SAFEGUARDING NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R002304490097-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: April 18, 2008
• Sequence Number: 97
• Publication Date: March 11, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

9n-418
Approved For Release 2008/04/18: CIA-RDP85M00364R002304490097-7
NSC review completed
March 11, 1983
Na-tio nat S ecu ti-y . Deci6io n
DiYect ve Nu.mbe%c184
Safeguarding National Security Information
As stated in Executive Order 12356, only that information whose
disclosure would harm the national security interests of the
United States may be classified. Every effort should be made to
declassify information that no longer requires protection in the
interest of national security.
At the same time, however, safeguarding against unlawful disclosures
of properly classified information is a matter of grave concern
and high priority for this Administration. In addition to the
requirements set forth in Executive Order 12356, and based on the
recommendations contained in the interdepartmental report..
forwarded by the Attorney General, I direct the following:
1. Each agency of the Executive Branch that originates
or handles classified information shall adopt internal procedures
to safeguard against unlawful disclosures of classified
information. Such procedures shall at a minimum provide as
follows:
. a. All persons with authorized access to classified
information shall be required to sign a nondisclosure
agreement as a condition of access. This requirement-may
be implemented prospectively by agencies for which the
administrative burden of compliance would otherwise be
excessive.
b. All persons with authorized access to Sensitive
Compartmented Information (SCI) shall be required to sign
a nondisclosure agreement as a condition of access to SCI
and other classified information. All such agreements
must include a provision for prepublication review to
assure deletion of SCI and other classified information.
c. All agreements required in paragraphs l.a. and
l.b. must be in a form determined by the Department of
Justice to be enforceable in a civil action brought by
the United States. The Director, Information Security
Oversight Office (ISOO), shall develop standardized
.forms that satisfy these requirements.
d. Appropriate policies shall be adopted to govern
contacts between media representatives and agency personnel,
so as to reduce the opportunity for negligent or deliberate
disclosures of classified information. All persons with
authorized access to classified information shall be
clearly apprised of the agency's policies in this regard.
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2. Each agency of the Executive branch that originates or
handles classified information shall adopt internal procedures to
govern the reporting and investigation of unauthorized disclosures of
such information. Such procedures shall at a minimum provide that:
a. AkI such disclosures that the agency considers to
be seriously damaging to its mission and responsibilities
shall be evaluated to ascertain the nature of the information
disclosed and the extent to which it had been disseminated.
b. The agency shall conduct a preliminary internal
investigation prior to or concurrently with seeking
investigative assistance from other agencies.
C. The agency shall maintain records of. disclosures
so evaluated and investigated.
d. Agencies in the possession of classified information
originating with.another agency shall cooperate with the
originating. agency by conducting internal investigations of
the unauthorized disclosure of such information.
e. Persons determined by the agency to have knowingly
made such disclosures or to have refused cooperation with
investigations of such unauthorized disclosures will be denied
further access to classified information and subjected to
other administrative sanctions as appropriate.
3. Unauthorized disclosures.of classified information shall
be reported to the Department of Justice and the Information
Security Oversight Office, as required by statute and Executive
orders. The Department of Justice shall continue to review
reported unauthorized disclosures of classified information to
determine whether FBI investigation is warranted. Interested
departments and agencies shall be consulted in developing criteria
for evaluating such matters and in determining which cases should
receive investigative priority. The FBI is authorized to
investigate such matters as constitute potential violations of
federal criminal law, even though administrative sanctions may be
sought instead of criminal prosecution.
4. Nothing in this directive is intended to modify or
preclude interagency agreements between FBI and other criminal
investigative agencies regarding their responsibility for.
conducting investigations within their own agencies or departments.
5. The Office of Personnel Management and all departments
and agencies with employees having access to classified information
are directed to revise existing regulations'-and policies, as
necessary, so that employees may be required to submit to polygraph
examinations, when appropriate, in the course of investigations of
unauthorized disclosures of classified' information. A's a minimum,
such regulations shall permit an agency to..decide that appropriate
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Adverse consequences will follow an employee's refusal to cooperate
wA.th a polygraph examination that is limited in scope to the,
circumstances of the unauthorized disclosure under investigation.
Agency regulations may provide that only the head of the agency,
or his delegate, is empowered tQ order ani employee to submit to a
polygraph examination. Results of polygraph examinations should
not be relied upon to the exclusion of other information obtained
during investigations.
6. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Director,
Office of Personnel Management, is requested to establish an
interdepartmental group to study the federal personnel security
program and recommend appropriate revisions in existing Executive
orders, regulations, and guidelines.
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