GENERAL COMMENTS ON SECTION 405 OF H. R. 9910

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000200010053-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2001
• Sequence Number: 53
• Publication Date: October 26, 1971
• Content Type: REGULATION

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0 O CT 1971
General Comments on Section 405 of H. R. 9910
Section 405 of H. R. 9910 (the "Foreign Assistance Act of 1971
as amended in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would add a new
Section 15 to the Act entitled "An Act to provide certain basic authority
for the Department of State. " Subsection (b) of the new section would
require the Department of State to keep the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee "fully and currently"
informed regarding all activities and responsibilities of all departments,
agencies, and independent establishments of the United States Government
conducted outside the United States or its territories or possessions. It
also requires these departments, agencies, and establishments to furnish
any information requested by either of these Committees relating to
their overseas activities and responsibilities.
If it were to become law, this proposed section would, raise a
fundamental question of committee jurisdiction. The Armed Services
Committees of the House and Senate are charged with legislative oversight
of the military services and the Central Intelligence Agency. While these
elements of the Executive Branch are, of course, responsive to requests
from various other committees of the Congress for information pertinent
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to matters within their jurisdiction, their specific operations and budgetary
considerations are within the sole jurisdiction of the Armed Services and
Appropriations Committees. I request, therefore, that the words "within
the jurisdiction of these Committees" be inserted after the word "responsi-
bilities" at line 7 and after the word "information' at line 11 on page 57 of
the bill as reported by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I believe
that the addition of these words does not dilute the thrust of the section
as proposed by the Committee but leaves no doubt as to the specific over-
sight responsibilities of the various committees involved.
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