LETTER TO MR. WILLIAM E. COLBY, DIRECTOR FROM JOHN V. TUNNEY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77M00144R000300090042-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 3, 2006
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: September 11, 1975
• Content Type: LETTER

PHILIP A. HART, MICH. HIRAM L. FOND, HAWAII JOHN L. MCCLELLAN, ARK.
EDWARD M. KENNEDY, MASS. HUGH SCOTT, PA. EDWARD M. KENNEDY, MASS.
BIRCH BAYH, IND.. STROM THURMOND, S.C. BIRCH BAYH, IND.
QUENTIN N. BURDICK, N. DAK. CHARLES MC C. MATHIAS, JR., MD. PHILIP A. HART, MICH.
ROBERTI C. BYRD, W. VA. WILLIAM L. SCOTT, VA. JAMES ABOUREZK, S. DAK.
JOHN V. TUNNEY, CALIF.
JAMES ABOUREZK. S. DAK.
PETER M. STOCKETT
CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR
'sZi Cnff eb ,$f of es ,.Senate
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
(PURSUANT TO S. RES. III AND S. RES. 72, SEC. 0, 94TH CONGRESS)
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20510
September 11, 1975
Mr. William E. Colby, Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D. C. 20505
HUGH SCOTT, PA.
ROMAN L. HRUSKA, NEBR.
HIRAM L. FONG, HAWAII
STROM THURMOND, S.C.
JANE L. FRANK
CHIEF COUNSEL
Dear Mr. Colby:
Executive Order 11490, issued on October 30, 1969, assigns
emergency preparedness functions to various departments and
agencies.
In the course of hearings on surveillance technology, my
Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights and my Commerce
Subcommittee on Science and Technology have been unable to determine
whether your Agency --- as part of its responsibilities under the
Executive Order or as a result of a more general duty to remain
operational in times of emergency -- maintains files of personal
information on American citizens in secret repositories.
The Director of the Federal Preparedness Agency testified on
September 9 that he has only supervisory responsibility over the
preparedness activities of other Federal agencies and that he does
not really know what your Agency maintains on individuals for use in
emergencies.
Thus, I am writing to you in order to obtain definitive answers
to questions concerning the kinds of personal information that you
keep in secret locations and the kinds of safeguards that exist
to protect the privacy and Constitutional rights of the subjects
of the files.
Does your Agency, in fact, maintain personal information on
American citizens for use during emergencies?
If so, describe the nature, purpose and amount of such
information.
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 Approved For Release 2007/02/07 : CIA-RDP77M00144R000300090042-7
William E. Colby
September 11, 1975
Page Two
Does your Agency keep such information in secret locations?
If so, will the files or systems that contain the information
be reported by September 27, 1975, as required under the Privacy Act
of 1975?
Please discuss whether, and under what conditions, the personal
information that your Agency maintains for these purposes can be
combined, either electronically or manually, with similar information
from other agencies.
If your Agency maintains personal information on American citizens
in secret locations for use during emergencies, describe the safe-
guards that exist to protect the security of the information and the
privacy of the subjects of the files.
I appreciate the careful considerat n you g e to this issue.
I look forward to your response before t 1975.
JVT/dim
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 EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Routing Slip
ACTION
INFO
DATE
INITIAL
1
DCI
2
DDCI
3
S/MC
4
DDS&T
5
DDI
6
DDA
7
DDO
8
D/DCI/IC
9
D/DCI/NI
GC
11
LC
IG
13
Compt
14
D/Pers
15
D/S
16
DTR
17
Asst/DCI
1'8
AO/DCI
19
20
21
22
SUSPENSE 24 S ptemb e r
Date
Remarks:
Please prepare response for DCI's
signature.
Approved For Release 2007/02/07: CIA-RDP771M' 0042-7
3637 (1-73) `. Dot*