LETTER TO HONORABLE WILLIAM EGAN COLBY FROM ROBERT H. BORK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M01048A000300200003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2006
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 31, 1973
• Content Type: LETTER

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(Offtrg of t4 r . tti rn j (5rurniI
Waahingtun, fl. (L
October 31, 1973
Honorable William Egan Colby
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D. C. 20505
Dear Mr. Colby:
This is an invitation to you and other persons in your
agency to attend, and actively to participate in, an "Inter-
agency Symposium on Improved Administration of the Freedom
of Information Act." The symposium will be held on Thursday,
November 29, 1973 from 9:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. in the Commerce
Department Auditorium, 14th Street, N. W., between Con-
stitution Avenue and E Street, Washington, D. C. 20230. 1/
1 This is the symposium that was first referred to in the
June 26, 1973 statement of Attorney General Richardson at
a joint hearing of three Senate subcommittees, in pertinent
part as follows:
' * * there are some steps that the Justice
Department can take immediately to encourage better
administration of the Act, and I am today directing
that four such steps be taken now.
"Second, we will conduct an interagency symposium
on the Freedom of Information Act before the end of
this year, to emphasize the need for improved ad-
ministration and to provide for wider sharing of
problems and ideas. This symposium will involve
two-way communications as well as direct presenta-
tions, and we plan to invite the participation of
Congressional and private speakers."
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Numerous expressions by observers in other branches of
government and in the private sector have focussed the
attention of the Justice Department upon a widely felt
need to improve the administration of the Act. Our ex-
perience suggests that the Act is an unusually difficult
statute to administer well, partly because of its all-
pervasive and yet diffuse impact upon the agencies. There-
fore unusual efforts must be made if an optimum quality of
administration is to be attained. The purpose of this
symposium is to stimulate and to exchange, for use in the
future administration of the Act, ideas, suggestions, in-
formation and comments directed toward improving such ad-
ministration.
We particularly urge attendance by three general
types of agency personnel:
(1) Executives with a continuing top or senior
responsibility in the management of important agency
programs, such as the type of officials referred to
in some agencies as "bureau chiefs". These are the
officials whose decisions, recommendations, or policies
may determine whether access to information and records
is to be granted or denied.
(2) Agency general counsels and/or other legal
personnel with advisory or other functions in administer-
ing the Act.
(3) Agency public information or public affairs
officials whose duties involve the handling of public
and press requests for information.
Attached hereto is a list of federal agencies with a
roughly estimated number of attendees from each. These
numbers are designed chiefly to assist in allocating the
capacity of the Auditorium, and are subject to increase or
decrease. If your agency would like to send a significantly
larger or smaller number of persons to the symposium than
is shown in the attached list, please request such a change
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as soon as practicable. This may be done by telephoning
Miss Meszler (Code 187 -- Ext. 2069) in this Department's
Office of Legal Counsel. Agencies with important field
establishments may wish to consider whether to include
some attendance from field offices if the field plays a
significant role in administering the Act.
Also attached for your information is a Tentative
Program for the symposium. As you can see, major emphasis
is being placed on eliciting inputs from all concerned --
users of the Act, key Congressional spokesmen, and agency
officials involved in processing requests under the Act.
Due to the large number of agency officials expected
to attend and the effort to deal with a very complex subject
in a single day's program, special advance arrangements
seem desirable to provide reasonable opportunities for
widespread participation. Accordingly, persons from your
agency expecting to attend the symposium should be promptly
informed.that they are encouraged to submit written ques-
tions, suggestions, or comments for possible presentation
to symposium speakers or panelists. 2/ In addition, each
2/ Such questions, suggestions, or comments should be sent
to John Gallinger, Esq., Office of Legal Counsel, Der?artment
of Justice, Washington, D. C. 20530 in time to reach him by
the close of business on Friday, November 23rd. They should
hopefully be phrased with a view to oral presentation, and
should deal with some aspect of the Act's administration
(e.g., procedures, contacts with requesters, agency or-
ganization for processing requests, interagency coordina-
tion, personnel allocation and training, etc.) rather
than with the legal interpretation of the Act's exemptions.
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person attending the symposium will be given a Survey
Questionnaire, designed to elicit facts and opinions that
may help guide us toward the overall goal of improved
administration of the Act.
