MEDIA COMMENT ON APEX

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00788R000100120033-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: September 8, 1980
• Content Type: MF

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25X1
8 September 1980
STAT
STAT
STAT
l!:
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence ~1'
VIA: Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
FROM:
'ass L-DLCULL to the DCI For Compartmentation
SUBJECT: Media Comment on APEX
1. This memorandum discusses several press items related to APEX
and contains a recommendation that you and the CIA Office of Public
Affairs continue the policy of not commenting to the public or the media
about APEX.
3. The Times' story is respectable, although it goes further than
I consider proper on the part of U.S. officials. It leaves little to
add.
4. I recommend strongly that you reinforce the "no comment" policy
we have followed heretofore. Providing more information to the media
will not cut off the political opposition to the President, and may well
place us in the position of answering questions of the "When are you
going to stop beating your wife?" variety.
5. If you approve, I would like to announce to the APEX Steering
Group at tomorrow afternoon's meeting that we will continue a "no
comment" policy with respect to all--aspects of APFX_
Attachments
Newspaper clippings
t7
"as a 2294
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SUBJECT: Media Comment on APEX
Distribution:
Orig - Addressee
1 - DDCI
1-ER
1 - DCI APEX Security Officer
1 - D/OPA
1 - SA/DCI/C Subject File
1 - SA/DCI/C Chrono File
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 . But the new system would replace cur-
rent designations d i
.QW
to a narrow circle of officials and mem-
gence information world be more widely
circulated within the Government and on
Capitol Hill. ?
According to 0111ciais, Only' about two
dozen senior aides ii the PYem?rt.,o
:. speclaltoTheNewYork TLmes w,igrass would De prig to Information
designated ""
Ro
aI
C
y
.
oigressional aides
WASHINGTON,.Sept. 6 The Carter 1978 when an employee of the Central In-
said the recipients woult include the ma-
Administration Is Instituting a new, se- telligence Agency gave Soviet agents de ? jority and minority leaders of the House
curity designation, higher than "top se- tails of an American surveillance satel- 0 and the Senate and the ranking Republi-
cret, in an effort to stop the disclosure of ilte. The employee, Peter Kampiles, was can and Democrat on tie two congres-
national secrets, Government aides said caught and later found guilty of passing sional intelligence commttees.
today. Secrets to Moscow. Noting that under the new system Re-
The officials said that under a' whole- Adm. Stansfield Turner, the Director of Publican" leaders ould have access to
sale revision of the Administration's clas- "Royal intelligencwe, a tut it House aide
sill atiori a!stem,.in~tlttted b Central Intelligence, and Zbigniew. Brze= said "this should prove that it is not politi-
F , Y President
? zlnski, IYIr,.CPr tee's matron i( security acf-. ? cal.,,
:niter eb.fiy'this ,rear, the iiew ilesigila; vises; ate s id to have tnitiateti.the, etv, , Some Republican con fressional. aides
tion, known as ':Royal,".would be applied security system,. A1des said that both offi-. expressed deep suspicion that the new
to Inforrr?.atioi stemming fibin the rna;i ciaf8'believed that the Government was designation could be used for political
sensitive intelligence sources end meth- becoming so"overwhelmed with intelli- Purposes, and an article jublished today
ods, restricting distribution of that infor- gence Information that intelligence'aides in The Daily Oklahomai in Oklahoma
mation to a small number of senior offi- could not distinguish between normal and w City, Okla., implied that. the revisions
cials and members of Congress. really sensitive information. e,were politically motivatet. The newspa-
The step could represent a significant per also reported that the 'Royal" desig-
departure in the Government's handling As a result, some vital data, such as nation had been applied b at least one
'
untry s capabilities
of intelligence information, particularly that concerning the cocable in which Libyan officials described
with regard to its sharing of that data' for monitoring Soviet missile tests, were Billy Carter, the Presidea's brother, as
1 i 1 t d t I b an ?agent of influence."
t 6.
a
ith C
It i
al
f
w
ongress
.
s
so said to reflec
growing official concern over foreign es-.
pion age and disclosures to the press.
