SSC MEETING, 24 JULY 1975

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77M00144R000400070012-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 4, 2004
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: July 25, 1975
• Content Type: MFR

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Review Staff:. 75/1653
25 July 1975
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MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT:' SSC Meeting, 24 July i97~
Also present were Mr. Colby,
The SSC called a meeting to discuss their concern
about inordinate and unnecessary delays in making material
available for their investigation. Present were Senators.
Tower, SchweiKer, Baker,, Gary Hart, Huddlesto:n. Senator
Church came'later; Senator Goldwater left after 10 minutes.
Bill Miller, Staff=hirector, noted the Agency's concern
with guarding names and technical methods against disclosure,
and observed that sanitization would involve large invest-
ments in time and manpower. He proposed full access by the
staff to unsanitized.files at headquarters with documents
sanitized to come to the'Committee. He proposed that
special sensitive areas be restricted to the Senior Staff,
and, in extreme cases, to the Chairman and Vice Chairman.
He proposed that interviews and access to. documents proceed
after the. staff had been briefed.
The first discussion centered on charges that the
White House had given the7Agency instructions which were
obstructing the investigation. Nothing. was proved; no
charge withdrawn.
Mr. Colby noted that the nature of the requests in
the attachment to the 26 June letter presented a dilemma.
If he granted unlimited access to Agency files, this would
be a derogation of his duty to protect certain areas of
information, including the names-of agents, cooperating
American citizens and companies. He said that sanitizing
would be a horrendous chore, and. that the purpose of initial
briefings was to refine the scope of document requests.
This led to a charge that since the Rockefeller Commission
staff had had access to raw files, the SSC was being treated
as second-class citizens. Mr. Colby noted the special nature
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of the Rockefeller Commission charge and the fact that
the material was maintained under secrecy agreements
agreed to and enforced by the President.
This revived the charges against the White House, and.
led into a discussion of the SSC's distaste for briefings.
The SSC and staff noted specific instances of delayed
responses. The SSC made it clear teat they were not
interested in briefings, but wantea interviews and docu-
ments. Mr. Colby noted that there was sensitive material
in our files, and it was partly for that reason that he
preferred to brief first. He noted that he was prepared
to brief on the 26 June letter and proceeded to'read a
small part of the briefing paper. He stopped and said
that the paper could be submitted to the Committee for
the record.
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E said that the concept of a briefing should
be an option le t open to the Agency when we felt that
perspective would be helpful. In certain instances it
would be a briefing of the Committee, in other instances a
briefing of the staff anfin still others, merely the sub-
mission of a written briefing paper or no briefing at all.
He. pointed out that briefings were intended to focus on
specific problems arising out of broad document requests..
.On documents, he said that if we knew where the committee
was going, the Agency could help them. get there. He also
noted that a major problem was sanitization, - how to protect
sensitive material without delaying the investigation.
Senator Baker asked what would be sanitized. Mr. Colby
cited names`.of agents, people and companies who had agreed
to cooperate on a confidential basis, technical operational
details, and compartmented operations.
At.this point, Senator Schweiker tabled the SSC's
agreement with the Department of Justice and proposed that
this procedure serve as model for. the SSC's relations with
the Agency. After some discussion, Mr. Colby agreed to
study the paper, "Proposed Procedures", and to report back
to the Committee.on 25 July. Mr.. Colby also agreed that
the Committee could see unsanitized material if the Agency's
sanitization were challenged.
During the course of the discussion,I Iwith-
drew his insistence on prior briefings. Senator Hart asked
.if all parties could, agree that the Committee would receive
written papers for the record. All nodded.
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Senator Church proposed that the presentation on
"two foreign countries" be taken by the Chairman, the
Vice Chairman plus one Republican and one Democratic
member. After some discussion, it was agreed that Senators
Church and Tower would take the information and then report
to the Committee. asked that the same procedure
be followed on electronic surveillance. This was agreed to.
Senator Church said that the,C.oTnmittee would want
detailed information on'the Agency's`relations with corpora-
tions, universities, police and church groups. Mr. Colby
agreed that names could be made available in the case of
police, but asked that the Committee respect the confiden-
tiality of the relations. Senator Church stated the
Committee was not interested in details of cover arrangements,
but would want to know the scope and procedure of this prac-
tice: Mr. Schwarz cited the names of eight specific companies
in the attachment to the 26 June 1975 letter. Mr. Colby said
he was not familiar with all the details, but he hoped some-
thing could be worked out'on a case-by-case basis.
The meeting ended at 1615 with Senator Church 'reminding
Mr. Colby that he should reply tomorrow on "Proposed Pro-
.cedures", and that provision of materials on all pending
document requests, especially covert action studies, should
.proceed immediately.
Walter ETd-e--r
cc DCI
- SC/DCI
CIA Task Force
Assistant to the Director
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