LETTER TO RONALD REAGAN FROM BARRY GOLDWATER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R001502640028-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2008
• Sequence Number: 28
• Publication Date: April 11, 1983
• Content Type: LETTER

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SELECT COMMITTEE OV 1NTELJ_tGEs4Cr
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20530
April 11, 1983
The Honorable Ronald Reagan
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
For some time. now, I have felt that the Intelligence Community
deserved relief from the provisions of the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA). This is why I cosponsored two bills on the subject -in
the 97th Congress. Unfortunately, neither bill passed.
It seems to me self-defeating to apply a law which calls for
"openness" in government to those agencies which by their very nature
should be secret. Why should a rogue former agent like Philip Agee
be allowed to tie up the CIA with literally hundreds of FOIA requests?
Why should the Ayatollah Khomeini be allowed to submit. FOIA requests
to the CIA on the Shah of Iran? Why should +d convicted ,
ev,ty criminals be
allowed to use FOIA to identify PHI informants? Why does the CIA
have to respond to FOIA requests from the KGB?
Mr. President, the answer to these questions lies in the-law. The
Freedom of Information Act requires these things to happen, and they
are happening:
As you know, the Republican Party Platform for 1980 stated, "We will
support amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. I... to reduce costly
and capricious requests to the intelligence agencies:" However, when
the Administration submitted its FOIA proposals to Congress in the
fall of 1981, provisions relating to the Intelligence Community were
deleted at the last minute without warning. I am told that this was
a "political" decision made by the White House. While I am sure
that the. reasons. for doing this were good ones, it really left us
in the lurch here on the Hill.
My question is, will you and your Administration support some form
of legislative relief to the Intelligence Community from the Freedom
of Information Act in the 98th Congress?
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The Honorable Ronald Reagan
Page Two
April 11, 1983
Hr. President, I am prepared to introduce some FOIA legislation in
the next few weeks that will give relief to the Agency from having
to do massive searches of.all their files. I have worked it out
with Bill Casey, and it will be a moderate approach to one of their
most overwhelming. problems under FOIA. I am told that even the
ACLU does not oppose-this bill!. But I will need your support and
that of tbe Justice Department if we-are to succeed. Do I have
this support? If so, who on your staff should we be working with?
I -look forward to hearing from you soon on this matter.
Warm regards, &. A144
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