Evening star., 1960-09-15
DIRECTORS
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DIRECTORS
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the men might have been a
homosexual, Mr.. Burke said:
I'm Mitchell's case, in so far
as sexual proclivities are con.
cerned, the interviews and tests
and Investigations did. not re-
veal any homosexual tendencies
or acts. Parenthetically, I
should add that the same neg
ative finding was made as to
Martin.
Admitted Experiments"
However, Mitchell did state
during his interviews that be-
fore he was 10 he had expert
mented in abnormal sexual
practices. The polygraph Gle
detector) tests established that
Mitchell had not indulged in
such practices for more than
nine years prior to employment
in NSA. In the opinion OF the
security evaluators. this adoles-
cent experimentation was not
viewing his record as a whole
a sufficient basis for denying
clearance"
Mr.. Burke went into consid-
erable detail in explaining why
NSA and Pentagon investiga-
tors said nothing for some time
about q statement found in a
Laurel Md bank safe deposit
box belonging to Mitchell. This
was a parting statement to the
American people"
This statement was not re-
leased by the Defense Depart
ment at that time Tin early
Augustl nor thereafter because,
first, it was itself the subject
of further investigation" Mr..
Burke said.
Its exact significance as a
real statement, hoax or trap
was not known. There was no
disposition to comply with the
request of two renegades for
national publicity. Certain
statements, while false, bore
indirect relation to very highly
classified information.
Lastly, it was determined
that no national interest would
be served by publishing it. The
statement was. however, tine
basis for the departments an
nouncement on August S that
there was likelihood that the
two men had gone behind the
Iron Curtain.
Havana Stop Probable
Mr.. Burke's testimony also
brought out officially for the
first time that Mitchell and
Martin probably went to Rus
sia by way of Havana. He said
investigation showed that the
two men arrived in Mexico City
last June 25 and remained there
until about July 4. They are
known to have bought one-way
tickets on an airline to Havana
on July !.
The two men eventually
showed up at a September 6
news conference in Moscow and
revealed their detection from
the United States
Mr.. Burke conceded that the
Pentagon investigation is still
far from complete and that
many troubling questions re-
main unanswered"
I'VE cannot confirm at this
time" he said, "how Mitchell
and Martin went to the Soviet
Union, although it seems clear
that Russian assistance was
rendered outside the borders of
the Soviet Union. We do not
know the extent to which or
exactly when this assistance
was solicited and whether in
this country or in Mexico OF
Cuba"
Previous Trip Reported
Mr.. Burke added that De-
fense Department investigators
are looking into a report that
Mitchell and Martin together
visited Mexico and Cuba last
December or January.
The Pentagon general counse
said that investigators NIGH
never get the real answer tx
the biggest question-"Why die
they do it?"
Surely the web of nonsense
spun in their parting Statement
and amplified at the urgen
behest of Soviet propagandistI
in their statement in Moscow,
Mr.. Burke declared, docs no
adequately explain why the.
would throw over their jobs
their families. their friends
their colleagues and thei
homeland in favor Of a coun
try they knew only in a some
what feverish imagination. !
seems superfluous for me t,
express the contempt whicl
their colleagues and. I am sure