MEETING WITH MR. HERB HOFFMAN COUNSEL HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00415R000200200030-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2006
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: August 7, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2006/ A0 1 L 415R000200200030-1
ITS A. USE ONLY
OLC 72-0894
7 August 1972
SUBJECT: Meeting with Mr. Herb Hoffman, Counsel, House
Judiciary Committee
1. Messrs. Maury aniImet with Mr. Herb Hoffman, Counsel,
Subcommittee No. 5, House Committee on Judiciary, and reviewed with him
some of the problems for the Agency that would be involved in passage of
the Ervin bill in its present form. We left with him copies of the letter of
21 May 1971 from the Director to Senator Ervin, the letter of 16 April 1971
from the Director to Representative James Hanley, a four-page outline
titled "Effect of Certain Provisions of S. 1438," and a suggested amendment
to the Senate version of H. R. 12652 to provide for CIA and NSA exemption.
2. Mr. Hoffman told us that he is just starting to work on this bill
and so far has only had a quick reading of the bill as amended by the Senate
and the Senate Committee Report No. 92-1006 dated August 1972. He is in
the process of contacting various interested agencies in the hopes of
bringing himself up to speed as soon as possible. He stated at the beginning
of the meeting that with the House going out on the 18th for recess for the
Republican Convention, he didn't see that very much could be done on this
bill until after Labor Day. Somewhat as an afterthought he noted just before
we closed the conversation that there are some `11 days before the recess and
that it would be possible for Committee and House action to be compressed
into that period of time.
3. Mr. Hoffman is not at all clear in his own mind what the possible
courses of action in the handling of this bill may be. It is his present
feeling that since there has been no report by a House Committee on the
"Ervin bill" that the conferees will be constrained by the House rule on
germaness of amendments. In consequence, the conferees would not be able
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to agree to the amendment. It is also his present feeling that the
conferees would be drawn from Subcommittee No. 5 of the House Judiciary
Committee. He does not think that Representative Dulski, as Chairman of
the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee, would be included but
suggested that on this point as well as some of the substantive issues
we might want to talk to Mr. John Martiny, Chief Counsel of the House
Post Office Committee, who like ourselves has been living with this matter
over the past several years.
4. Mr. Maury's presentation of the Agency problems and needs
appeared to be well received by Mr. Hoffman who noted that in fact many
of our problems should be common to the rest of Government even though
aggravated in the security climate. He mentioned that he had discussed
the bill briefly with the Chief Counsel this morning and noted that the
Counsel was not overly impressed by the bill and its application tothe
Government as a whole. He noted the fact that we apparently had been
unable to get Senator Ervin on our side. He also asked rhetorically if
we had any idea what the attitude might be of Representative Gerald Ford
(R. , Mich.) and the Republican leadership of the House if this matter
were to come to a vote on the floor. In response to a question he said that
he knew Frank Slatinshek, House Armed Services Committee staff, and
that he might give him a call regarding the bill.
5. Mr. Hoffman was given Messrs. Maury an phone
numbers with the suggestion that we would be readily available for any
help we might be able to provide.
AssIAssi ay
Distribution:
Original - Subject
I - Chrono
OLC/JGO:mmc (8 August 1972)
t Legislative Counsel
A I fATI E
INTERNAL USE ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/09/21: CIA-RDP74B00415R000200200030-1