GUIDELINES FOR CONGRESSIONAL LIAISON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R001700010055-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 21, 2004
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: January 16, 1978
• Content Type: REGULATION

STAT gpproved For Release 2005/01/06 :CIA-RDP81 M00980R001700010055-3
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INDEX
I. GENERAL. PRLNCIPI.~ES GOVERNING RELATIONS ti'VITIi CONGRESS
II. PROCEDURES GOVERNING THE COMMUNICATION OF
INFORMATION' TO CONGRESS
A. Congressional Requests for Documents
1. Processing Document Requests
2. Release of Document
3. Form of Release
4. Final Revietiv and Transmittal of Documents
B. Congressional Requests for Non-Documentary Inforznatiot~
1. Processing of ~i~ritten Requests ?
2. Receipt and Processing of Oral Requests
3. B'andling of ICS Responses
4. I-Iandling of Agency Responses
C. DCI-ICS-CIA Initiated Contacts the Office of Legislative Counsel; and
w-personal representatives of these individuals
specifically designated by them to have such. contacts.
l~Io other persons are authorized to receive, accept or engage in
direct oral communications `vith congressional elements on matters
pertaining to official business. Congessional personnel attempting
to make out-of-channel contacts should be referred promptly to the
Office of Legislative Counsel.
Those persons authorized to have direct contact with Congress
(listed above) shall promptly prepare a written summary of the contact
and forward it to the Office of Legislative Counsel. Tf the contact in-
volved anoral request requiring a DCI, ICS or GL3 response or
follow-up, the person shall also fill out Form B and fox~,vard it
promptly to the Office. Information copies of Form B will be sent
to ICS. If a response is called for, the Office of Legislative Counsel
shall disseminate these requests to the appropriate components}
for action. '
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an i.rt~ ozz ~~:: ttttesponses
Responses to oral or written congressional comrxiunications
which have been referred to ICS for action shall be handled as followsA
Where an oral or written congressional coz~munication
elicits an ICS response in writing, the response shall be ~-
forwarded through the Office of Legislative Counsel far
review and transmittal to Congress.
Where an oral or tivritten congressional communica-
tion elicits an ICS response ~=r'ni.c'n tivill ultimately be trans-
cribed (e. g.?testimony, briefings~on-the--record, inter-
views on-the-record}, the response should be prepared in .
coordination with the Office of Legislative Counsel. A
representative from the Office of Legislative Counsel should ?
be present at the presentation of tn.e response, unless
other arrangements are made. Copies of transcripts shall
be deposited in the Office of Legislative Counsel. .
Where an oral or written congressional communication
elicits an off-the-record oral ICS response (e. g. office
visit, off-the-record briefing, telephone call), ICS should
promptly prepare a tivritien summary of the contact and
forward it to the Office of Legislative Counsel.
In general, the. kinds of. information ~vl~ich tivould'not '
be available tv Congress in documentary material under
section II. A. of these procedures or which would be
deleted from documents under that section should not be
provided to Congress through other written or oral responses.
4. Handling of Agency Responses ~ '
Responses to oral or written congressional communications
which have been referred to CIA. component for action shall be -
handled as follows o ~ '
Where there appears to be some discretion as to the
form which a particular response may take, the tJffice of
Legislative Counsel shall determine in consultation with
the action component the most appropriate form of response.
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~4'Vhere a response is to be in lvriting, the action
component shall prepare'it in coordination ti=rith the Office
of Legislative Counsel. The Office shall review it for
policy consistency and responsiveness before forwarding
it to Congress. ~ .
Where a response is to be in a form ~,vhich will
ultimately be transcribed (e. g. testimony, briefings
on-the-record, interviews on-the-record), the action
component shall prepare the response in coordination
tivith the Office of Legislative Counsel. The action
component shall. advise the Office whether special security
procedures should accompany presentation of the response.
The Office of Legislative Counsel shall make all arrange-
ments for formal briefings, testimony and interviews. .F~.
representative from the Office of Legislative Counsel shall
be present at all formal briefings, testimony and "interviews.
