SENATORS PROPOSE SECURITY CLEARANCE REFORM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87B00858R000400530007-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: June 25, 1985
• Content Type: LETTER

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/09: CIA-RDP87B00858R000400530007-7 TAT
UNITED STATES SE N ;_E
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
William V Roth Jr., Chairman
Warren B. Rudman, Vice Chairman
Sam Nunn, Ranking Minority Member
FOR RELEASE
JUNE 25, 1985
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
PLEASE CONTACT ELEANORE HILL
OR JOHN SOPKO AT [phone]
SENATORS PROPOSE SECURITY CLEARANCE REFORM
Washington, D.C. -- Senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), joined by Senators
William V. Roth, Jr. (R-Del.), Lawton Chiles (D-Fla.), Albert Gore, Jr.
(D-Tenn.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) introduced legislation today to close one
of the most critical loopholes in our federal government's current security
clearance program. "The problem is the growing inability of Department of
Defense, Office of Personnel Management, and Central Intelligence Agency
investigators to obtain state and local criminal justice records on
individuals being considered for access to classified information or sensitive
national security duties," said Senator Nunn.
This legislation resulted from an investigation of the government's
security clearance program that was initiated by Senator Nunn as Ranking
Minority Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. With the
support and cooperation of Senator Roth, the Subcommittee Chairman, hearings
were held this past April where a number of shortcomings in our security
clearance program were exposed.
"Clearly, one of the most basic and productive sources of information
in personnel security investigations should be local criminal justice records.
Our Subcommittee was amazed to learn that local and State jurisdictions in
increasing numbers are denying Defense Investigative Service, Office of
Personnel Management and Central Intelligence Agency agents access to their
criminal history files," said Senator Nunn. "The net result is that this
important source of information is being seriously curtailed in many
localities throughout the country."
Senator Nunn added, "Such a situation would be ludicrous if it did not
have such far reaching and dangerous implications. Currently, the United
States Government is unable to obtain State and local criminal records on
applicants for some of the most sensitive positions in the military and other
government agencies. Given recent events, one can hardly doubt our continuing
need for a strong and effective security clearance system.
Subcommittee Chairman Roth said, "The importance of this legislation
cannot be overstated. Without access to state and local government criminal
justice information, we might as well be shooting craps in granting security
clearances. It is imperative to know how an applicant has comported himself
in his own community. By relying solely on Federal indices, as we must often
do today, we risk clearing everyone but those who appear on the F.B.I.'s Ten
Most Wanted List."
Senator Nunn stated, "Faced with the current status of our personnel
security system it is not surprising that we now have more people under
indictment for espionage than we have had at any time since World War II.
Hostile intelligence services are not overly intimidated by a government
personnel security program like this where the proverbial left-hand of the
government does not know nor is allowed to know what the right-hand does."
The proposed bill specifically authorizes the federal government to
obtain access to local criminal justice records when conducting eligibility
investigations for (1) access to classified information, (2) assignment to or
retention in sensitive national security duties, or (3) acceptance or
retention in the armed services. Such a request is only permitted if the
person under investigation consents to it in writing. Moreover, the criminal
history record information obtained pursuant to this request would be afforded
the same protections as provided by the Privacy Act.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/09: CIA-RDP87B00858R000400530007-7