SIXTH MEETING (7 MARCH 1975) OF THE AD HOC GROUP ON CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00823R000700040020-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 2, 2000
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: March 10, 1975
• Content Type: MF

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7000402 c 5Staff
10 March 1975
MEMORANDUM FOR: Principals of the USIB Ad Hoc Coordinating
Group on Congressional Review
SUBJECT a Sixth Meeting (7 March 1975) of the Ad Hoc
Group on Congressional Review of the
Intelligence Community
1. The Ad Hoc Group met at 1015 hours in the DCI Conference
Room, CIA Headquarters.
2. reported that the Director had asked at USIB
that the Ad Hoc Group exchange data on the practices of the Intelli-
gence Agencies in responding to requests under the Freedom of Infor-
mation Act and keep USIB Principals currently apprised of the subject
matter of the requests in order to preclude inconsistent and duplica-
tive responses. He particularly urged a coordinated approach to
denials and appeals and/or court actions that could occur.
reiterated the role of Mr. Silberman on these matters and the importance
of assuring both White House and Justice Department inputs. Mr.
Warner, CIA General Counsel, briefed the Group on the practice which
CIA is following in this matter. (See paragraph 9.) 8 ?
I
25X1A 3. briefed the Group on his recent meeting with
Representative Robert McClory, Vice Chairman of the House Select
Committee. Representative McClory indicated his lack of background
knowledge on U. S. intelligence activities and requested of the DCI
material which would enable him to improve his understanding. In
response to this request, the Director authorized copies of the Annexes
be provided to the House Select Committee Chairman, Mr. Nedzi. Rep-
resentative McClory further expressed the hope that as much material
as possible could be provided the Committee in unclassified form. He
also indicated he had need for a better appreciation of the CIA's and
the FBI's roles for counterintelligence in the U. S. and abroad.
See list of attendees attached.
OS 50863
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4. CIA Legislative Counsel, George Cary reported on the
interest of the Congressional Judiciary Committee in any material
related to mail intercepts, and the concurrent responsibilities
and interests of other Congressional standing committees on selected
subjects. There followed a general discussion on the overlapping
interests of the various Congressional committees, and the necessity
for each agency to follow these matters and where appropriate raise
25X1A at future ad hoc sessions. noted that every agency has
separate vehicles to respond to Congress and he observed that Ad Hoc
Members were not always aware of their agencies' Congressional
tactics on response. He urged members to exercise close collaboration
with the appropriate Congressional liaison elements of their agencies.
It was also suggested that duplicative requests might be coordinated
through the Select Committees.
25X1A 5. covered with the Group twa further meetings
which had been held with Messrs. Miller and Schwarz. He advised that
a meeting is also scheduled for Tuesday, 11 March, with Messrs.
Miller and Schwarz to review the Committee's proposals on Secrecy
Agreements--to be attended by Mr. Wilderotter, Justice, Mr. Warner,
25X1A CIA, and I also outlined a draft letter from
the DCI to Senator Church and advised that this along with an associated
Employee Notice is currently under review by Mr. Buchen, Counsel to
the President. A draft copy of the proposed CIA Employee Notice was
furnished the Ad Hoc Members.
25X1A 6. then referred to his memorandum of 4 March 1975.
He advised the Group that he had attempted to reduce the burdensome
detail requested of Community entities for organizational history, and
outlays and cash-flow data, and had been unsuccessful. He explained
that the Senate Committee's primary interest in financial data is to
assure that monies were expended for the purposes appropriated.
Mr. Collins, Treasury Representative, inquired whether the agencies
25X1A would receive individual requests for the data. I reiterated
the point made in his memo that the Committee planned to request
data directly from each agency and that the referenced memo simply .
25X1A put all agencies on notice now of the coming requests.
suggested all would be well advised to begin preparation.
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25X1A 7. Assistant to the Director, CIA, reported on
the CIA's experience in responding to detail queries from the Presi-
dent's Commission. He reviewed the practice of using IDENT num-
bers in lieu of names in documents and the policy guiding the review,
loan and retention of documents. In review by Commission personnel,
there has been access to some files; in the loan of documents, no
deletions are made but'the Third Agency Rule is communicated; in
the retention of documents the IDENT is inserted and no documents
of third agencies are provided without the approval of the third agency.
25X1A emphasized that there has been no final determination on
how these practices will apply to Congressional Committees' reviews,
but the DCI felt they provided one viable formula. To date, the
problem of compartmented information has not arisen.
8. CIA General Counsel, John Warner, outlined the CIA policy
and experience in dealing with overlapping voluminous requests under
the Freedom of Information Act. He urged.this information be passed
on to Ad Hoc Principals and to appropriate offices in each agency dealing
with these requests. He reported on the Helperin requests where
agreement had been reached to respond on individual items within
stated time periods, and negotiations to extend others and delete some
were successful. The magnitude of the estimate costs of responding
were significant.
9. ERDA Representative, Mr. Upchurch, requested that the
minutes reflect that clearances under way for the 'Senate Select Com-
mittee Staff personnel were at the Top Secret level, and not the Q level
as previously reported.
10. The following material was provided the Ad Hoc representa-
tives. (1) Copy of the Statement of W. E. Colby, Director of Central
Intelligence Before the =Government Information and Individual Rights
Subcommittee of the House Government Operations Committee,
5 March 1975; (2) Material on Requests for Information Under the
Freedom of Information Act, with covering letter to the Assistant
Attorney General from CIA General Counsel dated 22 February 1975;
and (3) a request to Ad Hoc Members signed by the Executive Secretary,
to classify "Confidential" a Memorandum for the Record prepared by
dated 28 February 1975, dealing with certain concerns
of Treasury. As suggested by Treasury, this Memorandum for the
Record was inadvertently and improperly circulated.
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List of Attendees 3
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SENDER WILL CHEC L IF
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OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
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RETURN
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TRANSMITTAL SLIP
DATE
TO:
Mr. Charles W. Kane
ROOM NO.
BUILDING
REMARKS:
FROM:
ROOM NO.
cu
BUILDING EXTENSION
1 FORM NO 241 REPLACES FORM 36-8 FES 55 WHICH MAY BE USED.
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