THE PRESS AND S.1

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77M00144R000800020010-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 31, 2001
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: May 6, 1975
• Content Type: NSPR

NEW YORK :~-jiy~ed For Releas4;~1/O;~I~DP77M0014OaOE.$00020-4
he Press and. J.1,
TheWe is w under active consideration. in, the Senate
T?dirinrv Committee a bill that constitutes a gtave tlanget?
n n
na
o
m
d
to Lnow flow his Government conducts foreign an mi
:f s i cause they are so broad. Thus, if a reporter learned that
a t ..rinrrirPii
tafxem;f the press and to the right of every ci
_ u .1
zen ; Lion to third parties. These provisions are menacing be-
g
y
v
o
ng
, _sf elc nd Senate 1Vlinority Leader Scold. It the law
.
auionable whether {these members are aware of
Finally, Section 1124 makes it a crime for any present
r' . irrxplicatrons of the measure to which they or former Federal employe to disclose any kind of present
sir names. -; fied Information to anyone not authorized to. receive it
This bill, ana a "companion ineosu"re pending in the Except in narrow circumstances, the fact that the infa
House,'?would brin- 11 g about a far-reaching revision of the =or-
rnation was old and out-of-date or that it was misrclassi-
Federal cfrrrinal code.. Federal criminal laws have never fled in the first place would constitute no le
~_.___, ti?~ ~% ia:f;ed 1?,,,t lh~va r P lu a"mere hated kaal defense.
=1 1 ra*i an cos onsors including Senate Majority told his editor both of them would be
uilt
of
i
lati
for neily 00 years as Congress has added new statutes The need for secrecy and the claims mad,.,e for "national
security" are usually vastly overstated. The United States
and the courts have developed various precedents inter es
.. - .. - ?r- has no need fora law that would help officials conceal
matins 'theist.
,and ore gn es tuna a sys ems and wou probably ca se
and other; major issues: Tlw mepace.to :the press _is in
seven sections of the bill relating fo classified, informa-
'tion. Three- of `these sections deal with!oreign agents
and wottlc result in significant changes in existing legal
interpretatons. ofobscenity, insanity, the death penalty,
-? --cnclr rrnsraxcs rttr rn~re vrterl Lnarr rL VOUld hide anything
thehibit usio ove rhaul now being attempts'-bas
t of imnnrtanrP from a fnraian wnPm-r
n. ,. x
'the' tsropos'ed c e-u- legitimize the comprehensive
? rema'inin four sections-11'21'through 1124 of
dmini trations n heirs preoccupation with "national
4: togs power This `vague term "communicate" is
fore!
sue In ormation knowing that it may be communicated
mun cats in ormation to a foreign power or to obtain
actions of the Government and Government employes
r(gy carruktion or waste that their superiors may wish to
The terns "rational itefense information" in 'the bill is
so sweeping that it covers almost ever conceivable kind
negotiations.tor oases in foreign t:u'u11L11ca, a11u at,ia,La,y
assistance,to other countries, for example, are all legiti-
iz7ate subjects for, press -inquiry and public knowledge
r Srietior 1122_ , makes .it a. crime for any person-
riQrma11 a Government em loge-to communicate na-
-
-
n
..
-
-
-isnot aut orized_iQ_receive It, ,while Sect;pn 1123 covers
i all other persons who pass o
l defense inf
atio
r
a
Approved For Release 2001/09/03 : CIA-RDP77M00144R000800020010-4