SUMMARY OF STATUTES WHICH RELATE SPECIFICALLY TO NSA AND THE CRYPTOLOGIC ACTIVITIES OF THE GOVERNMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85B00236R000100080005-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 28
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 1, 2007
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: January 1, 2000
• Content Type: SUMMARY

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vow
Thu Congrc s has has.;eu tt_,t,i ..ijin statutes to safeguard `..:e
Government ` s cryT tOlogic activitf :l tld to enable the Governmen, i.
1:r..t its disclosure of its cryptoioc,ic ?tctivltie- to such nformatil : as
: . _
riot 1;??ertcrc the ii.'. o111 )Lr ;l`.' nt ryi 1Ofi) i, a
:List
in ..-:50 w; :ch prohibits the ui ur. i0rrze.l aiscloosure or prejuutcial ce of
cler..sifie'.n cryptc>lo,3c informatior Of the Government. tB iJ . S. C. ;'t3
wa- :he flirt statute enacted role in t ::pecific~tily to crypt;hogii i.. ivltres
o! .`'e Government as a whole. ti 'JSovWed protection of these activities
imv ? id that affordea other clossi,ien c efense information coo; gave tacit
cocci :nitle:i, to the legality of ho; e aulvities.
(2) The second l,iw. F. i., t 6-36, provided administr' ti.ve
F _i.Oritie:. to enable NSA to iuile;; ior: Without ci sc iosure of information
h h wO+cld endanger the accc:'omf,lish:1tent of its cryptologic missi, ris. This
ste:.ute provided the administrative authorities for civilian pcrsot~eci
administration and an effective career system for HSA. Secondly, his law
est--,. lished the policy of the Congress against the public uvailabb.,ity of
informati : n concey.ung the ut the NSA and thereby prove d
pri.: :cticr. to the Agency so that it coule function without disclor:a.:e of
unu::lassi.:?:-d information as na,,-rht irnoati its mission.
;iii..., i0ti'
(3) T1,-, third ) ; ('sciii ed by
GL .~.e L:o1L ress a comprehensive lersuirnel security and 1',? i;ei..
rrredures to assn::, the inct,, nurl seecuiaty of the activities of it..
National Security Agency.
(4) An important dev;:oet.rent occurred in the Congrc.. iii
191 whic`,, removed any do-,.c as ro tale legality i?1 the S:f-i1NT an ! :~(':`/;. ..
ectr vitie:3 of the Executive Bruncii o. tite Government. Z. tle 3 cl ...
Or...nbus ..:rime Co trol and _ ale 3Lrt-:ets Act of 19(-8 ma-,t- it c'e, hat
no4'thng in any other statute sn3. timi: the coristitutioua. ,we, L__ la
President to take ,pl)ropridte measures to obta:ri iorciyn ir..ellige ,:
information and to protect national security information u,l,:. nst f:). -icjri
intelligence activities,
Tlie Congrcau has, r.-..ouch tact above rtain^d stagy .?.:5, en,:_,-:ed
c(.:, prehe;xgive provisions of law to pie_,iect an,i s,..ieguaru t:ic'- ac..v:ties
of the NSA and othf-. eleme:aa`s of true Government ?.ssignca ;ry_Jt(, .!Y1C
functions and to establish a viable i;3.:)al basis tor the functioning of tne:
`,Tational ecurity Agency.
NSA review
completed
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SUMMARY OF STATUTES V11JC, ;'LATE';>PECIF1CALLY TO NSA
AND THE CRYPTOLOGI('.--' A.:;Tt'' -ES OF THE GOVERNMENT
1. The unique and hiehl-,v seli_,it.tre acti i, i(:s of N,'-)A and of other
elenm,r'nts of the Government assigna i cr\'i)tologt : function:, require determined
security m,. cures. The Congress nil passed four main statutes to. safeguard
the Government's cryptologic activities and to enable the Government to limit
its disclosure of its cryptologic activities to such information as does not
interfere with the accomplishment +il the cryptologic missions. I would like to
set forth for each law the reasons : cr its enactment., its basic provisions,
and its effect in accomplishing toe im-enced pur:)ose.
2. the first law to be eil.iCt `u Wits a cri nillal staltute pas e ? in l'l:?U
which prohibited the unauthorized disclosure or prejudicial use of classifiacl
cryptologic information of the Government. '].'Iris law, 18 U.S.C. 798, is now
codified as one of the espionage statutes. This law defines unauthorized
persons as those who are not authc:rLzeci to receive classified cryptologic
information. ray the he,.-id of an agen+;v -:xpressly designated by the President
to enrage in communications activities. 'ihe purposo of 18
U.S.C. 798 is to provide greater protection to a small cat-,crr;ry of ciassifi.-l
matter that is vital to national i.~yl iakers? -- ret vulnerc~ble to a unique
degree, that is crypi.oingic information. Prior to this lu\,i other espionage
statutes protected classified cryptooio.gic information in a limited w~--.-. In
18 U.S.C. 798, Congress speciticiiiv recognized the ei!L1:crityl of 1;ic'
NSA, to classify cryptol()cir, documents and inforrrmatioiij iiiii to
determine the persons who are iutl c:rized access to sensitive cryptologic
documents and information. Uric er the other espionage laws unauthorized
revelation of classified defense in crmation could be penalized only if it
could be proved that the person maklnq the revelation did so with an intent
to injure the United States or to the advantage of a foreign power. 18 U. S.C.
