WHITE HOUSE ACTION TO DECLASSIFY BAY OF PIGS AND CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS DOCUMENTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00793R000200140005-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 11, 2005
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: March 22, 1973
• Content Type: MF

Approved ForSease 2005/02/17: CIA-RDP75-007930020014
OGC 73-0473
22 March 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Secretary, CIA Management
Committee
SUBJECT : White House Action to Declassify Bay of Pigs
and Cuban Missile Crisis Documents
1. This memorandum contains a recommendation for approval
of the Executive Secretary of the CIA Management Committee. Such
recommendation is contained in paragraph 6.
2. Mr. Richard Tufaro has advised that the President has
recently directed that the Bay of Pigs documents and the Cuban Missile
Crisis documents be analyzed for declassification decision. Further, it
appears the President proposed to make the decision himself. See Tufaro's
letter of 20 March at Tab A.
Tab B. (Also in the folder is proposed reply for Mr.
3. The foregoing ties in with the New York Times appeal to CIA
of 8 March from our decision of 25 September denying the Times request
for declassification of the Bay of Pigs documents. The relevant corres-
pondence between the Times and the Agency is in the folder attached at
Thuermer to the Times.) I believe the White House action changes the
picture considerably, including the suggestion that we would charge the
Times a fee. Since the President has directed that the documents be
reviewed, it will have to be done; thus it would be foolish to stand on our
position that the request lacks sufficient particularity. Moreover, it is
at least arguable that the request does not suffer that deficiency. A sub-
stitute reply, for Mr. Thuermer's signature, is at Tab C. (;
4. In any event, it appears we must get on top of the problem
and I suppose the first order of business is to ascertain the volume of
documents involved, their location, etc. Tufaro indicated the documents
should be sent to him and by telephone Dave Young has reiterated this.
If, as I imagine, the documents are voluminous, it may be necessary to
arrange for Tufaro or Young to review them here. Further, it will
provredFor /1q- : C 00n 0e ~~^^~'``
fj~
 Approved For jbease 2005/02/17 : CIA-RDP75-007930200140005-8
be necessary for the Agency to review them with care, particularly in
view of the possibility that disclosure might endanger lives and in view
of the sources and methods problem. I suggest also that our initial
actions attempt to determine the magnitude and ramifications of the
problem and that we send an interim progress report to Tufaro in a
week or so. Further, in view of the requirement in the Agency regu-
lation that appeals to the CIA Committee be acted on in 30 days, we
should plan an additional response to the Times in another 30 days. At
some stage a discussion with Belair as to his specific requirements
might narrow the scope of his request, but this will not reduce the
scope of the Presidential requirement on us.
5. Note also that the President's instruction is broader than the
Times request in another sense. The former also covers the documents
involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
6. I believe the Inspector General's concurrence with this memo-
randum, below, means that your approval of the proposed reply to the
Times constitutes the action required of the CIA Committee, since that
Committee is composed of the Executive Secretary of the CIA Manage-
ment Committee, the Inspector General and the General Counsel. Your
approval is recommended.
General Counsel
TAT
STA
Inspector General
,I Z, /973
1-7 (~& ~ ~
Date
CIA Management Commi ee
Original - Addressee - OG S
ApRrov or. Release 2~05/Uh)i 7~'67b40~1 x(900 40005-8
- RAEsigner
1 - Chrono
OGC: RHL: sine
STA