SENATOR COOPER'S AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT OF 1947

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-15-1-15-7
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: January 5, 2010
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: July 15, 1971
• Content Type: MEMO

V
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
ON-FILE NSC
RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS
APPLY
May Contain
Congressional
Material
INFORMATION
July 15, 1971
MEMORANDUM FOR: HENRY A. KISSINGER
SUBJECT: Senator Cooper's Amendment to
the National Security Act of 1947
FROM: TOM LATIMER
You might be interested in the attached pages from the July 7, 1971
Congressional Record, which were called to my attention by Director
Helms. Senator Cooper has submitted an amendment to the National
Security Act of 1947 which would make it the duty of the Central Intelli-
gence Agency to inform fully and currently by means of regular and
special reports the Committees ors Armed Services and Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives and the Committees. on Armed Services
and Foreign Relations of the Senate regarding intelligence information
collected by the Agency."
-- The key element here is that the members of those committees
would be placed on virtually the same footing as the President
of the United States in regard to receiving the latest intelligence
estimates and analyses.
To emphasize this point, Senator Symington noted that under the law, the
Atomic Energy Commission has the responsibility of informing the Joint
Atomic Energy Committee of any new developments in that field. The
Committee does not have to ask for information, it is volunteered.
- Senator Symington sees the Cooper amendment as accomplishing
the same thing for all intelligence reporting.
-- Adoption of the Cooper amendment would also mean that for the
first time members of Congress would be receiving actual texts
of intelligence estimates and reports.
The Director of Central Intelligence has briefed the Committees
concerned in Senator Cooper's amendment when asked but he
does not provide them with the actual texts. of intelligence estimates
and reports.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/01/05: LOC-HAK-15-1-15-7
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/01/05: LOC-HAK-15-1-15-74
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/01/05: LOC-HAK-15-1-15-7
It would also enable the Committees of the House and Senate to which
intelligence information was made available by CIA to, in turn, on their
own authority release such information to any member of the Congress
who requests such information and to any staff member or employee, of
the Congress designated by a member to have access to such information.
In the case of congressional staff employees, experience
.indicates that it would prove extremely difficult, if not impos--
sible, to adequately control leaks to the press or to take
effective administrative or legal action once such leaks occurred.
Senators Symington, Mathias, Fulbright and Davits spoke on behalf of the
Cooper Amendment.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/01/05: LOC-HAK-15-1-15-7