1 The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign ...

weak, the shah has them under control. There are always faults, but the Shah is still the
linchpin of stability and he still does what we want. He's providing us access to listening
sites in the north. We think he can ride out any storm. That was the consistent analysis
and the view in 1976.
There often were sub-themes voiced that he was pressuring, even destroying the
opposition, democratic opposition, and that he could be overthrown at any time, which
was my view. So, the analyses, I think, were useful. The case studies were done working
closely with the agencies, using as a common basis a rigorous review of all available
historical material. The agency's history section, which was first class, worked with our
historians.
Q: Well, did you feel at the conclusion of this, had the stables been cleaned out, pretty
much?
MILLER: No. What was clear was the rules had changed, and the rules were understood,
but that the culture was such that it wouldn't change, and that it was a culture that
required constant oversight. Perhaps the culture was necessary in order to engage in this
work, which on the clandestine side certainly involves corruption of the other side, and
which in turn has a corrosive effect on those who carry it out. That was a constant
finding, that the cost for covert operators is very heavy, destructive of their own psyche
and behavior. The record bears that out, right to the present day.
So it was an arrangement in a sense, the price of secret intelligent activities necessary for
the state was that the legislature and courts, as appropriate, or the executive branch, had
to be fully informed of everything that was done and take responsibility for it, for better
or for worse.
Q: Well, as we speak today, there must be a tremendous burden – we're talking about the
height of the war against terrorism, which is there. I mean, here is where it's not state-tostate
relations, but you've got to penetrate extraterritorial, or whatever you want to call
it, organizations which are out to do you grave harm. And you almost have to resort to
any method possible to penetrate these.
MILLER: Yes, but all the methods are known, and they all can be fitted within a legal
framework, and, in the end, I don't see, from what I understand, of Al Qaeda and the other
terrorist groups, that the phenomenon is anything new. There's nothing different between
the 17 th of November Greek crowd and Al Qaeda, as far as being criminals and willing to
use violent and dangerous means.
Q: The 17 th of November being a series of assassinations ...
MILLER: Starting with Welch.
Q: ... against Americans and Brits and others in the Athens area, in Greece.
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