An 'Outrageous Fabrication' 0
.While confirming the existence of a
new security system, a White House
spokesman characterized, as an "outra-
geous fabrication" published suggestions
that it had been designed to protect infor-
mation that could politcally embarrass
the White House. ?,~~;
Intelligence officials said that the new
classification was to go into effect soon
and that no Intelligence information had
yet been designated "Royal."
One intelligence aide said the new.sys-
tem was the product "of a couple of years
of thought about how to handle the grow-*
ing number of security breaches of sensi-
tive information," including a case In
sou ine y c rcu
e o arge mum ens o
L&
The White House spokesman said that
people, which is said to have fostered es, "'the White Hc'u a had not sein all of the in-
pionage and press disclosures. Officials k telligence data pertaining; to the Billy
said that under the new system, the most Carter case, but that none of the docu-
sensitive data would be held more close- ments seen by the Presidert or his aides
ly. "For example, if we had a spy In the has been designated "Ro}al." In fact,
Soviet Politburo, all of his reports would ' commenting on the "Royal' designation,
be classified 'Royal1' " an intelligence the spokesman said that "tie system of
aide said. which that designation is tc be part has
Officials said that at the suggestion of not yet been implemented."
Concern In Con
Mr. Turner and Mr: Brzezinski, Presl- grss
dent Carter asked the intelligence com- 0 The question of how widersen uiv,3 in-
?L'munity last January. to produce a new Iormation should be circulated in Wash-
.system for designating and handling in, ington has long been at issie. In recent
years, the Administration,-under con-
telligence.
The Government; already. classifies Congronal pressure, has agreed to give
k. some 'information above "top secret." ongatss wide, to intelligence im-
p formation.,
Because of the complexity of the current i` Some members of Congress, informed
system and its seereey, it is difficult to of the new "Royal" desigiation, ex.
know exactly how many people now have pressed concern that the kdministra-
laccess to the most sensitive information, ' tion's new system would restrict the flow
!of information to Capjtol Hill.
"Nothing I have seen suggests that its
will be used for political purposes," Sena
for John Glenn, Democrat of Ohio, said in
"
a telephone iti "B
nervew.ut I am con-
cerned about our ability to get access to
information we need."
i Representative Les Aspin,- Democrat
of Wisconsin, a member of th. House In-
telligence Committee, expressed concern
that the new designation could be used
"to prevent Congress from asking ques-
tions about intelligence collection activi.
ties." He noted that the intelligence com-
mittees, under law, had to be informed ?
about covert operations, but that the Ad.
ministration could withhold information
on Central Intelligence Agency activities
to collect Information.
At the White House, a spokesman ex-
pressed annoyance over the disclosure of
the new designation, sa}ing that it repre-
sented the "systematic pumping out of
distorted information that is depicted as
relying on intelligence.",
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OFFICE OF CURRENT OPERATIONS
NEWS SERVICE
Date. 8 Sep 1980
Item No. 2
Ref. No.
DISTRIBUTION 11 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, 8 September 1980, page 28.
.the. -.irst.Amenament.
Word that the Carter on: bas., set forth. the: role. of Congress in overseeing _,volved were at first opposed .to the sanctions,
come up with a supersecret intelligence clas- .. "all intelligence: activities':' of the CIA.- the proposed,, . .
