The MacNeil/Lehrer Report; Koreagate Hearings

it's been the pittsburgh fb these

it's b funding for this program has been provided by the station and other public

television stations and by grants from exelon corporation allied chemical corporation and the corporation for public broadcasting it's big the case before the korean bribery scandal the affair some are calling the congressional watergate went public today after months of backroom investigations and investigators charge flatly that the attempt to buy the votes of us congressmen was not confined to re salesman thompson park but masterminded and controlled by the korean government that charges made by former watergate prosecutor leon jaworski now running the korean inquiry as the house ethics committee began its first public hearings

jaworski also chastised the korean government for not cooperating and the attempt to find out the extent of the law and how many members of congress might not so far only one former member democrat richard hanna of california has been indicted along with johnson park and another korean businessmen in washington and choke him tonight the highlights of today's investigation robin this committee has not had a happy time getting through the day and the opening of its public hearings its history is strewn with controversy the major flap coming last summer when it's for special counsel philip what about quit in protest of the way the committee was perceived there's been other internal combustion as well most often heard charges them for alleged foot dragging and is most persistent critic has been one of the tsar republican congressman bruce typical of new york today's opening statements from the committee members spoke to the internal problem first the committee chairman congressman john fled democrat of georgia defended the committee

then when his turn came to veto stuck to his critical that's all other than very polite language of course there are clips from the plant and of people's statements in the course of that investigation which is leon the moment go with irrigation of that many people may have been cast in the role of investigate and prosecute a dead and their native of what juneau isn't even all platinum plan the nomination of all paul is close to impossible inspired a gold and diamond x men while people may have misstated on about charge of allegation in india and old would have been directed the best made in it i do appeal or ten months ago when this committee which was instructed by the full house to conduct investigation of misconduct by members of congress is a long time that there is a lot of her time in the entire senate watergate investigation and it is

my feeling to respectfully and expect we disagree only current unanimity here somehow we are on time i think were late that we had time during the ten months to permit or targets and defendants in this proceeding to to their rights under the rules so that would cover the state of her income or cooperation is today i feel we should be asking about conduct of members of congress to the allegations before us are extremely serious and urgent and require a full airing now the issue before this committee and the big issue before the country is is whether they are members of congress today who corruptly sold their integrity and their independence and judgment in violation of state constitution the rules the house and i hope we move as quickly as we can personal computer was upset that the committee decided to confine this part of the investigation to what the koreans did what certain congressman may have done will come later leon jaworski said allegations against congressman are being

investigated under house rules they could not be named until they get a chance to answer allegations in private they wouldn't be able to identify all the congressmen alleged to have been involved without the cooperation of the korean government your skin then laid out the evidence accumulated so far in the spring of nineteen hundred and seventy three representatives of the korean embassy here that is in washington we're told of a plan too museum is word denial the plan was explained by the washington station chief of the korean central intelligence agency a man named yang who want to operate here on the earth is a police siren whole plan was to be implemented personally by the ambassador

kim dong chul and by beech a cia station chief who wall in a plant were shrouded in extreme settlers the testimony you hear will refer to cold words the use of diplomatic problems to avoid detection and destruction of documents nevertheless the evidence we have been able to gather indicated a plan what about that a for more korean embassy official will testify that in the spine of nineteen hundred and seventy three the chant to enter the office of the ambassador of south korea

with one hundred dollars bills the ambassador told us officially was going to deliver these on votes to repeal the testimony will also show that a member of congress following the dictates of the law as well as its conscience refused to accept them on local of a member of his office the korean embassy by late nineteen hundred and seventy four the case cia station chief into wong at the time the real hardship not have a permanent implementation of the line in late nineteen seventy four a korean born businessman resided in washington area named onto the helm was recruited to carry all the plan and thereafter six hundred thousand dollars in

cash was transferred from korean sources to actual film through like a cia officer station in this country named him saying you we will have him sent to serve testimony which discloses among other things that a substantial part of the six hundred thousand dollars was to be used washington was not the only place where the impulse buying plan was implemented in august of nineteen hundred seventy five a congressman accompanied by other wives because the rail testimony will show that while in korea to otherwise were offered on blogs full of hedge one on global standard for the life of him don't go with banned the korean investor in washington when the plan was formulated and this evidence can

