REPORTERS SAY THEY'LL USE DATA FROM BRIEFING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96M01138R001200020010-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2005
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: December 16, 1982
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved Fo
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NEW YORK TINS
16 DECE1f.BER 1982
Reporters Say They'll Use Data From Briefing
By JONATHAN FRIENDLY
Reporters who attended a Defense
Department briefing Tuesday at which
thiey were asked to sign a secrecy oath
said yesterday that they would use in-
for-mation from that session in future
reports.
1 none of the 13 reporters actually
signed the oath, but they did agree
or illy to restrictions on how they could
pu blish the information about Soviet
mi.litary capacity. They also were
ba rred from taking notes at the two-
bo ur presentation at the Pentagon.
In interviews yesterday, the report-
ers provided differing explanations of min C. Bradlee, called the affair '-a-,
what those rules were. The consensus clumsy effort" by military officials,
was that they could not write an im- adding, "I don't see much point in going
'
t use the information. "
mediate report relying solely on the if you can
briefing but could use the material to Defense Secretary Caspar W. Wein-
fill out future articles. berger arranged Tuesday's briefing by
They said they -would conceal the the Defense Intelligence Agency to re-
source of the information with such spend to reporters' challenges to him to
phrases as "the Administration be- document his assertions that Soviet
lieves" or "intelligence officials think. weapons imperiled American security.
Some Had Expected Document The document the reporters were
d m . 'd
n Sat amo
l
si
th
th
.
.
.
asked to sign a formal secrecy agree- is based. Should an attempt be made by l
meat but attended the meeting with any person to solicit from me this de-
plans to leave if they could not persuade fense information, I agree to report
the Pentagon to drop the requirement. I without delay any such incident to the
Richard Gross, a reporter for United Assistant Secretary of Defense for pub-
press? International, left the meeting licaffairs."
rather than agree even to the oral i Such a pledge would have prohibited
pledge that the information would be, : reporters even from telling their editors'
given "off the record," which usually what was said at the session.
means that a reporter may not publish'( All of the reporters balked at signing
the information ever in any form. ?t 1 ibe document. After negotiations, the
"What's the point of giving us classi-'1 Pentagon officials agreed to give the
tied information you can't use?" be briefing under what most of the report-
said, adding that "you become a party" ers said were rules that permitted them
to the Administration and observing, to make some use of the information
"If I wanted classified information for The Defense Department officials
myself, I could join the Government." who supervised the session did not re-
The New York Times was notified in spend yesterday to telephone calls seek-
1 advance of the meeting that reporters tag their explanation of the session or
'would be asked to sign a formal secrecy their view on the rules of disclosure.
agreement. Seymour Topping, the man- .'
aging editor, said The Times decided
not to send a reporter because it did not
accept such preconditions, which "tend
to confuse the issues and consequently
the public."
Assailed as 'Clumsy Effort'
The Washington Post's Pentagon re-
porter did not attend because he was
working on another assignment. The
newspaper's executive editor, Benja-
Some of the reporters who attended
the briefing said they knew in advance
they would be asked to sign something
but had thought the document would be
a routine statement 01 rules-. under
which briefings are frequently held.
Others said they knew they would be
Approved For Release 2005/12/14: CIA-RDP96M0l138R001200020010-4
,
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e
as
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tngs
"I agree that, unless specifically au-
thorized in writing by the Secretary of
Defense, I will neither divulge or reveal
in writing, broadcast, or any verbal dis-
course the actual information pre-
sented at this briefing nor the generic
source upon which this D
briefing
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