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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1963)
8 B THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 13 MEDFOKD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDKORD. OREGON Congress Questions Lit hies off Telephone Monitoring By NEIL A. MARTIN United Presi International WASHINGTON (UPI) - Your telephone conversations with some federal agencies here may not be as private as you think. But each agency will deny it is "snooping." If one eavesdrops on your call and more than 40 departments do it is, they say, because it is faster, cheaper and more ef ficient, to have your talks moni tored for future reference. Every year the govern m e n t spends thousands of dollars for monitoring devices to record telephone conversations with or without the consent of the caller. This is especially true in sen sitive agencies such as the Atomic Energy commission, the Defense department, the Central Intelligence agency, and the State and Agriculture depart ments. These offices account for more than half of the monitoring equipment in use, with the AEC the biggest spender; records show that in fiscal year 1961 it spent $a,24n on listening-in dp vices, the largest sum budgeted to any agency. Ethics Questioned The ethics of the practice arc questioned frequently by some legislators and Congress already has made two "studies" to de termine whether drastic ground rules are called for. The last probe was by a spe cial House Information subcom mittee which disclosed that the agencies were spending more than $.10,000 a year on monitor ing. This did not include an ini tial investment of JIOO.OOO for recording equipment. Basically, the agencies employ four types of eavesdropping equipment: Transmitter cutoff switches. These permit a third party to listen to another person's call without fear of breathing or oth er background noises being heard by the caller. Listening-in circuits. These provide the same services ex cept that they are built right into the telephone. This reduces jr. jr I til '" V ') ' ' - i hi f .1 I - the loss of transmission power which could tip the caller to the thud party on the line. Induction attachments. These are suction cup devices attached to the. telephone and plugged inlo a standard dicta phone set. Recording machines. These are wired into (he telephone cir cuit. But in accordance with law, these machines are equip ped with electronic "beeps" which warn the caller that his remarks are being recorded. Take Nnles The agencies contend that it is faster and cheaper to have a secretary, for example, moni tor a telephone conversation and take notes for future reference when the caller comes by the office. A spokesman for the AEC said that cutoff and listening switches were particularly necessary in very noisy locations because they "minimize background noises and permit secretaries to record essential details on desig nated telephone conversations." In fiscal 1961, the AEC report ed 28 telephone recorders, 390 cutoff switches, six listening cir cuits, and 13 induction attach ments. However, since June, 1962, the agency has removed 10 of the recorders, all of the induction machines, and cut down the number of listening de vices to 178. Several other agencies have reduced the number in use and have adopted strict regulations on monitoring. Although there is nothing il legal about the practice it is well known that it can lead to embarrassing situations. Freshmen senators and con gressmen quickly learn about it and some instruct their staffs to limit conversations with ex ecutive agencies to routine busi ness. For example, an assistant i "Even more important, Miss to freshman Sen. Peter H. Dom- said, "is the indication of a inick (R-Colo.) told U n i t e d ' dangerous drift toward a huge Press International: I bureaucracy peering over the Shun Telephone shoulder of the citizen. There is "Although several members of something mean and unprinci our staff were familiar with the i P'l " government official practice, we called a special arranging for a secretary - or mentine last January to decide i "loujl"nfc that all confidential business with the agencies would be done in person and in our own of fices, eavesdrop on telephone calls." In September, 1961, telephone monitoring was spotlighted by an incident involving a congres- The "economy" of telephone : sional staff investigator and 4th monitoring was questioned by Rep. John E. Moss (D-Calif.), who headed the special informa tion subcommittee. Army headqirtcrs in Houston Texas. In a routine call to the head quarters to discuss information problems in connection with an Armv seminar, the investigator was told that his conversation was being recorded. He asked for a transcript and received what he said was a garbled, ed ited and inaccurate record of the conversation. Original Destroyed When he asked for the origi nal dictabelt of the call, he said, he was informed that it had been "destroyed alone with oth er obsolete material in accord ' ancc with standing operating procedures." j By the time the controversy ' was cleared up, Secretary of the Army Elvis J. Stahr Jr. had acknowledged tnat there n a a been "a number of editorial changes" in the telephone text. He ordered the inaccurate trans cript removed from the 4th Army files. While there was nothing sin ister about the edited transcript, the incident did indicate to Con gress what can happen in moni toring practices. "You have to be so careful toriay," Moss said at the time. "With all the modern electronic equipment available, they can do a beautiful job of editing conversations." 