CIA In Ecuador Too

Former CIA Agent Philip Agee has charged that the Central Intelligence Agency was deeply involved in the overthrow of two reformist governments in Ecuador in the early 1960's.

Agee, who is now living in England and writing a book on his CIA activities, spells out the Agency's alleged involvement in Ecuador in an interview in the current "Rolling Stone."

Agee states that he was assigned as a "case offïcer" for the CIA in Ecuador in 1960, and operated on a $500,000 budget which was used to manipulate political events in that country.

He states that the CIA decided to create political disturbances in Ecuador against two reformist presidents - Velasco and Arosemena - because of their proCuba leanings.

Agee reports that covert "destabilizing" programs were carried out by the CIA with the help of several high-placed Ecuadoran officials who were on the CIA payroll. Among those on the payroll, says Agee, was a member of the Ecuadoran legislature who later became Ecuador's vice president.

The former CIA spy says that one method used to discredit ties with Cuba was to plant a forged document on a leading radical organizer. Agee states that when the organizer visited Cuba, a tube of toothpaste, containing a forged document detailing Cuban plans to overthrow the government of Ecuador, was placed in the man 's bag.

The toothpaste tube was discovered and opened, the man arrested - and a few months later Ecuador broke off relations with the Castro government.