be presented to you because of a proper and the forthright action by these one who rejected the money and later reported the incident for this dramatic testimony that girl you hear will also tend to establish another aspect of a planned to gain influence in congress by elements in the korean government in nineteen hundred and sixty seven thompson part of whom you've heard a korean national or is it primarily in washington latin soul with officials of the korean central intelligence agency mr parker eventually convinced dekay cia that he should be made the middleman and practices of rice from american sailors by the korean government he proposed the commission said wood floating beyond as the exclusive agency of american rice sellers could be used to create a

more favorable atmosphere for south korean congress unless the park was in fact made the middleman and receive rights commission's from nineteen sixty eight to nineteen hundred and seventy and following a significant gap in nineteen seventy one and in the nineteen seventy two continued on through january nineteen hundred and seventy six now the commission is paid to mr parker and a seven year period the market to more than nine million dollars nine million dollars evidence will be a huge show that decay cia director but argues arise commissions to buy insurance and at that part made reports to the quay cia claiming great success and his efforts to influence congressmen one

document according to be a record of most parks activities will be presented to you we can't vouch for the accuracy or ultimate code of value of this report and deeds we believe that at least parts of it are inaccurate or exaggerated and they're substantial respects the testimony and talk mostly brought out well while alito the reasonable and turns that money was intended to be played and may in fact have been paid to members of congress the witnesses whose testimony you will have during these hearings are among those who have contributed whether voluntarily over so a subpoena ascertaining the true for the most part that testimony will paint a grim picture it is worth noting that some of the evidence would show that command will conduct of persons who refused to receive monies in violation of the constitution or the laws and a lot of it

we must also appreciate your forthrightness of those witnesses who appeared regret sincerely any misconduct or injured one has taken place as we begin the hearings i emphasize is done before that the government of the republic of korea is not the subject of martin and that would be a problem for him in a way don't want it south korea is a sovereign nation and as such as a writer does the conduct of its citizens and public officials but old standards which may be different from our po the methods used by the korean government to conduct its foreign policy are on the principles of

diplomatic immunity not subject to question on our walls we don't have to tip the judge the conduct of our elected officials as our ally and the beneficiary of our historic friendship has no all right the cover up and to obstruct an investigation of any conduct our public officials are which we made this trip through and all we get scientists access to the facts and i believe that the american government and the american people have a right to expect cooperation and this regard jaco to establishing a poem through disclosure of thompson partisan activities with members of congress as well as those of other south korean representatives sent emissaries

rest and the unwillingness of the south korean government to cooperate not only has serbian know tender of cooperation to reassess our progress in educating the facts have been in power when south korean defectors from seoul indicated a willingness to extend us an opportunity to interview thompson are i offered to meet with a foreign minister during his recent visit here to assure ourselves that the session with mr farr would be more than a social visit and would involve a full discussion of the relevant facts nothing was heard from south korea until the attorney general disclose their contacts have been made with his office four is nominated and for me to meet with south korean artist and soul regarding an interview a

car under sec the confrontation was and my judgment any restrictions and limitations belmont which to impose would make a farce of the responsibilities and trust that this committee about the house of representatives because of what has come to light in our investigation buttressed by the president added to the south korean government that compelling indications that the south korean government not only through thompson part but as well through some elements and the government itself or engaged in an effort to ensure that members of congress by giving them valuable gifts

mr chairman members of the many forgive me for making this additional comment but i think that the time has come for the estimated of all on record to recommend a resolution calling on south korea to expand whole an unlimited cooperation and a total disclosure of the activists holy of constant partisan functionary and seeking congressional flavors but as well of the activities of those who are operating out of the south korean embassy and i made this is another instrument challenges of the moment when i'm out all variety of their superiors so strongly recommend the first witness was a man elder secretary to republican congressman larry

winn of kansas it was september nineteen seventy two a korean call to ask the representative of the korean government could combine say the congressman she said yes with committee counsel john nields asking the questions ms elder told what happened next the bakery and gentlemen appear in iraq soon thereafter within the next few minutes here and what did you do when he arrived i showed in a congressman's office what happened after that the congressman and the korean gentleman both left shortly thereafter they want their more than one minute or two and then they both left the office i think the korean gentleman left first and then congressman when left shortly thereafter you know or whether it was in the morning as i recall any other went to a committee meeting or to the floor

and i'm not certain now but one of the other did you receive a call from a congressman soon thereafter yes yes he thought of going to his office and look in a couple of his death and speak he had a habit of leaving the top of him and he was in the white entrepreneurs and guess what the researchers haven't really add up tuck your business go where he does go into his role and did you then go in his office you know i went into his office and i the reason why don't open the tap her and i took it out and i opened it and then i picked up the telephone and any justice did you say something to the congressman when you picked up the telephone yes i think there is more money on one thing i'd ever seen in my life and what exactly did you see the oncologist over it with a stack of hundred dollar bills wrapped it said about an inch high i would guess