sification and dubbed it: "Royal".makes: us.._ FBI, Defense Intelligence.Agency, and Na- After the Carter administration indicated
wonder what the ? likes. of Sam-Adams-and - tional: Security= Agency; - --not just the- S0-. It did not favor the legislation and a USJus-
Tom Jefferson would. have thought. Behind called "covert" projects.,,: tice.Department.official told the Senate Intel-
this regal-sounding new. category of hush- : But there is a second: measure making its iigence Committeesuch a provision would be
hushability seems to be the idea that bureau-, way. through both. House and Senate, and this.:- .unconstitutiouai,. - it :was dropped from the
crats handling classifiedinformation have be- one seems. W be taking.the."intelligence . original bill. Now it has resurfaced, with the
come so comfortable with the once-ominous game"'in theopposite direction from that in--?--: backing: of CIA Director -.Stanfield Turner
"Top Secret" that they handle documents. so.... tended when the revision process began. In an.,:, and... app gently, the President On Sept. 5,-1
stamped almost like ordinary memos.., attempt. to protect CIA and FBI covert activi- .--Frank Carlucci, deputy director of. the CIA,
Despite ? amusement at the- singularly ' 'ties and the individual agents involved in told the Senate Judiciary. Committee that the
nonegalitarian ring of the new security term them, separate but similar House and Senate bill would not violate First Amendment rights `
and concern: over the persistent. tendency to-' .. bills would provide criminal penalties against and that "nothing could. be more subversive
ward more government secreey;, we neither, anyone who - in the words of the-Senate ver- of our constitutional system of government
wish to ridicule legitimate national security sion -;,"disposes; with the intent to impair or .. than to permit a disgruntled minoroty of.citi-
policy nor ignore other;. more serious develop impede .the foreign intelligence activities of zens freely to thwart the will.of the majority."
ments in the intelligence. field: the halting the United States, to any individual not autho-- Who disapproves? Sen. Patrick Moynihan
steps toward.writing a new charterfor.United. rized to receive classified information, any in- of New York, for one; he originally favored
States?intelligence:agencies and a related at formation that?identifiesa covert agent.: such legislation but later decided it was "ex-
tempt, which could impinge on-First Amend- -:-Three- important congressional commit- traordinarily careless of the rights of journal-
mentrlghts.toprotect covertoperations.? teeshaveapprovedthis.unprecedented legis- ists.". And- seven top journalistic groups, in-
Congress continues,to:straggle to produce>> lotion. It is said to be aimed specifically at the cluding the American Newspaper Publishers
the-"intelligence charter" almostuniversaUy .`:. editor of a publication,- the- Covert Action. In- Association and the American Society of
demanded in the wake of Central Intelligence . formation Bulletin, which has over the past " Newspaper Editors, have sent. letters to
Agency and Federal Bureau: of-Investigation .: few years published the names of persons it - House members opposing the proposal.
excesses of the 1960s and-early.; 70s. So far ". alleged to be covert CIA agents. Five years" _ The difficulty of reconciling intelligence
only ? stopgap measures have. been: enacted: -ago one of those named was murdered in Ath- activities with the ideals of a free society is
the 1974 Hughes-Ryant- amendments" to' the. - . ens..A few weeks ago in Jamaica, the house of clear. Enacting a law that might subvert the
1947 National Security Act and. g. soon-to-be-- ` another so. named was fired. upon. Many .. basic rights of free speech and press in order
enacted. Intelligence- Oversight Act of 1980. Americans,.not just the government officials to stop the questionable activities of a few in-
The-new law has. been passed by the Senate -,-responsible,forIntelligence- activities, are dividualscertainly isunjustified..Thegovern-
and will soon rreach_ the.' Hauselloor: Propo- ....may disturbed about these incidents and con- meat should first stop its own leaks, and the
nents of the act term-it only a;eloln]datlon" corned..aboutirresponsible-or inimical publi= new legislation does provide stiff penalties for
for a? broader and-.mom intelligence cation of the names of supposed agents- But ? present or former government. employees
;=chador. But they point.art.that it doesclearly _even the get officials mostrlosely in- .who breach security. . . :
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THE WASHINGTON ST; .R Sux'4ay, Septerrer 7.1-330
Geer. Weghs Change
New 'Royal' Class
Being Considered - ..
137 Jeremiah ('Leary
wash i ngton star Staff writer
The Carter administration for
more than a year has been trying to
devise a more manageable system of
security classifications to protect
information that is sensitive-be-
cause of its source, a White House
official acknowledged yesterday.
The system, which would include
a higher classification than "Top Se-
cret" if it is approved and put into
effect, is-being devised by what the
source called "the usual intelli-
gence agencies.". '
Presumably the architects of the
new security system, include the
CIA and the National Security Ag-
ency.::: : _. .
