Sentence:  The briefer reported it had been terminated on orders from Secretary Schlesinger, but attributed this to a sense Shamrock produced little, not to the fact it had been discovered. The NSA briefer <WSD>punted</WSD> on whether Fort Meade had been reading Americans' private messages, ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To equivocate and delay or put off (answering a question, addressing an issue, etc).