LETTER TO LEE H. HAMILTON FROM WILLIAM J. CASEY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88G00186R000901190009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2010
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: December 13, 1985
• Content Type: LETTER

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The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton
Chairman
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
House of Representatives
Washington, D:C. 20515
This letter is to inform you of my concerns over recent
requests directed at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from
other, nonintelligence committees of the House of
Representatives. These requests call for detailed classified
intelligence information about special activities, collection
requirements, collection and assessment capabilities of the CIA
and internal security information on both former employees and
foreign defectors.
On November 18, 1985, Chairman Rangel of the House Select
Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, citing oversight of
the narcotics policy as his authority, requested in writing a
closed briefing on requirements for narcotics intelligence
collection assigned to CIA; information on CIA's capabilities
and activities to collect and assess information about narcotics
cultivation, processing and trafficking; and information on
links between trafficking, political insurgency and terrorism.
Mr. Rangel's letter expresses interest in whether the Agency has
enough resources devoted to narcotics collection and whether it
has assigned the appropriate priority to this subject.
On November 26, 1985, Chairman Brooks of the House Committee
on Government Operations requested an accounting of each
polygraph test concerning Larry Wu-Tai Chin, Edmund L. Eioward,
Sharon M. Scranage, and Mr. Yurchenko, including polygraph
tracings, questions asked, examiner notes and any other official
or unofficial documentation on these cases. Mr. Brooks' letter
describes his Committee as having oversight of the use of the
polygraph by the Federal Government.
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On December 4, 1985, Chairman Solarz of the Asian and
Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs orally requested for himself and Ranking Minority Member
Leach a covert action briefing on a country in southeast Asia.
This is just one of many instances where foreign affairs matters
and those special intelligence activities called covert actions
have overlapped.
The growing tendency of Committees of Congress to include
within their scope of inquiry the oversight of intelligence as
it pertains to their subject matter is of great concern to me as
Director of Central Intelligence. Although I recognize that
some intelligence-related activities may directly affect a
matter otherwise within the jurisdiction of such committees, the
responsibility for congressional oversight of intelligence
activities has been assigned by law to the House and Senate
intelligence committees. These select committees have both the
appropriate legislative mandates and the expertise necessary to
conduct intelligence oversight and to protect intelligence from
unauthorized disclosure.
If the oversight process on sensitive intelligence matters
is to function effectively, I cannot respond routinely to
congressional requests for information outside these normal
channels. This Agency will continue, as in the past, to
cooperate with any committee of Congress on matters where this
can be done without exposing sensitive information needlessly.
We also intend to continue to furnish intelligence products to
those committees which have a need for that information.
However, I would hope that congressional needs can be satisfied
or coordinated in most instances by your Committee to the extent
practicable.
My purpose in writing to you is twofold. First, I wish to
be forthcoming with you regarding this problem and my position
on it. Second, I seek your assistance in having the oversight
committees play a more central role in dealing with these kinds
of requests from other committees. I solicit your views and
those of your Committee on this matter.
Sincerely,
William J. Casey
Director of Central Intelligence
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OLL (13 Dec 85) STAT
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