LETTER TO HONORABLE JOHN O. MARSH FROM W. E. COLBY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77M00144R000400070022-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2004
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: July 19, 1975
• Content Type: LETTER

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Approved For Release 2004 /Q> Q, #1RpP77M99144R000400070022-0
19 July 1975
OLC 75 1673
Honorable John O. Marsh
Counsellor to the President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Jack:
becoming increasingly concerned over the number of House
committees which, under various assertions of jurisdiction, are
pressing us for information and are demanding various documents
having to do with matters currently under investigation by the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence Operations and the Department of Justice
and which, of course, will be looked into by the newly reconstituted
I-louse Select Committee on Intelligence. (I am enclosing copies of
correspondence we have received from the various House committees. )
As I believe you know, I am attempting to cooperate to the
fullest extent possible with our regular oversight Subcommittees and
with the Select Committees of the Congress in these matters. A
fractionalization of these inquiries, however, among a number of
congressional committees will proliferate much sensitive information
under conditions which will preclude any reasonable security control.
I have made initial contact with Chairman Pike, of the new House
Select Committee and hope to have further discussions with him at an
early date at which time I will express the hope that he will be able to
assert the jurisdiction of the Select Committee in these areas and
convince his colleagues that they should defer other inquiries at least
CC. e iY.:l
~rlli-1~1ti6
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 Approved For Release 2004/08/31 : CIA-RDP77M00144R000400070022-0 ,
until the Select Committee has completed its work and filed a report.
This would not only serve to minimize the dissemination of sensitive
intelligence information, but would also eliminate duplicative efforts
withi;t the Congress and conserve the time of Executive Branch personnel
who are necessarily the subjects of these inquiries.
I would appreciate whatever efforts the President and you feel
appropriate with the leadership of the Congress and with the Chairmen
of the Committees concerned in order to assure a thorough, yet
responsible, approach to this situation on the part of the Congress.
will continue to keep you posted on this problem and
I would appreciate your letting him know of any efforts that you feel can
be exerted in this direction from the White Hou se.
Sincerely,
cc:
General Scowcroft
Mr. Rod Hills
Distribution:
Original - Addressee
1 - General Scowcroft
1 - Mr. Hills
1 - DCI
1 - DDCI
1-ER
1-OGC
1 - OLC
OLC/GLC:jmd (19 July 1975
2
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