AGENCY APPEARANCES BEFORE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00610R000200080002-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2003
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 7, 1960
• Content Type: MF

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7 July 1960
MEMORANDUM FOR: A/ DL/ PI A
:SUBJECT: Agency Appearances before Congressional
Committees
I. It is my under standing that you wished some material for a
speech dealing with the Agency's appearances before congressional
committees. I shall try to give you what you need but if further details
are needed please let me know.
./ 2. The parent committees for the Agency are the Armed Services
Committees in the House and Senate. in each case a Subcommittee has
been established to which the Agency reports on a periodic basis. in
the Senate this is a five-man Subcommittee headed by the Chairman of
the full Committee and in the House it is a seven-man Subcommittee
headed by the ranking majority member next following the Chairman
himself. When the House Subcommittee was reconstituted at the bewiuning
of the first session of the 86th Congress. its mission was stated to be a
thorough review of Agency activities. In the case of both of the Armed
Services Subcommittees the Agency does discuss its actual functions and
activities.
3. The Agency also deals on a periodic basis with the two
Appropriations Committees and again in each case a Subcommittee has
been established, chaired by the Chairman of the full Committee, Those
are five-mars subcommittees. The Agency presents its annual budget to
these Subcommittees and on occasion the Subcommittees have reviewed
in some detail the budget requests. These two Subcommittees with the
Subcommittees of the Armed Services Committees are the four Conunittecs
which in fact have jurisdiction over CIA. The security over the years
with these four Subcommittees has been excellent. Unusual security
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measures are taken when CIA appears including in some cases no
transcripts and in other cases CIA actually provides the reporter and
eventually stores for safekeeping the transcript.
4. In addition to the above four Subcommittees, the Agency
provides intelligence briefings to a number of other Committees of the
Congress includiug.but not limited to,
Senate Foreign Relations
Senate Committee on Astronautics and Space Sciences
Senate Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee of
Senate Armed Services
Senate Internal Security Subcommittee
House Foreign Affairs
louse Science and Astronautics Committee
Defense Subcommittee of liouse Appropriations
Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
Joint Economic Committee (unusual session in that
Mr. Dulles appeared in open session to discuss
comparisons of U. S. and Soviet economies).
With the exception noted, all intelligence briefings of congressional
committees are in executive session and with one other exception no
transcripts are ever released in censored form. In former yearsthe
I appearances of the Agency before congressional committees were very
limitod, occurring possibly a.half dozen times in a year. In the last
three years. however. Agency appearances have averaged between
5 and 30 per year. Not included in the listing of Committees above
re a low occasions when the Agency actually appears in support of
specific legislation having applicability to the Agency. Examples of
this were before the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
on the Overseas Allowances bill and the Joint Committee on Atomic
nerdy in support of legislation regarding exchange of restricted data
with foreign countries.
5. While you may not wish to use this. I think it might be of
interest and it is all a matter of public record in connection with the
U-Z affair. Representative Cannon, Chairman of the House Appropriation
Committee, went on the floor to discuss the incident and in the course of {
it clearly stated that his Committee had been advised of the existence of
the project in connection with making available funds for the project.
Z
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Subsequently, both Senators W liley and Lausche in discussing the U-Z
incident specifically made a point of the fact that appropriate members
of Congress had been informed of the t-Z project although the entire
membership had not and that, consequently. re ponsibility for the
conduct of the U?Z program including its risks was in fact a responsibility
of the Congress. The specific speeches on the floor of Congress will, bel
made available if desired.
6. Possibly there are other items which you would like and which
we would be glad to furnish. We will be pleased to assist on this in any
way. Having in mind a senior Agency official discussing in public the
relationship of the Congress and the Agency and its possible impact on
Individual members of the Congress.. I suggest we zx igbt have some useful
con ent on that portion of your. speech when you have put it together.
JOHN' S. WARNER
Legislative Counsel
cc: 10
Col. Grogan
Distribution:
O & 1 - Addressee
I - Leg. C. Subject 1- Leg. C. Chrono.
OGC/LC:JSW:mks
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