee took watchdog inside the Central Intelligence Hemmings's information so seriously that it Agency won't help Bruce Hemmings. commissioned a probe by the Oifice of Speciaj The 17-year agency veteran claims be was Investigations at the General Accounting Office, driven out of government service last year after which confirmed that FBI and ClA officials traded refusing to heip cover up CIA knowiedge of arms information about a U.S. arms shipment to Iran in sales to Iran. Hemmings has since cooperated with Iate September 1985, at least one month before the a Senate probe, which this summer confirmed that CIA officially claims to have become involved. the CIA and Federal Bureau of Investigation knew The probe also produced evidence of a cover-up. more than they adrnit about the secret White Hemmings was assigned to the Iran desk in late House operation to supply missiles to Iran. 1985.He.was working.with the FBIwhich bad Hemmings has shed his spy cloak and is now a self-styled whistle-blower, vowing to bring rogue The FBI handed the item about the arms shipment- spooks to justice. to Hemmings at the CIA for analysis. "In the area of intelligence, there is no Hemmings was instructed to inform the FBI aot to mechanism available to an employee or disseminate the information further because it ex-employee to address ... allegations of impropriety,* Hemmings told our associate Stewart FBI complied, even though the shipment violated Harris. arms export law and stated public policy. Hemmings has added his voice to those advocating In 1987, Hemmings says he was again asked to a bill proposed by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) that cover up the incident. would establish a presidentially appointed inspector FBI then-Director William H. Webster was general with statutory independence to expose fraud, seeking Senate confirmation to be director of the waste and abuse at the CIA. CLA Senators grilled Webster on the FBI's The CiA has had a relatively toothless inspector Inowledge of the arms sale. general-appointed by the CIA director and Hemmings was ordered by the CIA to prepare a operating under his direction--since 1952. memo about the incident. When his memo noted that Hemmings presented his concerns about the covert be was advised to tell the FBi not to spread the. operation to ClA Inspector General William word, his superiors exploded. A censored version was Donnelly before going to Capitol Hill. sent to Congress, Hemmings says. Hemmings has heard Little since being interviewed Hemmings, caught in a cross-fire, had seen too by one of Donneliy's agents. The CIA insists the much and was houmded by the CIA anti eventually he. probe is still open. But Donnelly implied the case was was warehoused in a job witbout responsibilities. He closed in a June 9 letter to Hemmings. resigned in 1987. :.: RdAnM uu ba RiIccfII mYfRs