Posted by Jerry Shinley in 2005 on google groups: Baltimore Sun March 2, 1967 Page A1
Pravda Says CIA Efforts Misuse Student Exchange
Moscow, March 1 -- The Central Intelligence Agency was accused today by Pravda of attempting to "wreck" the Soviet-United States cultural and scientific exchange program by interfering in the selection and training of students and professors and requesting espionage work of those who come here.
In a long article entitled "Another Page in the Dossier of the CIA Scandal," the Soviet Communist party newspaper closely connected the CIA with the Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants, which organizes the exchange program for the United States Government.
As one of its charges the article said the committee employed CIA agents to fill "key positions" in its summer training program at Indiana University for exchange students bound for the Soviet Union.
The United States Embassy declined to comment on the article pending the completion of a study of CIA operations ordered by President Johnson two weeks ago when the controversy over CIA aid to student and other groups began.
In citing some "examples," Pravda named two former exchange professors and a professor directing the program and nine former exchange students as having been involved in CIA activities in the Soviet Union.
The United States Embassy confirmed that two of the professors and seven of the students named had been in the exchange program here.
A spokesman said that no one at the Embassy knew of the two other students cited by Pravda and that there were no records here of their participation in the exchange program, which began in 1958.
[...]
Professor Albert Todd, identified as former director of the Inter-University Committee's summer program was described by Pravda as an "old CIA agent" who had been expelled from Czechoslovakia for espionage and sent here in 1958 on CIA recommendation to participate in the exchange program.
Todd, on the faculty of Queen's College in New York, organized the recent United States tour of Yevgeny Yevtushenko, the Russian poet.
Pravda also referred to a man named Edward Keenan, whom it identifies as another "old CIA agent" and associate of Todd's in the summer training program.
Keenan came here in 1958 [sic] as an exchange student under CIA auspices and was subsequently expelled, Pravda said.
Others mentioned, with some account of their spying activities, in the article which filled three columns of Pravda were:
Michael Luther, said to have been sent here by the CIA as an exchange student.
Donald Leash, described as a graduate of Naval Intelligence school who came here as an exchange student and who later served at the United States Embassy until his expulsion last year for subversive activities.
Martin Malia, identified as a professor at the University of California and an "old CIA hand."
Arthur Sprague, said to be a graduate of Military Intelligence School.
John Adams, a geology student.
Edward Morrell, a law student.
Martin Lopez-Morillas, an exchange student who hastily left the Soviet Union recently. The Embassy said he left February 3 but declined to state the reasons.
Alfred Rieber and David MacKenzie, two former exchange students who were said to be CIA agents who debriefed American students in Paris returning from the Soviet Union.
Of this group the Embassy confirmed the previous presence in the Soviet Union of Todd, Leash, Adams, Morrell, Lopez-Morillas, Rieber and MacKenzie.
Pravda also said that Professor Robert F. Byrnes, chairman of the Inter-University Committee, came here recently and tried to "sow suspicion and distrust of Soviet citizens" among the American exchange students.
Byrnes was in the Soviet Union from January 31 until February 5, the Embassy said.
Baltimore Sun March 2, 1967 Page A2
3 Deny Pravda's CIA-Tie Charges
Cambridge, Mass., March 1 (AP) -- A Harvard University instructor denied today charges that he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency while an exchange student in the Soviet Union.
Edward L. Keenan, Jr., 31, instructor in medieval Russian history was one of those named by Pravda as having worked for the CIA.
Keenan was a Soviet-American cultural program student in Russian history at the University of Leningrad in 1959-60. He had been a student at Indiana University.
He said he had not worked for the CIA, had not done any spying, and had not been questioned on his return by anyone identifying himself as a CIA agent.
Professor Martin Malia, of the history department at the University of California, Berkeley, said today he never was connected with the Central Intelligence Agency as charged by the Soviet newspaper Pravda.
Pravda said Malia, acting as "an old CIA agent," persuaded a sick and elderly Soviet citizens "to fabricate slanderous information about his country for the CIA."
Professor Malia said the charge had no truth to it.
