THE AGENCY'S INTEREST IN THE CHURCH PAPERS RESULTED FROM A BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THAT THE UNIVERSITY HAD ACQUIRED THE LATE SENATOR CHURCH'S PAPERS.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: MISC

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
The Agency's interest in the Church papers resulted from a
Boise State University press release announcing that the
University had acquired the late Senator Church's papers.
Included in the press report was a statement that the Church
collection included CIA information.
The Agency informed Mr. Steven Garfinkel, Director,
Information Security Oversight Office, of this fact with a
request that he make an effort to determine whether classified
information was included. Mr. Garfinkel received an index of
the papers which appeared to reflect that CIA, as well as
Department of State and Department of Defense, information was
included in the collection. Mr. Garfinkel asked for permission
to review the material to determine whether classified
information was included, and he offered his services and those
of other Executive Branch personnel to go to Boise State to
review the material. The University declined the request. It
was against this background that the Agency wrote to the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). As the letter to the
SSCI specifically states, the Agency's sole purpose was to seek
"assistance in determining whether classified intelligence
information is in fact in the collection and if so how to best
deal with the issue."
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
The Agency's interest in the Church papers resulted from
h Boise State ''Universit had
acquired the late Senator Church's papers. Included in the
press report was a statement that the Church collection
included CIA information.
I
The Agency informed Mr. Steve''Garfinkel, Director,
Information Security Oversight office, of this fact with a
request that he make an effort to determine whether classified
information was included. Mr. Garfinkel received an index of
the papers which reflected that CIA, as well as Department of
State and Department of Defense, information was included in
the collection. Mr. Garfinkel asked for permission to review
the material to determine whether classified information was
included, and he offered his services and those of other
S7vl~
Executive Branch personnel to go to Boise to review the
material. The University declined the request. It was against
this background that the Agency wrote to the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). As the letter to the SSCI
specifically states, the Agency's sole purpose was to seek
"assistance in determining whether classified intelligence
information is in fact in the collection and if so how to best
deal with the issue."
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
The Agency's interest in the Church papers was triggered by
se nno nci that the Boise State University had
~ved tfip r? ?rch ho dings. -Included in the press report was
a statement that the Church holdings included CIA information.
T A L -tur Agency Vc~A~cted Mr. Garfinkel, Director,
Information Security Oversight Offici,
of t release- to-- -his attention with a dsi ction that he
make an effort to determine whether classified information was
included. Mr. Garfinkel coRtaotcd he y telephone
dux ng which it was agree t.ha-t ttre- University, ww2~jl send 1
-1.1 la~
at ion t -
University!-s__greement cu a to review
the material to determine whether classified informatio wa
included, and he offered his services and thoseoi others t go,
L
to the University to review the material. The University's
response was not supportive of this idea.
wo ~/c/ /1/ f ~i71 r /te ~`/?~ I LL(L.GI/~/Y
When it appeared that the negotiationswer-e-beginning to
%Grv11 c:e ,r'u f
brew down, the Director of Central Intelligence in a letter to
the SSCI expressed his concern about the possibility of CIA
classified information and sought the Committee's advice on how
to resolve this concern.
11 0 0,V a~,W~ .0~.
e-Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8
From the very beginning the only concern the Agency has had
e was the possibility that
classified information might be included in the Church papers
and sought merely to confirm that this was not the case A We
had supported an earlier suggestion that members of the SSCI
themselves conduct a review for this purpose.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP87-00058R000200220002-8