WHITE HOUSE SAID TO BE IN TALKS WITH WASHINGTON POST ON DATA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100110015-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: May 16, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/09: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100110015-3
myol NEW YORK TIMES
ON P*M 16 May 1986
White House Said to Be in Talks
- . With Washington Poston Data
I
By BERNARD WEINRAUB
SpedU to The New York Tfms.
WASHINGTON, May 1S-The White
House and The Washington Poet have
been engaged in "negotiations" over
the last several weeks about the publi-
cation of information classified as se-
cret that the newspaper has received,
White House officials said today.
A White House official said Edward
P. Djerejian, a deputy White House
press secretary who deals with na-
tional security matters, and , pL
ward, an assistant managing editor of
the newspaper, were "in the middle of
negotiations" about the publication of
the article. The official declined sev-
eral times. to discuss the nature or de-
tails of the negotiations.
Administration officials have said
the information obtained by The Wash-
ington Post might have included some
of the classified data provided to the
Soviet Union by Ronald W. Pelton, a
former employee of the National Se-
curity Agency, who has been charged
with espionage. Mr. Pelton, who is in
jail awaiting trial, is said to have told
the Russians about American systems
used to intercept communications.
William J. C Director of
enC ntrauin a rce, has sought a com-
mitment from the Justice Department
to prosecute the paper if it published
the information. Administration offi-
cials said last week that the justice De-
partment was resisting the request to
prosecute The Post, as well as other
newspapers and magazines that may
have published information classified
as secret.
A White House official declined to
discuss the details of the White House
negotiations with The Poet, except to
say, "We are discussing the proposed
publication of an article, and our seri-
ous reservations on the publication for
national security reasons."
The official said the White House
"categorically opposes publication," of
the article, adding that "there is an on-
discussion.
_going Mr. Casey has met in recent weeks
with two senior editors of The Post and
-warned them the newspaper could be
prosecuted'if it went ahead with Its re-
port. Both the Administration and Con-
agscloose sanctions
grew against those who di
Earlier this month, the Pentagon dis-
missed a senior official on grounds that
he had been the source of a news article
on a sensitive matter.
Mr. Casey has said that he believed
The Post as well as The New York
Times, The Washington Times, and
Time and Newsweek magazines had
violated the law by publishing classi-
fied material on the raid against Libya.
Government officials have said that
the information that The Poet had ob-
tained covered a broad range of activi-
ties of the National Security Agency.
White House officials said that they
had "no idea" when The Post Intended
to print Its article and that the Admin-
istration opposed any publication of the
information that has been under dis-
cussion between Mr. Djerejlan and Mr.
Woodward.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/09: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100110015-3