MEETING WITH DOUG LEA, COUNSEL, SENATE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77M00144R000300090055-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 22, 2006
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: August 1, 1975
• Content Type: MFR

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1 August 1975
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Meeting with Doug Lea, Counsel, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
on Constitutional Rights
1. I met with Doug Lea at 11:30 a.m., 30 July 1975 to discuss
S. 2008, the Tunney-Edwards bill on criminal justice information. At
a previous meeting, I had outlined for Doug the problems the bill could
pose for the Agency, and at that time, he seemed receptive to any remedial
proposals the Agency could develop. I tentatively suggested several ways
in which S. 2008 could be modified to accommodate the Agency's interests,
and we discussed their relative merits. Doug concluded this portion of
our conversation by saying that he was inclined to seek some modification
of the bill along the lines suggested, and asked if I could prepare some
back-up material for him.
2. Doug shifted the conversation to the area of electronic
surveillance. He renewed the r uest which he made in an earlier
conversation with for Agency testimony in hearings on
electronic surveillance technology which are being conducted jointly by
the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights and Senate
Commerce Special Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Commerce. I
said that as I understood it, it had been agreed that Senator Tunney
would discuss his request with Senator Stennis. I asked if this contact
had in fact been made. Doug seemed somewhat embarrassed and did not
respond to this question. He went into a lengthy explanation of his
request.
3. Doug said that Senator Tunney was personally pressing very hard
for an Agency witness on electronic surveillance technology. Apparently,
the Senator is concerned that increasingly sophisticated surveillance
technology poses a very grave threat to the right of privacy. He is
interested in ascertaining the current level of technology and whether
there are any controls to its development and disposition. Doug mentioned
the SST decision and suggested that it showed that a conscious choice
could be made to stop threatening technology. I pointed out that highly
developed surveillance technology could be used to the advantage of the
United States, for example, in controlling arms limitations agreements,
and that it seemed foolish to throttle technology simply because it might
be abused. I suggested that the best way to protect the rights of privacy
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of American citizens was to oversee the institutions which used
surveillance technology rather than trying to stop the technology itself.
4. Doug said that in any event, Senator Tunney wanted an Agency
witness for open hearings. I pointed out that technical methods of
collection are extremely sensitive operational matters; that under
congressionally established procedures, the Agency reports to its
oversight committees on such operational matters; and that this is why
we suggested Senator Tunney talk to Senator Stennis about his request.
5. When I pointed out that we could not disclose the current level
of technology without neutralizing our own means of intelligence collection,
Doug suggested a narrower approach. He asked if the Agency could testify
on the level of Soviet electronic surveillance technology and the threat
that this poses to American citizens. He also suggested that the
testimony could be limited to levels of technology already in the public
domain. I said I would pass along the request.
Office-of Legislative Counsel
Distribution:
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OLC/WPB/dlww
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