No documents should be released in the course of a briefing,
interviews or testimony< No specific document should be
referred to in the course of such presentations unless the
spokesman has reasonable confidence that the contents of
such document are releaseable in some form to Congress.
Transcripts of these presentations shall be maintained in
the Office of Legislative Counsel.
Off-the_record oral Agency responses tv congressional
requests (office visits, telephone calls) may be made only '
by persons authorized to engage in direct oral communica-
tions with the Congress> Such persons should inform the
Office of 'Legislative Counsel in advance of making these
contacts if possible. In alI cases, written summaries of
these contacts shall be prepared and forwarded to the Office
of Legislative Counsel. -
In general, the kinds of infor~r:ation which ziiould not be
available to Congress in documentary material under section
II. A. of these procedures or which :=rould be deleted from
documents under that section should not be provided to
Congress through other tvritten or oral responses. - '
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Only the following persons are authorized to initiate
contact with any element of Congress on matters pertaining to
official businesse
--the Director of Central Intelligence;
. --the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence;
--the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence for
the Intelligence Comrriunity~
--the Comptroller;
--the General Counsel,
--the Office of Legislative Counsel;
--persons specifically designated by these individuals
to initiate such contacts. ~ .
No other person is authorized to initiate or enter into direct ?.
communication with an element of Congress, formal or informal,
written or oral, on matters pertaining to official business. These
authorized officers are obliged to keep the Office of I..egislative
Counsel promptly and thoroughly informed on their contacts.
Employees may contact a regular oversight committee
concerning violations of charter after.they have pursued all
internal review procedures within the Executive branch as set
forth in applicable regulations. Employees must notify the
.Office of Legislative Counsel before contacting an oversight
committee on such matters.
Employees are, of course, free to communicate witYz
their Representatives in the Congress. However, where an
employee intends to discuss matters pertaining to official.
Agency business, the employee must notify the Office of
Legislative Counsel prior to contacting the Representative.
This procedure is deemed essential to protect intelligence
sources and methods and other classified matters from
unauthorized disclosure. .
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 III. Pl2C~~~-~~~~V~llr9~.1'~~'9~&0~9~~~10055-3
TO FACILITIES "
A. Oversight Committee Visits
1. Headquarters
Members of the regular oversight Committees are welcome ?
to visit Headquarters buildings, ar_d the Office of Legislative Counsel
shall make arrangements for such visits. Oversight Committee staffers
may visit Headquarters buildings when they have been invited by an
authorized person or when they have specific business to transact.
.
The Committee shalt notify the Office of Legislative ?
Counsel in advance of visits to Headquarters by Committee
staffers and shall advise the Office of the subject matter of
the visit. Badges for Committee staff are the property of
the Director and shall be controlled by the Office of Legislative
Counsel. Committee staff shall sign in at Headquarters to ?
receive their badges. At that time they shall advise the Office
?of Legislative Counsel of their agenda for fr_e day. N'o escort
shall be required; however, the Office of Legislative Counsel ??
may provide an escort at its discretion.
in coordination tivith the Agency component concerned. '
3. Overseas Travel
Matters pertaining to overseas travel of oversight ~ ' ?
Committee members and staff shall be handled in accordance
tivith the guidelines set forth in Annex D. ?
2. Other Domestic Facilities
All oversight Committee requests for member or staff
visits to Agency facilities other than Headquarters buildings require
the approval of the Director or the Deputy Director. The Office
of Legislative Counsel shall make the necessary arrangements fax
such visits with due regard for cover and security considerations and
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B. lion-Oversight Committee Visits
?nly persons authorized to have direct contact `FritY~ the
Congress may extend invitations to non-oversight Committee
members and staff to visit Headquarters and other Agency
facilities. All non-oversight Committee requests for visits
to Headquarters or other Agency facilities require l~.he approval
of the Director or the Deputy Director. q'he Office of Legislative
Counsel shall anake necessary arrangements for such visits ~vith
due regard for cover and. security procedures and in coordination
tivith the dAgency component concernedd. Matters pertaining to
overseas travel of non oversight members and staff shall be
handled in accordance ~~ri`~h the guidelines set forth in Annex D4
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