Sincerely,
Robert H. Bork
Acting Attorney General
Enclosures (List and Program)
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Washington, D. C. 20530
INTERAGENCY SYMPOSIUM ON IMPROVED ADMINISTRATION
OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Thursday, November 29, 1973 -- Department of
Commerce Auditorium
TENTATIVE PROGRAM
9:00 A.M. Registration and distribution of Survey Questionnaire
9:10 A.M. Introductions
9:15 A.M. Opening Remarks -- Acting Attorney General Bork
9:30 A.M. The Administrative Problems: The Specific
Needs for, and Obstacles to, a Speedier
and More Satisfactory Processing of Requests
for Access to Agency ?cords:
Short statements by panelists, including
Chairman Moorhead of the House Government
Information Subcommittee, representatives of
Users such as public-interest groups and the
press, and agency officials, followed by dis-
cussion among the panelists, based in part on
material submitted by the audience.
There will be a short coffee break at ap-
proximately 10:30 A.M.
12:00 Noon Lunch break
1:15 P.M. Proposed Improvements, Progress Reports, and
Plans for Further Action:
Short statements on training, budgeting,
internal agency organization, interagency
coordination by task forces and other mechanisms,
etc., followed by discussion among panelists,
based in part on material from the audience.
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There will be a short coffee break during
the mid-afternoon.
5:00 P.M. Concluding Remarks -- Assistant Attorney
General Robert G. Dixon, Jr.
5:15 P.M. Completion of Survey Questionnaires
5:30 P.M. Adjournment
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
INTERAGENCY SYMPOSIUM ON IMPROVED ADMINISTRATION
OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Thursday, November 29, 1973- Department of Commerce Auditorium
LIST OF AGENCIES WITH ALLOCATION OF SEATS
Department of Treasury - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23
Department of State - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12
Department. of Interior - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23
Department of Justice - - - - - - - - - -_ - - - - - - - - 20
Department of Agriculture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30
Department of Commerce - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18
Department of Labor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
Department of Defense - - - - - - - - . - - - - - - - - - - 50
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) - - - - 34
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).- - - - 14
Department of Transportation - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24
Veterans Administration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9
Small Business Administration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - - - - - - - - - 4
*/ This allocation of seats was prepared on October 31, 1973.
If an agency would like to send a significantly larger or
smaller number of persons to the symposium than is shown on the
list, please request such a change as soon as practicable. This
may be done by telephoning Miss Meszler (Code 187--ext. 2069)
in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.
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National Foundation on the Arts and
the Humanities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
United States Information Agency (USIA) - - - - - - - - - - 3
Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) - - - - - - - - - - 3
National Capital Planning Commission - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Railroad Retirement Board - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Commission on Civil Rights - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5
Water Resources Council - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) - - - - - - 3
Smithsonian Institution - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) - - - - - - - 3
National Science Foundation- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
Commission of Fine Arts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for
Spanish-Speaking People - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - - - - - - - - - - - 5
Panama Canal Company and
Canal Zone Government - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
General Services Administration (GSA) - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - - - - - - - 4
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)- - - - 7
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) - - - - - - - - - - - 4
Civil Service Commission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5
Renegotiation Board - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Federal Power Commission (FPC) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Indian Claims Commission - - - - - - - -~ - - - - - - - - 1
Farm Credit Administration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
ACTION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Export-Import Bank - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.
United States Tariff Commission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
National Credit Union Administration - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
National Mediation Board - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service - - - - - - - - 1
Postal Service - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8
Postal Rate Commission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations - - - - 1
Delaware River Basin Commission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Selective Service System - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
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National Capital Housing Authority - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
D. C. Redevelopment Land Agency - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Appalachian Regional Commission - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission - - - - - - - - - - - 1
American Battle Monuments Commission - - - - - - - - - - - 1
National Council on Indian Opportunity - - - - - - - - - - 1
Administrative Conference of the United States - - - - - -
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) - - - - - - - - - - - 5
Consumer Product Safety Commission - - - - - - - - - - 3
Energy Policy Office
Office of Consumer Affairs, HEW - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Federal Reserve System - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Cost of Living Council - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Council of Eeonomic Advisers (CEA) - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - - - - - - - - - - - -
Miscellaneous Executive Branch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission - - - - - 1
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - - - - - - 1
American Revolution Bicentennial Commission (ARBC) - -- - - 1
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UNCLASSIFIED I I ?NFIDENTIAL SECRET
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Routing Slip
11/0817-1-
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ACTION
INFO
DATE
INITIAL
1
DCI
2
DDCI
3
DDS&T
4
DDI
5
DDO
6
DDM&S
X
7
D/DCI/IC
8
D/ONE
9
OGC
X
10
OLC
11
IG
12
D/PPB
13
D/Pers
14
D/OS
15
D/Trng
16
SAVA
17
ASST/DCI
18
AO/DCI
19
20
21
22
Please note CIA is allocated two spaces.
Please clear attendees with DCI at a Morning
Meeting.