G. ROBERT BLAKEY'S VISIT TO CIA HEADQUARTERS ON 27 APRIL 1979

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86-00895R000100100023-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 18, 2004
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: April 27, 1979
• Content Type: MFR

Participants:
Approved FoQw009784/2QTtAkDP86-00800100100023-8
27 April 1979
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: G. Robert Blakey's Visit to CIA Headquarters on
27 April 1979
1. On 27 April 1979, Mr. G. Robert Blakey, Chief Counsel
and Staff Director of the House Select Committee on Assassina-
tions (HSCA), visited CIA Headquarters. The purpose of
his visit was two-fold: (a) to examine Agency held material
requested by the HSCA in conjunction with its investigation
into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; and
(b) to designate that portion of Agency held material to
be sequestered.
2. Mr. Blakey examined only that material held in
Room 2D-11. He apparently did not go elsewhere within the
Agency, e.g., the Office of Security, Office of Personnel,
or office of Legislative Counsel, to examine their holdings.
He stayed for about an hour; however, he spent only twenty or
thirty minutes discussing and examining the contents of some
fifteen safes of Agency material held in 2D-11. A recapitula-
tion of his remarks follows.
3. Categories of material to be se uestered: Mr.
Blakey described the Agency---HSCA record as comprising three
general categories of material.
CIA Historical
Record
Program
review
completed
Category la: Classified material, from Agency
holdings, requested by the HSCA, which HSCA staff
members reviewed in Agency Headquarters. [Comment:
Files reviewed by HSCA staff members fill nine four-
drawer safes. The files include the Lee Harvey
OSWALD 201, which fills two four-drawer safes.
OSWALD's 201 file was not completely reviewed by
HSCA staff members.]
Category lb: Classified material, from Agency
holdings, requested by the HSCA, which staff members
had not reviewed (for one reason or another).
[Comment: Files not reviewed by HSCA staff members fill
almost four four-drawer safes. An inventory in the form
of an index card file of files not reviewed as well
as of files reviewed by the HSCA is available.]
CONFIDENTIAL
25X1
Approved For Release 2005/04/22 : CIA-RDP86-00$95R000100100023-8
 Approved Foo&Qa
R
Y
NIA1"6-008900100100023-8
Category 2: Material generated by the HSCA from
Agency classified holdings made available to the HSCA
in response to the latter's request. NB: Mr. Blakey
stated that he considered this material to be the
property of the HSCA and, therefore, not releasable
to the public or other unauthorized personnel under
the provisions of.the Freedom of Information Act.
[Comment: This material fills almost two four-drawer
safes. An inventory has been completed of the material
turned over to the Agency by the HSCA.]
Category 3: Classified correspondence exchanged
between this Agency and the HSCA. [Comment: Classified
correspondence includes all classified letters exchanged
with the HSCA, errata sheets (pointing out inaccurate
quotations, document citations, etc., in HSCA draft
reports -- classified and unclassified), copies of
letters, supporting documents (or copies of documents
passed to the HSCA for use in executive sessions or
obtaining depositions from Agency employees, either
retired or presently employed, and logs held in OLC
Registry, as well as in other Agency components, i.e.,
DO, OS, OP, etc. Mr. Blakey was quite concerned that
copies of errata sheets (prepared primarily by DO)
should not become part of the public record.]
4. Categories of material to be destroyed: Of that
material turned over by the HSCA to the CIA, Mr. Blakey stated
that the following types of material could be destroyed:
Typewriter ribbons, stenographic notes, and cassettes
(recordings of interviews, depositions, etc.). He asked that
miscellaneous drafts and notes (Unclassified) based upon
Agency material should be held with other Category 2
material.
5. Memorandum of Agreement: Mr. Blakey suggested that the
Agency prepare a memorandum (or letter) of agreement which
would set forth, in general terms, the Agency's proposal
as to the handling of the material to be sequestered. His
signature on the memorandum (or letter) would denote his
agreement.
6. Mr. Blakey was told that in order to carry out HSCA's
desire that the three categories of material be held in sealed
and sequestered storage, the Agency proposed to make a photo-
graphic record of each official Agency document made available
to the HSCA in response to the latter's specific request.
[Comment: It would not be necessary to photograph copies of
specific documents which had already been copied by Xerox or
Approved For Release 01 00fQi 1W86-00895R000100100023-8
 Approved Fo*Ieasd6MbW A6L0089*00100100023-8
other means before being made available to the HSCA for its
review. Copies already made could be included in the Agency-
HSCA record, thus saving the Agency some time and money.]