The new system includes a.super-
secret category called "Royal" but
the official emphasized that the
president-so far has approved only
parts of the plan. The system of
which "Royal" is a part has not been
implemented, he said, adding that
"Royal" is, only part' of a much
broader system for safeguarding
information from-especially sensi-
tive sources. ??
The administration ordered the
intelligence agencies to work- on
the new system because there is
considerable awkwardness and
some. misuse of.the- only existing
categories for labeling security
information. These categories are
"Top Secret." "Secret" and "Confi-
dential." The Atomic Energy Com-
mission, NSA and other agencies
have separate systems of classifica-
tions.
The official noted that there is a
great deal of difference between.a
security classification and a se-
curity clearance, since the latter
designates only individual access to
intelligence material. -
"if and when the new system is
signed on by the president, its pur-
pose will be the handling of classi-
fied materials," the source said.
"Obviously, a vast amount of intelli-
gence comes to us by technical
means and must be protected.,,.
The official heatedly denied a re-
port by the. Oklahoma City Daily
Oklahoman that the "Royal" system
was devised to protect the president
from possible embarrassment and
to safeguard politically sensitive
information. He flatly denied that
the designation was used on one
cable in which -Billy Carter al-
legedly was called "our agent of
influence" by Libyan officials.
"The system has not been put into
effect, so it could not have been
used on material_ relating to Billy
Carter or other matters regarding
the Soviet Union as the newspaper
report says," the official declared.
The story said only four senators,
staff directors of the Senate and
House Intelligence Committees
have access to "Royal" information.
The senators named in the article
were Birch Bayh. D-Ind; Barry Gold-
water. R-Ariz; Howard Baker. 5-
Tenn., and Robert C. Byrd. D-W.Va.
"Its purpose is not to conceal po-
litically 'embarrassing informa-
tion," said the White House aide. "If
information classified that way
went to Goldwater, obviously it- isn't
designed to protect us from political
inquiry." - The official said the-story is er-
roneous and was planted by the
same people who gave Jack Ander-
son the controversial material that
President Carter plans to invade
Iran in October for political reasons
and to help him gain national sup-
port for re-election.
Asked w, ,o these sources were,
the official blamed unnamed minor-
ity members of Senate and House
committees.
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PE3~JG .5IIINGTQN POST . -i Su d r:5 ptsm6e. C ff10
New
to ' : 'i ?~it 1 b Pc ~ :t+ I t~elli ~r~ce
ro or A s'rhae 17c se press office spokes royal told (crtral trio 11gC a ftlon-or as pone senator (;t it fprhcause the "royat" sysle,'ra and the Yn-
+ man sold that 'royal" Is part of
s clads Agency Direr Lo Starsf d turner n 1yatcly r
urf : sold
less 'the t
' tel!Igence case litres staffs are eII 1r
i
, .
i
o
c r teal rc r c rf: m sit etton aysten. tila Isngl }e Tiny ^ triter early 1cCe:nosir l let, G The royal'. sys em is a secret that lI sty controlled by the adminshla-
,.1 a II:.: e rc+ ;s use, ,, new 55 loo, 5 deal pgcd to prclccl fns ~r lien orb !
It many memhcn lot. COn"pass; rtlfUtary, Y,Pemoc: ats.
"
A'. c 1 c. c 0s f rt t co- ? Its part of anew end 01111 unlm Intorin fIon papa cIC s of 111, to Gr 11
cc es 4'hen you es al lllf so e hg e s
l' i-
S 'v z. 6_se o plrn'e lied op ?rir, far Land In r That,ifaesl ltes'' s.Id no sour e r o Leers"and of coy cc:'nme of
g e>< ~. 1 lalswho hase'top secret' clearances '., r sr'ictice, you In elect de y assts
r - cs f nt'.liar.? h l: en ely scnsl, vc, clessltlcd ~InlGrrC0.. "Y. "to Protecting Pollticzlly 5 nsl tlve, o f don'tknrw it etdsls I to the pdoiilrly party: ll :l: cot:id
I yrs.cr cy the spa scsman all Within tentlallYr embarrass, ng m orrnn}Inn 1 have as- effect on UoAcy;, ono SoulCe
'dal elbhtt'1" by s of'Cnr grt s
t n., o is c 1 Le s're I that sYStcnt, Aye Is Only 4 na o[l Nr, The Aso u rccs said Carleo s' direct e said.
