DOWNING COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00467A000300070029-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 23, 2001
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: October 20, 1976
• Content Type: MF

ADMINISTRATIVE-INTERNAL USE ONLY.
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20 October 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
Executive Pegistxy
Deputy Inspector General
FROM : E. H. Knoche, DDCI
SUBJECT : Downing Committee
I have read your memorandum of 14 October to the Deputy STATINT
Legislative Counsel. I agree with all the points you have
made in it and would like to be advised if you or
encounter any problems in carrying out what you suggest.
I am particularly impressed with the need to count on the
full-time participation of members of your working group who are
actively involved in file research. I am interested also in
ensuring that appropriate registry operations are provided for.
Please keep me informed.
STATINT
E. H. Knoche
ADMINISTRATIVE-INTERVAL USE ONLY
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 MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Legislative Counsel
Deputy Inspector General
SUBJECT : Downing Committee
1. It was announced in the morning meeting that you will
be dealing directly with the members and staff of the Committee
chaired by Representative Downing. It was also stated that I
will serve as something of an internal coordinator in preparing
responses to the Committee's request for information. Problems
experienced in the course of the investigations last year have
been going through my mind and I am presuming to make some
suggestions here on how we might organize.
.' ERAI
STATINTL
2. I already am chairing an informal work group comprised
of representatives from CI Staff, LA Division, and the Office of
Security. Our task had been to address the questions raised in
Senator Schweiker's report in Book V of the final report of the
SSC. CI Staff and Security are in pretty good shape on this, but
the LA Division files require extensive attention. The two re-
searchers originally assigned to work on the LA files have been
pre-empted on a recurring basis and now five additional ones
have been assigned to conduct the general research of my study
group as well as to reply to requests from the Downing Committee.
As far as research is concerned I think we are in basically good
condition although we may find that additional people will have to
be assigned.
3. It is my assumption that we will be responding to requests
for documents, all of which I hope are submitted in writing. It
is also my assumption that at some point the Downing Committee
investigators will be given the same direct access to our files
that was extended to the SSC (including Schweiker) investigators,
subject to agreed security procedures. We will continue to
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protect sources and methods and sanitize or paraphrase documents
and written material taken out of the building.
4. To maintain some control and order it will be necessary
to have one control point, which I assume will be yours. I rec-
ommend that the Review Staff registry, which is still in existence,
be placed under your direct control. The two registry men now
assigned there -- are experiencet-TATINTL
in the files now there and in the work they would have to do. They
should be retained and probably should have one additional clerical
assistant. I note that these two men have been under detail over
a year, possibly to the detriment to their careers. It may be
that our new relations with the Congress warrant the establishment
of a special registry for this purpose and it may be desirable to
formalize this registry with a permanent T/O with appropriate
grades. At present the old Review Staff registry is subordinate
to Executive Registry, and my suggestion is that it now be
subordinated to you as a separate registry.
5. Procedures that should be followed in the registry,
and the use to which it should be put,include the following:
a.. Copies of all incoming congressional requests.
b. Copies of the focal point's dissemination of the
request to the various action units within the Agency.
c. Copies of all responses received from the
action units.
d. Copies of the final response to the congressional
committee.
e. Records pertaining to any interviews of current
Agency employees by a congressional committee member
or staff of that committee.
f. Records pertaining to any material reviewed
at the Agency by the staff or members of a congressional
committee.
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g. Maintain an adequate index to the above materials,
which would preferably allow for retrieval on the basis of
date, subject matter, and/or requesting committee.
INTL
6. As I haire thought about the problems of dealing with
a new set of investigators an attempt was made to recall and
put down some of the main principles that we tried to observe
in the previous investigations. They are attached hereto for
such value as they may have.
7. I have talked with bout the relations that
we can have with him in dealing wit t e DDO. While he feels
that he should be kept posted he is prepared at present to leave
the details of the operations to us. I propose calling a meeting
in attendance. I
of my study group this next week, with
0
think that you, or your office, should pro a ly?also become a
member of that group when it is functioning as a coordinator
for responses to the investigators.
8. I hope you will excuse my presumption in sending this
memorandum, but still smarting from the earlier problems
we had with the investigations last year, and keenly aware of
some of the lessons of that experience, it seemed to me
important that we commence now to posture ourselves with
the period ahead and to begin to arrange how we will work with
one another.
Attachment: A/s
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STATINTL
STATINTL
STATINTL
 0X070029-1
5 October 1976
SUBJECT: Procedures for Dealing with Congressional
Investigators
1. It appears that the SSCI will continue to conduct some
types of investigations in addition to normal oversight activities.
The new Downing committee in the House will certainly be con-
ducting investigations, some part of which will involve CLA; it
now appears that it will be operating under. a short deadline and
its requirements may prove very pressing.
some order in Agency responses.
2. It may well be that there will be recurring investigatory
situations for some period to come. It certainly is true of the
present, and some of the difficulties experienced recently as
a result of investigative initiatives from the SSCI suggest the
need for formalizing procedures for handling this kind of activity.
There should be a central spot to serve as a channel into the .
Agency and as a control point for coordinating Agency responses-
Rather than having a variety of independent Congressional in-
vestigators, giving conflicting signals and moving at all levels
within the Agency, this one focal point should serve to maintain
of questions and would provide a basis for refining those -
questions where warranted. It would stand as the.formal
requirement of the investigative body, and would. serve as a
writing. This would force some organization in the preparation
3. Requests by investigators should be transmitted in
guide for the component responsible for preparing the response.
4. Security ground rules should be established consciously,
and it is appropriate for the Agency to.-interest itself in., the
procedures being observed by the investigative body. - These
procedures should involve physical and document security, as
well as personnel security, 'including formal standards to be.
accepted by all persons having access to classified material.
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5. Agency standards for controlling certain types of --
information should be spelled out and agreed, as well as the
sanitizing procedures required for documents to be transferred
out of the Agency to the investigative body. While the investi-
gatorshmight be granted access to Agency documents on a case-
by-case basis, the -rule should be that operational materials
involving sources and methods are not usually available. When
access is granted to the raw documents, it should be understood
that special controls and review of notes must exist.
6. The following categories of information to be protected
should be agreed:
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STATINTL-
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The general problem of "sources and methods" and classified
material must. be kept in mind when information is passed to
Congressional committees. Special arrangements can be
negotiated in special situations, but the basic material to be
reported remains the same, whatever the access to it that
may be agreed.
7. It should be understood that CIA. has the responsibility
to review reports planned for publication by the investigative
body; a condition for access to classified information will be
the security review by the Agency of reports proposed for
publication in an unclassified form. Consideration should
be given an appeal formula where there is disagreement on.
publication, similar to that reached with the Pike Committee.
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SUBJECT: ;(Optional)
.FROM:
F- "2 Ito' 10._I
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and,
building)
OFFICER'S
INITIALS
Li.
FORM
3-62
STATI N
610 USE PREVIOUS EDITIONS F-1 SECRET ^ CONFIDENTIAL L~Xk USE ONLY U unIIcv
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14 October 1976
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
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