what the congressman when say do you think the effect of returning to get rid of it and i said don't worry i'll take care ms elder said she immediately called a korean embassy and found out that the money man was still on capitol hill she located him another congressman's office and asked if he could come back by wins office you did a few minutes later and his elders as she handed him the antelope of cash and we just can't accept things like that the man took the money and let the identity of the other congressman and whose opera she located the korean was not revealed publically the day when asked if she remembered the name she said yes that was like that that could be pursued in the second phase of the investigation a second witness today was jaw doctor john shanley former director of the korean information office in washington and cultural attache at the korean embassy but police sought political asylum in this country in nineteen seventy three now teaches journalism in illinois reading evidence that he gave on this

program nearly a year ago dr leigh described the plans of korean central intelligence agency men in the embassy to by congressman and the involvement of the korean ambassador himself the first thing and that first meeting what the k cia station chief more symphonic that he pointed out was that the meetings are going to be strictly sacred and nothing discussed in that room but it should be discussed outside the room even within the chance to see what else was discussed dr lee then he began testifying at the top an outline of the us uk a cia operation planned in the united states in general terms can you tell us what that was the meetings went on after a number of sessions it appears to get that what he was describing to

us those included in that scheme for instance to put pressure or pressure on american businesses which have vested interest in korea to use their influence and american government the government's new plan known as the tuition are really due shortly before these meetings permits and to korea yes i was back in korea in march nineteen seventy three and what would be meeting to consider these meetings was to re orient us that those information offices serving a brawl to be a new policies and that the new

constitution an hour or so or they instructed us to carry out certain activities in my case that was to disseminate them for information and the united states to improve or rather enhance the image of this dictatorial posses known as fusion reactor later there come a time during the course of the meetings in washington when a document was passed around the people who attended the meeting with a series of proposals listed on the document yes or sessions the case cia station chief and began to distribute documents to vote discuss the some of the documents i think for that listing all the us team's or

proposals what they were going to do in the united states the list was more like in the formal the table of contents how are these documents handled abuse that can into syria each numbered and again these vitamins a while you were not only in there and we were look at the documents already in that room and instructed not to take about even to our own office is in the embassy it was a lad to attend these meetings only cheaper snow of the embassy about ten people including advice that line do you recall a particular item on this document that you describe as the table of contents yes third there was one i found was you photos owed

seduction and buying all of them i can beat us i think in a way in the congress ryu sang or say anything about that either going through these items as we reached this point he believes he made the market is part of the operation would be more arrests left with him and us so you don't have to know about it goes something of that nature or went to next died to whom did he read for the work us i assume that with him by the end so if not as some of his own staff kay cia people back barely did anything ever occur to your knowledge indicating that this plan to buy off american leaders particularly in

congress was actually implemented a by sheer action so one day i asked about him by stuffing hundred dollar bills into paying white worlds and what did you say to be ambassador locke only he was finishing his acting and he's got to put themselves into his pocket and the rest of them broke his watch and his the others shake a sequel and he's that that was that would walk out of his home so i walked out with him but i asked him where he was going he's said he'll accept and what in your judgment the same hall sought to obtain by buying off american congressman but that kind of from my previous not

as they gathered in those meetings back in korea in march nineteen seventy three the pot government was very much interested in the electing a democratic facade for the dictatorship he had just put in and the pot government lawyers at a much worried about the possibility of losing the united states support nicolay economic or political they'll hold the government was interested in the painting the support without which would free any korean knew that the government cannot stay in power we have no videotape of what the other witness of the day and a certain former kay cia agent can sign cone invoked a house rule which allowed witnesses to testify without their

picture being taken or their voices being recorded but it was still public and open to non electronic of rich cohen who defected last year and is now under protective custody of us marshals told of how he received understood that it might for use in by an influence on capitol hill the tone is to finish his testimony when the committee reconvenes in the morning in seoul today justice department officials haggled for nine hours with the koreans on ground rules for taking testimony from thompson it was the third day of negotiations and reuters news agency reports there's still a disagreement their efforts will resume tomorrow that's all the night jim lehrer and i will be back tomorrow night on robert mcneil dean henley and a half send one dollar or offspring or five and you're your

one one night you know report was produced by wnet government today there solely responsible for its content funding for this program has been provided by the station and other public television stations the peace bell euro owner mood and