IC STAFF EXPERIENCE WITH FOIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000200010057-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 57
• Publication Date: January 13, 1978
• Content Type: MF

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DCI/IC 78-0603
3 JAN 1978
MEMORANDUM FOR: George Cary
Legislative Counsel
I I
ct ing Deputy to the UU1 or the
Intelligence Community
SUBJECT: IC Staff Experience with FOIA
REFERENCE: Your Memorandum for Morning Meeting Participants,
dated 30 December 1977, Subject: Amendments to
the Freedom of Information Act
1. Reference reported that as a result of recent discussions between
the Director and the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
the Office of Legislative Counsel is currently assessing the impact of
FOIA and working on possible amendatory language. You asked for comments
to assist you in this task, in particular, our position on whether FOIA
has had a negative or harmful impact on Agency activities and operations.
2. The IC Staff has not had a large number of FOIA requests, although
some have run to many pages of text. In 1976, for example, we handled an
FOIA request for copies of all DCIDs ever published -- more than 200 separate
documents. In 1976, the total number of FOIA requests processed by the
IC Staff was 21; in 1977 we handled only eight.
3. Many of the FOIA requests referred to the IC Staff have involved
documents of historical interest which were eligible for declassification
review under E.O. 11652. Other requests for more recent material on the
organization and management of the Intelligence Community were prompted
by the Congressional investigations and the publication of E.O. 11905. In
response to these requests, a considerable body of material has been declas-
sified and released. We believe that release of this type of information
has helped to increase public awareness of the role of intelligence in our
government.
Approved For Release 2005/01/06 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000200010057-7
 Approved For Release 2005/01/06 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000200010057-7
SUBJECT: IC Staff Experience with FOIA
4. In our experience to date, the exemption criteria of the Freedom
of Information Act have been sufficient to enable us to withhold material
we determine warrants continued protection, and our denials have rarely
been appealed.
25X1
Approved For Release 2005/01/06 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000200010057-7