QUESTIONS ABOUT SECURITY LEAKS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000300090004-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2007
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: October 23, 1979
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved. For Release 2007/03/01 :CIA-RDP99-004988000300090004-9
QUESTIONS ABOUT SECURITY LEAKS
~~ I continue. to be asked about security leaks. Because the damage being done to
the country's intelligence capabilities and security by the continuing flow of leaks is a
matter of concern to each of us, I would like to address some of the recurring
questions I receive.
One of these is: "Who leaks? Is it us? The Defense Department? State? The
,Congress?" In my opinion, there is no evidence that any particular organization leaks
more than any other. Perhaps at one time, or on one subject, a particular department
or agency is most likely the guilty party, .but there is no evidence that one
organization is more guilty than others over the long run.
Leaks can be broken into two categories--those which result from carelessness
and those which are deliberate.
Carelessness. One form of carelessness is failure to comply with the prescribed
rules for handling classified material. Shortcuts such as "talking around a problem"
or "doubletalking" on an unclassified telephone, failure to keep classified material
under required control., or not ensuring that everyone privy to a conversation has the
requisite clearances ali can contribute to leaks. Even though such breaches of
procedure may have only a small probability of leading to an actual leak, cumula-
tively they are the source of many of our problems. Another form.of carelessness is
being entrapped by the media. The standard ploy is for a member of the media to
pretend that he knows the whole of some story and then ask you about some detail of
it. What you disclose may seem to be marginal and incomplete but good journalists
play this game repeatedly until they have pieced together what should be highly
classified material. Many individuals .are entrapped because they want to feel
important by showing that they are knowledgeable on a subject. The irony is that if
the newsman did not believe they were knowledgeable to begin with he probably
would not have asked the question. Others-feel. compelled to "set the record straight."
In either case, the individual proves nothing by answering except that he can't be
trusted to keep classified information. _ _
Deliberateness. Espionage is, of course, the most pernicious type of deliberate,
~~' unauthorized disclosure. Beyond that, there are individuals who deliberately leak
classified information to influence events or policy formulation. Sometimes they are --
giving official background briefings and say more than is authorized. Sometimes they
feel the only way to further some program or to kill it is to bring the pressure of the
media to bear. They achieve this,. then, by leaking classified information to the public.
STAT