RELEASING INTELLIGENCE DATA: A 'NO-WIN SITUATION'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000403750004-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 24, 2010
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: March 5, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/24: CIA-RDP90-00552R000403750004-0
5 M-aRCH 1982
Philip Taubman
Releasing
Intelligence
rage. They argue that the release of ' ' Ina way, l+Ir. Longs demand reore-
s'?~?t'~'Y?'*r~" ! specific intelligence information .seats the legacy of Vietnam and
' WASHINGTON , March 9-For bet would probably cause immediate as : Watergate. Disclosures about official-
ter than a year. the United States has! well as Icng-term damage to United ly-sanctioned deceit during the John-
' trained the eyes and can of its intelli-! States iatelligenc e-gattsering capabil- son and Nixon Adatiaistratiorz eroded
gene agencies on the small nation of ides. public faith in Government institu.
El Salvador. That effort, according to' In the short rim, they contend, the tiers and officials. i
top officials of the Reagan Adminis- j Soviet Union, Cuba and Nicaragua, by - Democrats Request
tratlon, has produced an abundance of Re"
"irrefutable" and "unquestionable" learning what the United States .:: "There was a time when it was !
knowns
;s caild easily determine the enough for the President or Secretary.
information about arms, money and
advice flowing to guerrilla forces in El means ed to collect the information, of State to eve his word that a foreign
Salvador from the Soviet Union, Cuba and take steps to prevent further cot- lecdan. power was opposing American Inter-
and Nicaragua.. In the long run they fear that ests abroad," said a senior Reagan
The the Soviet Union might gain important, Administration . official . recently.
The intelligence data, of dais say, knowledge about American collection "Sadly, that's no longer the case." 1
have formed thebasis fortheAdminis. capabilities that could stimulate In an effort to resolve what the Rea.'
tration's policy of providing military Soviet advances in the arts of oi
assistance to the junta that rules El rage. -gan Ad knows about out-i
Salvadorand of issuing ominous warn- Wehave learnedthebard side interference erference in in El Salvador, sev- ing3 about ttion possible future American release of information, way while e that helpful eral Democratic members of the Sea;!
ate Intelliste ice. Committee. which-115.i
as a public relations tool, has test us in ceived a top-level briefing on Ei Salva-i
But instead of guaranteeing a recep.. ways we never anticipated," said a dor last week, have asked the commit.4
tive audience for the Administration's veteran intelligence official. tee to review the secret data and prt?
policy, the data have increasingly be. Ws l9isclosam Cited pare a sanitized but detailed public re1
came as much of an issue as the policy port
itself. And intheprocess,theAd For example, he said, disclosures Some members have noted that at!
Uation has learned a fundamental rule about Soviet military strength in, the the same time the Administration isl
of governing in Washington; the best 19E0's alerted the- Russians to ad- fighting disclosure of data on El Smg!
secret intelligence Information in the vances in American satellite surveil- dor, top officials have talked openly!-
tmrld is useless as a means of building lance capabilities. about classified information conceu-
popular support for a policy until the Proponents of declassification argue ing Soviet military advances, includ,
data are declassified and disseminat. that the intelligenceinformation about Ing the development a new Ieng ranger
ed. El Salvador will be useless to the Gov- bomber.
ernment if the Administration cannot ..
The Administration discovered than Every Year about bfd t time
ild Per support for its policy. As there's suddenly a mind of disc
paradox in recent weeks as its re- bu
Iosurest
me .
peatedconteationsofquality aboutthe d senior foreign policy official about Soviet weapons," said Sena
torl
intelligence concerning El Salvador. as ,forma What s the use of having all;Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vert
have been greeted by demands in Con-- this intion if no one believes ? moat. :. .
gresstosee"theevidence.':- `,. ~~ - SenatorBarryGoldwater, chairman
tried to
"It's a no-win situation" said one R':Secretari Jr- of encountered State Alexander e that d M. put the Intelligence end to thCommittee,
over -
senior Administration official private belief today in an appearance before a
ly. If we go public with the iafarma genre and El Salvador last week. F01-
-lion we may lose our ability to coo. House Appropriations subcorunittee. lowing the committee briefing on El
tin, collecting in the field. If we Pressed for specifics about outside in-! Salvador, the Arizona Republican an..
don't, we may lose our chance to build te:vention in El Salvador. Mr. Haig notmced. "The American people de-
publicsupportforthe -, told the committee that a "Nicara- serve - to - know that - the officials-
cy. guan military mail" had been cap. chaa~ged with developing -and imple~-
Los:-Terse Damage Feared . .; Cured to El Salvador helping direct meriting United States policy in this
The problem has stimulated a lively e a options. Mr. Haig also , area are doing so on the basis of solid
1y said that the United States knew of 1 information."
debate both within the Administration 2,000 Cuban, and 70 Soviet military ad- But, he added, ?Tile details moist re
and in Co alai dot to (visors working with Nicaraguan mainsecret.'
To the protectors of America's Intel-' forces The subcommittee chairman, Rep.:
l1gence secrets, the idea of making a reseatative Clarence D. Long. Demo-
major Public disclosure of the data on He told 1- HA was u m~e sec,,
Central America borders. on. espio. aigtha sub
tee would not approve the Administrate
'tier's Caribbean Basin economic aid
plan until he'had a chance to reiev- -
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