HPSCI BRIEFING ON AGENCY HOMOSEXUAL POLICY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R000700040021-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: August 18, 1982
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2007/01/17: CIA-RDP83M00914R000700040021-2
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
HPSCI Briefing on Agency Homosexual Policy
FROM:
EXTENSION
NO.
Stanley Sporkin
General Counsel
DATE
19 August 1982
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DA
TE
OFFICER'S
INITIALS
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
DDCI
X
In response to your
t11~~~"'
42
="
recent request, I have
2.
attached a copy of a memo-
randum for the record
which describes the briefing
3.
of the HPSCI staff regarding
the Agency's homosexual
policy.
4.
At this point, the
issue appears to be defused.
5.
6
Stanley Sporkin
.
Attachment: a/s
7.
9.
10
.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
J
FORM 61 O USE PREVIOUS
1_79 EDITIONS -
Approved For Release 2007/01/17: CIA-RDP83M00914R000700040021-2
 OGC 82-07332
18 August 1982
Approved For Release 2007/01/17: CIA-RDP83M00914R000700040021-2
I ssis an eneral Counsel
SUBJECT: HPSCI Briefing on Agency Homosexual Policy
1. On 16'August 1982,1 (Legislative
Liaison Division), Deputy Director of Security),
and myself met with several staffers of the House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence to brief them about the Agency's
homosexual policy. Mike O'Neil was present at the outset of the
briefing but left towards the end; however, Bernie Raimo and
Ira Goldman remained throughout the session.
2. I opened the session by indicating that our policy was a
case-by-case policy that took into account the recency of the
activity, the repetition or continuation of the activity, the
public or private nature of the activity, and any other pertinent
facts concerning the activity in any given case. I also
indicated that certain general considerations were taken into
account. We were concerned with targeting and the fact that
since Agency employees are targeted generally, because many
hostile intelligence services regard homosexual conduct as
indicative of a character defect, homosexual employees would be
doubly targeted. This increased surveillance could easily
compromise Agency personnel and activities. I also discussed the
fact that a person engaging in homosexual conduct could be
subject to coercion, undue influence, or outright blackmail,
either directly, or indirectly by threats being made against the
person's homosexual partners. Finally, I pointed out that
homosexual., activity was illegal in many domestic jurisdictions
and in many foreign countries in which Agency personnel must
serve. For a person to engage in homosexual activity in such
circumstances would risk drawing attention to Agency personnel
and activities if there were a,homosexual police incident and
moreover, a willingness to disregard the law and conventional
social norms would necessarily call into question a person's
trustworthiness and discretion.
25X1
25X1
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 Approved For Release 2007/01/17: CIA-RDP83M00914R000700040021-2
3. I responded to various questions from the Committee
staff until Mr. O'Neil queried as to why a lawyer was acting as a
spokesman for the Agency in this matter rather than the office of
Security representative. I responded by indicating that due to
the increasing incidence of litigation, lawyers were drawn more
closely into the security process to assist security
professionals in making their security judgments legally
defensable in a court of law. However, I noted that 25X1
had come for the purpose of answering any questions they might
have for him. Whereupon the Committee staff questioned
for a short period of time and appeared to be well 25x1
sa is__ie with his answers about the technical aspects of our
policy. The only question that gave us pause was a question by
Mr. O'Neil as to whether or not the Agency has written down a
statement of its policy which constitutes a checklist that
security personnel utilize in adjudications involving homosexual
activity. I responded to Mr. O'Neil by indicating that there
were many documents and memoranda which had been generated on the
subject of homosexual conduct over the years but that there was
no single comprehensive detailed document used by the office of
I Et in their adjudications. Messrs. 25X1
oncurred in my response and later, after
the session, agreed with me that the general policy statement
used by the Agency regarding sexual conduct in general was not
the kind of specific checklist that Mr. O'Neil had queried us
about.
4? I I and myself were advised byl
after th ad concluded that he believ e issue had
been-,defused. Pursuant to the ground rules of the briefing the
Committee staff had not gone into the merits of the John Doe
litigation and only asked that we provide them with a copy of the
complaint and the answer (whenever filed).
25X1
25X1
OGC:RBB:dlr
Distribution
Orig - OGC SUBJ: Security - Homosexual ('0534)
1 - OGC Chrono
1 - DDCI
1 - RBB Signer