798 is much broader in scope since, it prohibits the knowing unautii . iized
disclosure or even prejudicial use of classified cryptologic inforrn(:,tion.
18 U.S.C. 798, the broadest by far of the espionage laws, also ;nest
another useful purpose: It recocnized the legality of the cryptologic
activities of the Government. Sec_ioii 605 of the Federal Communications
Act of 1934 prohibits the unauthorized interception and divulgence or use of
interstate or foreign communications. This law cast doubt on the legality
of those cryptologic activities of t` e Federal Government which involved
the interception of foreign commun:_c:ations. Following the enactment of
18 U.S.C. 798 in 1950, however, the Government had a tenable legal basis
for its undertaking of communications intelligence activities. The provisions
of this criminal statute making it a crime for the unauthorized disclosure or
prejudicial use of classified cryptologic information certainly establishes
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by implication the Government's law;u i ; igh t tc. engage in these cry ptologic
activities. Since the enactment of 18 U.S.C. 7913, Congress has repeatedly
appropria.t,--d money "specificcilly for communications intelligence activities
pursuant to budget justifications ;i_ihmi.tted annually by NSA and the Service
Cryptologic Agencies to Committees of both Houses of Congress. We shall
see later how the issue of the legality of signals intelligence activities
was finally settled by the Safe Sreets l\ct of 1968.
In summary, 113 U. s.~.;. /9t8, the fLrst statute which was enacted
relating specifically to cryptolo:i" ?C: i.ivittes cl the, Govclnilmc.`ilt il:~ a whale,
gave legal recognition to these activities and provided protection to these
activities beyond that afforded otter ciassifieci defense information.
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SECTION Y)8 , ~ 'TILE 1,, I.;, S, CODI,
(a) Whoever k.nowincily + fo - r !rnt or
plaintiff's motion to coni:,ol ?x--;f tion of req u borement to make disclosure of inforrna-
ion aut the National Security Agency.
the minutes- of -two, meetin, . o! 14f Inter
agency Classification Revit U t c er t tree at L re ads:
which..his first administrate i:p ya in Lis l flothing in this Actor any other law
quest for the: Truman i c r, c , n turn w: shall, be construed to require
discussed;;l3ule37, F.R.Civ i s I (2) dc~?- th disclosure of the organization or..any
fendant's:.-cross-motion for sun, i, t ? . judg* fuctian. of the National Security: Agen
r of any information with r pest to the
Memorandum; Rule_ 56, .', z. 1,. v 1' T'te act,vttt:?:r thereof, or of the names, titles,
summary 'judgment ,rrroti,:r sir; 1 b . coc ;; sal tries, .or number of the persons: em-
sidered"4;first;::since a'; di..l rs.:t v : ruling-;'/ pkyedPbysuch agency.nr^Pub.l,No. 8 --?
Althi ugb a''speeific aim of P.L. 86-36 was
'Lo e; empt the National Security Agency
jj from the U.S Civil Service Commission's
emptiori 3 Pf, kQIA,:
disclasur e of,matters which lx-r. r:1 pa fc , r r r,o;r-='l requi ements - of disclosure of personnel.
cally- data and other-information, it is manifest...'-]
that .r.,. i ~
exempted '"from `disclosure n,, s :a:,L'e,' 5 that this was in aid of a broader,.overriding
U.S.C ?'552(b)(3)? .Exem_nl o 3 F n.~encrs Purlx;e; that rio law shall require
a Congressional judgment e: hi ,e the disclo ure of the highly sensitive orgtni?ra-
general intent of FOIA to t u , o tl,e tionai and functional matters or activiti,.s
public',information- concern,,-. tit.. xrbl';L of th tt P. t.ney. This would necessarily
business,certin secrecy :: Li,1. z;zul:i ' il,cluc~ such a law s 1~'Ull,. The 101A
nonetheless. refrain in fort 1 ?'s an amencmerrt_ of FOIA would not alter such
statutes.which specificzlly rt ;rt ,,,,c ss to )an ex !mption.s
`--
governmental records on tti ;J Con- ''-'7(41 Statutes which spccifical:y exempt
gressional decisions that the c ~r:f le n'ialitN- .discio~ire of dcxcurneiits under Ex, mption 3
of certati miormation in ec t n a - ii feu is need i of l~rerisely name the" documents i0 ed., ? 5 (Muir. 4, 1A09, c. :121,
5, 35 Stat. 1088; Apr. 22, 1932, C. 126, 47
Stat. 132).
The reference to any citizen or residetlt
within the jurisdiction of the United
Mandatory puc-~
rephrased In the ni
Minor cin,ag'a
phraseology were
1. Construction
Any nruo i uily
be resolved in f.,
v. British Petrol
231 F.Supp. 72.
Offenses
C'iti7.eua 4.1 lh'.
bidden by this !,,.F
spondence or slat
elgn gov : it :,l c.l.
enco its m,:ns,lres
to any dlsputca
? 954.
Whoever,
cign gr. .,nn.
any unt. ue t:-
any pers..->n ,u'
affianl. s 1' :_=
fluence the n,:
officer .,r ag ,
tiot
1njL
Reviser'; Note,
Title 22, t v u- .
tlau> a?LI is t. ,,
3J, Itla Vt!i 1 {i =
1910, c. 72, i 0,1 to Mandatory i
rephrased In the I?
asrt
ilati
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