CIA CALLS FOR TOUGH FEDERAL SECRETS LAW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100020043-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 43
• Publication Date: March 21, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/21: CIA-RDP91-00561 R0001 00020043-2
LOS ANGELES TI" FS
21 march 1985
CIA Calls for. Tough Federal Secrets Law
By RONALD J. OSTROW, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON-The Central,: pionage and the theft of govern- Under the proposal, a person
Intelligence Agency is urging the ment property. accused of violating the law could
Reagan Administration to ask Con- They added that proposing a new successfully defend himself by es-
$ress to make it a federal crime for law now could undercut a pending tablishing that he had not obtained
government employees to disclose prosecution in a federal court in " the information through his gov-
national security information, but Baltimore of a civilian employee of ernment service, that it had been
the proposal seems to be winning the Navy accused of giving secret previously published or that it had
little support elsewhere in govern- military photographs to a British not been properly classified.
ment, intelligence sources said naval magazine.
Based on National Security
Wednesday: However, other sources said CIA
The pro posal, a part of the CIA's Director William Casey believes Information would be regarded
annuu uudget au orization re- that a clearer, tougher law is as properly classified if its disclo-
uest would im ose a maximu eeded as a deterrent. Katherine H. sure "reasonably could be expected
penalt of fiv herson, a CIA keswoman re- to damage the national security,"
$25,000 fine on present or form use to comment n P MA's the proposal says.
overnment employees con uthorization request, sa Without commenting directly on
ully disclosing classified it is considered to be an internal the proposal, Atty. Gen. Edwin
information to persons not autho- document. Meese III contended' Wednesday
rized to receive it. that reducing government
over-classification of material and
Proposal Not Solicited then persuading the news media
Presidential spokesman Larry not to disclose classified informa-
Speakes said that the proposal had tion "is ultimately the solution to
not been solicited by the White the whole problem."
House and that "it remains to be "We have far too much classified
seen" whether Presidents Reagan information in the federal govern-
would support it ment," Meese said in responding to
Justice Department officials, questions at a Washington Press
speaking on"condition that they not Club lunch. "I think a lot of things
be identified, said the department that shouldn't be classified are, and
contends that such disclosure of therefore there is a ho-hum atti-
classified data can already_h pros-" tude toward the protection of_ na-
ecuted under statutes covering es- Ltional security information
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/21 : CIA-RDP91-00561 R0001 00020043-2