Portugal To Be Next Chile

The leaders of Portugal's "leftist" military government are charging that at least 100 American CIA agents have been transferred to Lisbon to create "another Chile" in Portugal.

The warning from Portuguese leaders comes on the heels of numerous press reports throughout Europe that the Central Intelligence Agency has dramatically stepped up its operations throughout Portugal.

The CIA's interest in the Portuguese situation is evidenced by the fact that the Agency's Assistant Director, General Vernon Walters, has made two personal, unpublicized trips to Lisbon in the past four months.

The latest development in the U.S.-Portugal situation is the announcement by the State Department that veteran Foreign Service Officer Frank Carlucci has been nominated to replace U.S. Ambassador Stuart Nash Scott.

Carlucci, recently the head of the OEO in Washington, has a history of serving in countries where the CIA is believed to have been highly active. Carlucci's previous overseas duties included assignments in South Africa, the Congo, Zanzibar and Brazil.

The State Department reports it has "no knowledge" of whether Carlucci, himself, has ever directly worked for the CIA. However, John Marks, a former State Department official who recently co-authored a book on the CIA, states that a significant percentage of all State Department Foreign Officers are actually CIA operatives in disguise.

The "Washington Post" states that Carlucci was selected to head off what Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sees as a "communist take-over" in Lisbon.