CLEARANCE PROCEDURES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP65B00383R000100250013-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 12, 2004
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: August 14, 1963
• Content Type: MEMO

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SECRET
14 August 1963
25X1
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Clearance Procedures
1. Bob Neal, on the staff of the Senate Preparedness Investigating
Subcommittee, called to say Senator Stennis would like to meet with an
Agency representative to discuss clearance procedures. He indicated
DOD and AEC would have representatives present.
2. After discussing this with Mr. Kirkpatrick, I attended the
meeting with Senator Stennis and Senator Saltonstall
were present and the three principal points made concerned (1) the amount
of time consumed in clearing transcripts and (2) the actual clearance
itself and methods of reconsideration of deleted material and finally (3)
the fundamental issue of whether the agencies had the final say on a
security deletion or whether the Committee and the Senators had a
final say.
3. Senator Stennis turned to AEC first and their representative
who referred to the AEC act. He then turned to the DOD representative
who very quickly, deferred to the Agency with respect to USIB material.
In response to Senator Stennis' queries to me on the law, I stated that
classification of the material was based fundamentally on the espionage
laws, the executive order governing classified material and other
pertinent laws. I specifically referred to protection of intelligence
sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure. I stated that it
was our responsibility to indicate what material was classified under
any of these laws and executive orders and that we assumed thereafter
that whoever had access to the material would be. responsible for his
own actions. Both Senators Stennis and Saltonstall said they thought this
was precisely correct. Stennis hastened to add that in any event where
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an item came to issue, of course, as a matter of courtesy they would
advise the department head and presumably in the final analysis the
matter could go to the President. Stennis added that there had been
no real difficulty in the past on this but he merely wanted to gain
clarification.
4. The two Senators had to leave for floor business but in
leaving said they appreciated our meeting with them and hoped for our
future cooperation.
5. I was advised pry}rt'tQ~ that on6 of the real problems causing
the conference was the fact that a great deal of material included in
Secretary McNamara's unclassified statement and in fact some
declassified by McNamara during the course of the hearings was in.
fact marked classified in transcripts from previous days and these
had been matters which many of the Senators had wanted to discuss on
the floor. Another issue involved was the fact that certain transcripts
which had gone out weeks before had not been returned to the Committee.
It was quickly ascertained that CIA was not delinquent in any respect
on the time factor.
JOHN S. WARNER
Legislative Counsel
OGC/LC:JSWtmks (14 Sept 63)
Distribution:
Subject - Sen Preparedness Sub. File
Chrono.
Approved For Release 2004/03/15 : Cl"O ' 1.00383ROO0100250013-2