7. Upon completion of the task of photographing Agency
held documents, the film of Categories la and lb (excluding
those documents already copied by Xerox or other means), HSCA
generated materials (Category 2), and Agency-HSCA correspondence
(Category 3) including all material (or copies thereof) held
in OLC Registry, DO, OS, OP, will be prepared for sequestered
storage. Such material will be sealed-and either turned over
to the Archivist of the United States or held in Agency Archives.
In either case, access to this material will be allowed only
after fifty years, according to Mr. BLakey, or to Members of
Congress acting in an official capacity.
8. A draft memorandum setting forth in general terms
the categories mentioned above and the Agency's tentative
proposal has been forwarded to the office of General Counsel.
Inasmuch as other Agency components are involved, the OGC
will consult with those components at a later date.
9. Added Note: Mr. Blakey informed the undersigned that
he was passing the HSCA reports to the GPO in three days
which would mean 30 April and indicated further that the galley
proofs would possibly not be available for at least three
weeks, possibly more. Since he will, according to his own
statements, read the proofs before they are sent to the
Agency, we can possibly expect the galley proofs sometime in
early June.
Distribution:
Orig - OLC/Subj
1 - OLC/Chrono
1 - OGC
1 - DDO
1 - OS
1 -- OP
1 - DDA
1-C/Ij
OLC/R.BH/k sn
Approved For Reyes 10gOMY Nl-RDP66-00895R000100100023-8
3
 Approved Foolease 2005/04/22 : CIA-RDP86-0089000100100023-8
Dear Mr. Blakey:
The purpose of this letter is to set forth, in general
terms, the Agency's proposal. as to the disposition of three
categories of material related to the investigation by the
House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) into the
death'of President John F. Kennedy. Your signature on this
letter will indicate your agreement with the Agency's proposal.
The three categories of material to be addressed are as
follows:
a. Category la: Classified material from
Agency holdings, requested by the HSCA, which
HSCA staff members reviewed.
Category lb: Classified material from Agency
holdings, requested by the HSCA, but which
HSCA staff members did not review.
b. Category 2: Material generated by the HSCA
from Agency classified holdings made available
to the HSCA in response to the latter's
request. (NOTE: This HSCA'material is con-
sidered by the HSCA as its property and
therefore not releasable to the public under
the Freedom of Information Act. An inventory
of this material received from HSCA has been
completed.
c. Category 3: Classified correspondence
exchanged between this Agency and the HSCA_
The HSCA has indicated its desire that copies of these
three categories of material be held in sealed and segregated
storage to ensure the preservation of all relevant records
pertaining to the phase of the investigation involving this
Agency. In order to accommodate the HSCA, but also leave
its own records accessible for routine purposes, the Agency
proposes that a photographic copy be made of each official
Agency document made available in response to a specific
request by the HSCA (Category la and lb).
Upon completion of the task of photographing the
Category la and lb documents, those copies (Category 1), the
HSCA generated materials based upon Agency material _
(Category 2), and classified Agency-HSCA correspondence,
Approved For Release 2005/04/22 : CIA-RDP86-00895R00010010D023-8
 Approved Fo*lease 2005/04/22 : CIA-RDP86-0089000100100023-8
(Category 3), will be sealed and held in segregated storage,-
by the Agency, in accordance with schedules established by
the Archivist of the United States.
G. Robert Blakey
Approved For Release 2005/04/22 : CIA-RDP86-00895R000100100023-8
 ^ UNCLASSIFIED
F- -j INTERNAL
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
FORWARDED
OFFICER'S
.INITIALS
^ CONFIDENTIAL
77 May 1979
^ SECRET
COMMENTS (Number` each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment)
The attached memo is
the result of conversations
with Blakp-y on.27 April 1979
and are not to be considered
a .commitment on , the. Agency's
part to Blakey.
Para 3, Category lb -- I.do
not see any reason for
photographing those document
under category lb. We have
a card file intex of.that
material which they have not
seen which should be
sufficient.
Para 5, MOA -- I have
attached a draft of a letter
to Blakey setting forth the
Agency's proposal as to the
sequestering of documents
requested by Blakey. I
prepared this draft.
memorandum and checked it
out with OGC. This is
merely a suggested form
.of a letter to Blakey.