Bundy Speaks in Defense Of Ellsberg's Disclosure

LOS ANGELES--McGeorge Bundy, national security advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, said at the Pentagon Papers trial here yesterday that release of portions of the top secret Vietnam war report did not damage U.S. security.

Referring to secret American estimates of "enemy" troop strength, contained in in a report by General Earle Wheeler, Bundy said that North Vietnamese "had this kind of information coming out of their ears," Therefore, he said, the release of the Papers gave them no tactical advantage.

Bundy, a former dean of the Faculty, testified as a defense witness in the espionage trial of Daniel Ellsberg '52 and Anthony Russo. Under questioning by Charles R. Nesson, '60, professor of Law and defense lawyer for Ellsberg and Russo, he listed two other reasons for believing that North Vietnam and other countries had little to gain by reading the Papers:

* Such material "tends to have very short life as secret information that is of interest to a foreign analyst...because it is either overtaken by events or becomes public."

* Information "at least as comprehensive and at least as informative" has been declassified since 1969. The New York Times printed the Pentagon Papers in June 1971.

No Prediction

Bundy rejected the notion that the U.S. decision-making processes described in the Papers would help other countries predict future American policy.

"There hs no way of determining the behavior of President Nixon by a close study of the behavior of President Johnson," he said.

Bundy said he knew Ellsberg slightly while in Cambridge during the 1950's. He called Ellsberg "one of the most brilliant of students," but Judge Matt Byrne ordered the remark stricken as not responsive to the question.

Under cross examination, Bundy said the best way to compile accurate intelligence about U.S. policy is to study published information, such as newspapers and government reports.

"If I had to pick a single document as a foreign analyst to be sure that I had, year in and year out, it would be the Congressional Record," he said.

During the lunch recess, The Crimson asked Bundy if he volunteered to testify.

"Nice to see you," he replied.

The Crimson then asked him if the defense had requested his testimony.

"It really is nice to see you," he said.

Bundy also refused to comment on issues not related to the trial, such as the selection of a new dean of the Faculty. He called the matter "Derek Bok's problem."

However, Anthony Russo told The Crimson that Bundy asked to testify. "He's the only volunteer we've had," Russosaid. "He wanted to come here and confess."

Bundy is currently president of the Ford Foundation.