CIA SAYS A REVISION OF INFORMATION ACT WON'T RESTRICT DATA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP89B00236R000200190003-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 11, 2008
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: May 11, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/12/11 : CIA-RDP89B00236R000200190003-9
Won't Restrict Data
Of Information,, Act
CIA Says a Revision
United Press I itemational
A top CIA official said1yesterday that a revision
of the Freedom of Information Act applying to the
agency will not reduce the amount of information
that is made public.
Charles Briggs, the, agency's No. 3 official, told
a House subcommittee on government informa-
tion that the legislation also should make substan-
tial progress in cutting a backlog of. FOIA re-
quests. It now tak?e ;two or three years to reply to
requests to searchoperational files.
"I can assure the ' committee it will not result in
the withholding of, any meaningful information
that is currently made public;" Briggs said.
The legislation, ~a' slightly stronger version of a
bill that passed 'thee Senate last year, is also
backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
ACLU lawyer Mark Lynch said the legislation
"will be a gain for public access to CIA informa-
tion."
The legislation would remove most operational
files from the FOIA search and review process.
Classified data already is exempt from disclosure.
Briggs said searches of operational records take
years and require` intelligence officers familiar
with a case to blackout sensitive data. 40
Under the. proposal, _ the public would retai
access to other agency records, including "all i
telligence which is disseminated to_ our nation'
policy-makers as well: as all matters of policy foo-
mulated at agency eeecutive levels," he said.
11 MAY 198r
Approved For Release 2008/12/11 : CIA-RDP89B00236R000200190003-9