'MAMI'-J flit "Sin STOWAWAY RETURNED-Marguerite "Mimi" ficrstell, 17, of Wayne, Pa., is shown as she arrived at New York's Idlewild Airport. She is the first girl to stowaway on the liner "Queen Mary." She went aboard to see a friend off and stayed for (he trip. When discovered, she was flown back to New York. (UPI) Critical Period for Forest Fires Noted By OSU Specialist CORVALLIS-This is a criti cal period for forest fires and no time for the public to let up in its efforts to prevent man caused fires, according to Charles R, Ross, Oregon Stnte university extension forestry specialist. So far, forest protection offi cials are encouraged by what appears to be a more careful attitude on the part of the pub lic, Ross said, noting that through July man-caused fires totaled 198 compared with 315 for the same period last year. Fire prevention workers, aid ed by a relatively damp sum mer so far, point out that weath er conditions can change rapid ly and set the stage for serious burning conditions. Some of Oregon's worst forest fires have occurred in late summer and early fall. Western Oregon forests this year are littered with tremen dous amounts of flash fuel from the Columbus Day windstorm. It is estimated that half the forest land has enough wind strewn debris to materially in crease the fire fighting prob lem, the specialist said. A Common Goal A common danger draws people to a common goal," Ross commented. "We have a com mon goal in Oregon to impress upon every responsible citizen the potential peril poised to strike our forests. We must get the active support of every citi zen in preventing fires. Every. one must be conscious of the threat to Oregon's economy and scenic attractions." Smokers, campers and debris burners are responsible for starting about 60 per cent of Oregon's man-caused fires, Ross pointed out. These can be avoided by following some sim ple rules. Avoid smoking while travel ing In the woods. Stop and smoke In a safe place. R is j against Oregon law In throw away burning materials. Campers and picknii kei s should select enmpfire sites where sparks cannot ignite dry fuel. In preparing n site, clem away all flammable malrrials down to mineral soil and when leaving drown the lire with water and then test to rniike sure no live coals remain. Ilurnl residents who wish to burn should know the laws of their community anil m.ikn sure their incinerators meet the re quirements of the community Most areas require permits lor burning. Those planning to burn should first contact their local fire chief, nearest (ire prolcr tion office or forest ranger. 1 Bicycle Riders Should Know Rules Parents whose children will ride bicycles to and from school this fall should make certain youngsters know and obey safe cycling rules, Modiord Police C'apt. Clyde Kichtner said today Kichtner said parents should never assume a youngster knows how to operato a bike in a traf fic situation Parents should "check - out" young riders on the rules and occasionally "check-up'' on them to se that they are following the rules, he commented. II also is essential for young sters to operate safe hicvclcs. he said. Minimum safety equip ment (or a bike is a working headlight, a red rellector on the back of the hike, a good brake and some type of warning de vice. The handlebars and seat saddle also need to be proer ly adjusted for the rider. Bicycle accidents involving riders under 15 injured 3(0 per sons in Oregon last year Four were killed, arrord'ng In rec ords in the departmenl of mo tor vehicles. 1 IP F.Ti1 1 PIGGLY VVIGGLY TAMoy hrM-J UrnJ PIGGLY WiGGLY !rl E CRtEKl ISTAM PSI ISTAM tSM TAM m-1 :-. mn bcihdcs Dubuque pork shoulder smoked picnics for a budget-priced dinner. lb. pill flip ork Roast Boneless, rolled roast iul from Swiff's Premium tender, young porkers. There's less waste with . boneless roast ... and they're eitier lo carve. 0 Lean Pork Steaks - 49 Tender Pork Cot lots 59 Pork Sausage ,,1. ib.45 Wild Cheddar Cheese or )b. 59 CheeSe SlSCeS American, Pimento or Swiss 3 pS 1,00 Rainbow Trout Fim mun,ai1 package of 3 59 Fresh Red Snapper 39 Fillet of Sole ocean.freSh ib. 59 GELATIN W II ASSORTED FLAVORS 11 ll Reg. 3 Pkgs. 32e 1 1 ' ZEE issue 4-roll pkg. Reg. 39c rta;sro?rmarrr7iFawi Nalley's Mayonnaise FULL QUART 39 Haley's Pork & Beans No. 2'! TIN 5 ... 100 HILLS BROS. Coffee .. HILLS BROS. Coffee . HILLS BROS. Instant Coffee ZEE Wax Paper ZEE Giant Towels ZEE Wax Paper 73-Count Pkg.. Piggly Wiggly Fresher Produce local Frosh Picked Corn Last Chancn To Can or Frcczn 100-fi. Roll U.S. No. 1 Russet Potatoes Bananas V."' 2 .b,29 Cantaloupe Jumbo Vint Ripe O for I Italian Prunes snp. ...2 .29 Cauliflower large Snow White Heeds ee. 25