Pravda declared Professor Albert Todd, of Indiana University, identified as the head of the preparatory course for the students, was a long-time CIA agent. It said he had been expelled from Czechoslovakia for espionage in 1949.
Todd, now a teacher at Queen's College in New York City, described the charges as "rubbish."
Boston Globe March 2, 1967 P35
Moscow -- [... summary of Pravda article]
According to the paper's allegations, an Edward Kinnan [sic] served on the Inter-University Committee staff. Kinnan is identified as "another protege of the CIA." Without specifying any date, Pravda says he was asked to leave the Soviet Union for what the paper implies were subversive activities.
The Kinnan referred to is now a Harvard University instructor. Wednesday [1st] he dismissed as "unworthy of rebuttal" the charges that he spied for the Central Intelligence Agency while an exchange student in the Soviet Union.
Edward L. Keenan Jr., 31, an instructor in medieval Russian history said the charges hold "no significance" for people aware of the internal debate in Russia concerning the exchange program.
He said similar charges against others in the program have been made over the past several years.
"Seen against this background," Keenan said, "It doesn't seem at all important, except as part of the continuing discussion of the value and cost of cultural exchanges."
Keenan said the Russians "have been using wire service material about the CIA with great glee and their readers are ready for anything. It isn't as though some foreign minister had said it."
Keenan was a Soviet-American cultural exchange student of Russian history at the University of Leningrad in 1959-1960 while a graduate student at Harvard.
He said he had not worked for the CIA, had done no spying, and had not been contacted by the CIA since his return.
"I feel as though I've missed something," said Keenan, who was engaged in a baby-sitting chore at his Garfield st., Cambridge home, when newsmen called.
"It is become rather fashionable to accuse people of having something to do with the CIA."
He recalled that similar charges were leveled against him by the Russian press and radio while he was in Leningrad eight years ago.
He said he felt the charges, then as now, were for internal consumption in the Soviet Union and were intended to discourage contact between Russian and American students.
Keenan, who speaks Russians fluently, said the earlier charges leveled against him "blew over" quickly, adding he hoped the same thing will happen in his present situation.
<end of articles>
I believe Greg Parker has mentioned that Edward Keenan was present at at American Embassy in Moscow in 1959 when Oswald met with Snyder, according to "Marina and Lee". Keenan was also interviewed by John Newman for "Oswald and the CIA" where he is referred to as "Ned Keenan".
Jerry Shinley
My reply to Jerry back then, follows: ==============================
William Eggerton was acting chairman of the Inter-University Committee on Travel Grants in 1963. He wrote to colleagues advising that the CIA had promised it would not try to make use of the exchange students/professors for espionage, and that therefore if anyone was approached by CIA agents, they should report same to the committee.
I don't see much point in making a promise not to do something, if in fact, you've never done it in the past. Kinda like me promising I'll never play in the US Masters!
In any event, the accusation made was not that students were being approached AFTER they had been chosen to take part, but that the CIA was influencing the student selection and training process... meaning it did not need to approach anyone after those processes were completed... and could legitimately claim it was not doing so. Further cover was being provided by the likes of the Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie Foundations making large financial commitments to this and related programs.
Russian study programs (of which the exchange program was but one) btw, originated in the OSS. Military, government and private interest led to cooperation in may areas, in many universities. The USAF for instance, worked with Harvard's Russian Research Center on a "Refugee Interview Project". This began in 1948 and continued until 1954. John Pic was with the Port Security Unit (PSU) of the Coast Guard and stationed at Ellis Island between Apr1952 and Feb 1953. Ellis Island had the largest immigration depot in the US. The PSU had been established in part, to break liberal unions, and in part, as another bulwark against subversives entering the US. I wonder if the PSU (and more specifically, Pic) had a hand in the Refugee Interview Project? If so, perhaps working on this with the USAF was what swayed him to join that particular branch.
Of course, young Lee could not have been positively influenced by the patriotism of his brother's work busting commies in the PSU. He was too busy at the time displaying his disloyalty by refusing to salute the stars & stripes.
greg