SECRECY OF INTELLIGENCE IN A DEMOCRACY DRAFT REMARKS (15 MIN & Q & A)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01554R002700070001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 21, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 11, 1977
• Content Type: OUTLINE

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11 May 1977
Washington Journalism Center.
17 May 1977, 1430
Secrecy of Intelligence in a Democracy
Draft Remarks
(15 min & Q & A)
Introduction
? Every world power discovers it lives in a fishbowl.
- What it thinks and does is of great interest to frie
and enemies alike because they cannot help but be affected.
- The more that's known, the more secure ev~one feels.
Secrecy to any degree is suspect.
- In 18th and 19th Centuries, all nations were affected in
some way by the foreign policy of Great Britain.
- Today American and Soviet foreign policy have some affect on
most other countries. The national policy of great powers
involves high stakes for everyone.
- There is, therefore, a natural pressure on both the U. S. and USSR
...~~...
to reveal their outlooks, their intentions, and their plans.
- USSR is a closed society so can~re_b~f that pressure.
- USA is an open society, so both internally and externally that
pressure is reinforced by our own democratic principles of
openness. Secrecy is an obvious contradiction of American philosophy -
and yet, it exists. Is it necessary?
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Need for Secrecy
? Some say secrecy leads to abuses. Record bears this out to some extent:
- Governments do try to keep secret mistakes, errors, differences
? Can be bad when it's done to cover scandal, embarrassment,
blunders - these abuses constitute a bipartisan problem/
not confined to any one administration.
? Easy to rationalize as good
- prevent undermining administration
- prevent undermining international reputation.
? However, it is a fact that government , like businesses, like
.. ~---
cannot function smoothly in a complex world unless it keeps some things
- Some confidentiality has alwa s been necessary, particularly in
defense and diplomatic affairs. No nation in history exempt:. ~ '
? When nations are as closely balanced in power as the U. S.
and USSR, secrecy itself confers advantages which an extra
1, 000 missiles would not provide. ~4.~. Gs-~ ~ Ww
? For example, we would be at a tremendous disadvantage in SALT
our strategic forces, how they are targeted, what we are
prepared to give up to get an agreement (the bottom Line),
how much (or little) we know about their forces/barga3.ning
position/motives, etc.
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? And, even when classified information becomes dated/passes it may be
...~.--.
important for a while to keep it secret to protect the means by which
_--.
we obtained it in the first place. May be a well-placed agent whose
access to Soviet secrets is so specialized that for the Soviets to
know the secret is to know who revealed it. Life in danger. Source
of future information jeopardized/destroyed.
- I assure you, the best means of intelligence collection, be
they technical or h~u~, are not developed overnight or at
.~~.
small cost.
Balance Between Secrecy and Openness
? In a democracy there is no such thing as an absolute secret -
someone always "needs to know."
William Cla~k`e - former PR advisor to-Prime Minister Anthony Eden
says, Role of Thumb: Of all those who claim a "vital necessity to know,"
a ~xft 1% really need. to knp(rr.
- May be extreme, but nonetheless, a balance must be sought
where abuses cannot be perpetuated, where vital national secrets
~_. -
can be protected, and where the government and the public can
remain informed.
The media is not necessarily the best judge of w,''. ~~,~~ nPPa.s
t ow, ~ if~o~ erclassification is the rule, rather than the
~~~
exception, and access is rampant, much classified information finds
its way to the press.
~~ .~. ~,-
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090
- We can only hope t~ press its responsibly with it,
I think in most cases, has.
- On the other hand, severe and irreparable damage has on occasion
been done and lives lost through the premature release of national
secrets in the open press.
- Your responsibility in judging what you should or should not print
is indeed ~r~t. And, while I do not advocate government
censors ip of the press, I do expect any responsible journalist
will exercise self-censorship. Will be fully info of the
facts and their potential ramifications before a story is printed.
? In my opinion, two of the major factors influencing a vernment?s
.~.r- ~... ----~
policy regarding secrecy vs openness:
- The moral authority of the government at the time.
? e.g. the attitude of the public regarding Vietnam increased
,......r_...
government secrecy; the perceived immorality of the government's
involvement there, certainl to the Pentagon Papers leak.
? Although there was great secrecy in government during World War II
the government was viewed by the general public as essentially
- The i power.
? When wars could be limited and "managed" secrecy prevai ,~j
? In nuclear age, nuclear war is unmanageable, therefore, powers
must "signal" each other by disclosing what otherwise would
be considered secrets.
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? So we have a continually shifting balance depending on the tames
and the public perception of the government.
CIA Initiatives
? At all times, an intelligence organization is the most difficult to
open up
~-=-
? We are taking some positive steps to do so however:
- Release more to general public
? u/c publications
? open Agency to visitors (limited basis)
? dispell myths and refute untruth at every opportunity
- Attacking classification problem in two ways:
? classify less
- declassify more/more quickly
? protect better that which is truly sensitive
- less access
- tighter compartmentation
a~nti:.a.:s~~?.~
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