550 Protesters Arrested Outside CIA Headquarters

More than 550 peace demonstrators were arrested today as protesters blocked roadways at CIA headquarters, causing rush-hour chaos in this serene suburban community.

There were no incidents of violence in the protest, which culminated three days of demonstrations against American policies in Central America and southern Africa.

It was a day that evoked memories of the anti-war protests of the 1960s, replete with slogan shouting, singing, pamphlet passing, placard waving and speech making by a cross-section of people representing all regions, ages and races.

Ellsberg Arrested

Among those arrested were anti-war activists Daniel Ellsberg, a former Pentagon employee whose peace activism dates back more than 20 years, and John Stockwell, a former CIA official who was involved in operations in Angola in the mid-1970s.

Ellsberg said the peace movement should have begun targeting the CIA 30 years ago.

CIA spokeswoman Kathy Pherson said that as far as she knew, it was the first large-scale protest at the agency since the headquarters, about six miles from Washington, opened 25 years ago.

The U.S. Park Service said Fairfax County police, responsible for the south gate at the sprawling, tree-lined installation here, arrested 355 people, of whom 90 were taken to jail for refusing to identify themselves or for other minor charges.

Other Agencies Involved

The U.S. Park Police, with jurisdiction over the north gate, arrested 183 people. Another 15 were taken into custody by the Federal Protective Service.

From shortly after dawn until about 10:30 a.m., demonstrators sat on roadways leading to the spy headquarters, preventing vehicle access. Some were escorted on foot by police to a nearby precinct, while others were hauled away in paddy wagons, many with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

The mood of the demonstrators shifted frequently during the protest, with many angrily shouting anti-CIA slogans, only to revert moments later to light-hearted banter with their companions and the police.

There were cheers for the protesters as they were carted off in police vans and, as the demonstration wound down, cheers for the restraint exercised by the police.

Workers Walked In

Some employees, unable to drive into the compound because of the protest, walked past the demonstrators, drawing jeers and taunts from the gathering.

At Ellsburg’s urging, the protesters called on the employees to join them, but none did.

“This building is filled with people who know what they’re doing is wrong,” said Ellsberg, who was detained only briefly and returned to the main gate. He praised police for being efficient and polite; he has a date in court in June.

The demonstration attracted a range of participants, from teen-agers with punk haircuts to middle-aged clerics to elderly grandmothers. They included men in pinstriped suits and a less elegant group that dropped their pants, exposing a political statement across their naked bottoms: “NO REAGAN.”

Most of those arrested were charged with obstruction of passage, a misdemeanor carrying a $50 fine. Park Police spokesman K. C. Perry said those who scuffled with police would be charged with disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer, as well as demonstrating without a permit.