a clr. L -Y deslgnaUonsI +r r.1 4n ptementlpg the system states oar rq four senatgrs and four representnth es
ai;. ,
hove t le ric+i. - The a Imle s'rnlion' ,pike men ap+Is Intended .0 Provide kcyiyoacyrro'c -T,a,e been glvcn Access to royal ". S''?
:1:1d IQ ..
i_ation of "toI se parent p inns including royal in the +':~.4r5~ with advanced intcil:gence sq it y soft, a lion' 1~ the Sennle, they ere 4
"Pao c; r..J -"mlc,ory'rf "code nnmc" Ir.t..ILgence cane formulate post llo nst hat. w l: ep i if,: A,10; h'(D UId );AarrY Goldwster
tz
sir i c std 1 das.'i0cnhm's. 1 1 ~ ',.pears, puhpcly aG feast plore llmcl} ) Fiow.ard !(: T7akrrJr ft
y t - ' and resUonsrve :. ' .i7enn) and Ilohert C. Cyrd (D w0 of
I .a c by tat Lic: r,e Dormnl retrlll Bence , eCcoI a~lan s'r I I The o tly'congressonal sta fLrmemA
s be a ise class:Led confidential,, 5vere De top r Jrie sources Bald the tape of ; chile IL
"?
secret But therei are s eclat code agence ciasstiled,''ra nl s sometime Titars P ven'accessI are the staff din r..
L s c Mtge era, In slid is p Y
t c tt Vr t C son es name classlficalions fc gom^tunlep ' vmere significant from q ~olltical ,hear [ors of the' SenAW-d'I18use Tetellt- I,F
e c ,I n cth hodsons .n'elllgercc satcllaef photo get'-t from anfetc:::Bence view'pulnt;,,, genre committees
r, l da t ty I I ,t'penec c ,Ir. Pon methods`. For example, some Intelligence n .j:-' But because "royal" Infornnticn is
;.I c 1 :rn'r -d e, yptc gra;;hlc I tee fno(ogy, Alt ?. tormntian tnvolving Libyq was glue .rio' iy held,-v_ theef F,ht mr tubers r-.g
9 a f'c ,in is code naves, 1 owevc deal with''the "royal" Ire Attu e-it-Including A es' }, of Con cress who have Access to it ere
r to o.,t I;oli 4,,. sources of in[ormationAccording , Will !port In which Libyans were quoted as% Inllk Ny to beay.-arfinq' ai, the, Cpntents
in poi one of the 57m'CCS k"owledgeable',k' descrIbIng the president's'' broth r t ~'4f Its dolly'dl0est less they take the
c Icy s":! a top about royal,' the no ^m' W not In' : v, Billy, as "our agent of Influence" c 1me to gy L. intclllgrnce Committee
t 1=res Ca tar .ram paten .a. tended lu, protect Ip, el ,pence sourcesn : The-newt system Is iso restrlcti a } giWces each day td read It, the sources I
1
4'
p
'~, ld Y~ l1
or mctl.od s of co,Ic ctton I,+' t that even the National Intelligence old.
c .. r. s -. tan T e scarce s d thar Carte na' Deny; a summary sent to only 100 key,:! Pol't lc ally sans: Ilse 1n[ rn:a Jon
' --
ere C Lonal c on ty alfa: rs l,lser -7big-: t, individuals ingo ceinmrnt, has 6 e 1 pose. gets to some Itcpublle nn mom is
pie, Brzezlnskl w.0 'cse the: ter rn ",,come, devoid?of neaningful intorma-. bers of Congress, ,tie sources sold'be
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