U.S. ATTORNEY CALLED IN ON NAMING CIA SOURCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000303200041-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 29, 2010
• Sequence Number: 41
• Publication Date: March 30, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29 :CIA-RDP90-005528000303200041-0
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THE WASHINGTON POST
30 March 1982
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? Aa50clated Press . `
.,~ ~ A U.S: attorney. from California
was called on: the carpet yesterday
by'top Justice Departmentvfficials
amid the. possibility they will recom-
mend he bey fieed 'for publicly dis-
closing the identity of a key Central
Intelligence Agency source in Mexico
and Central' America,
Department sources, who declined
to be identified, -said William? H.
Kennedy,.. they U.S::atlorney in San
Diego, . had ~ been summoned to
Washington: ? The sources said- Ken-
nedy.will"be asked to provide an?ex-
planation for-disclosing last week
that CIA ? and--top Justice officials
have blocked.. arr ~ indictment of the
source, Miguel Nassar Harp. ?'
Nassar headed iVlexico's federal
security'agency`until last January.
Kennedy. told the San Diego -Union
last week.he had recommended pros-
ecution o~ Nassar last November for
an alleged.involvement_in a:car-theft
problems for the Reagan. adminis-~
tration. One- of its :major :legislative
campaigns..- succeeded earlier this
month. in ? obtaining congressional
approval for a law imposing.fines of
up~ta~15,OOO and prison terms of up
to three years for publicly disclosing
the identity of U:S. intelligence
agents, even if the information .came
from public sources. ^ ~-"" "
The legislation, not yet signed
into law' by the president;' would
apply to anyone ~vhp~had "reason to ~
believe' the disclosure mi;ht.~harm
LT.S. intelligence and who had en-
gaged 'in a pattern of activities. de-
signed to identify covert agents. ,,.
Kennedy, 50, .was an assistant
U.S. attorney in San Diego .until
nominated. for the top post last. No-
vember by President Reagan... He
serves at Reagan's pleasure. - '
A Justice Department,source~said
Kennedy has told department offi-
cials that he had rtot disclosed the
. identity. himself but only-confirmed ~
__,_ ~ the accuracy of an account brought ~
~Theiden~~+ptesents- particulaz I'to~l`uin Iiy't~ie Sarr'~iego VOzo
.-._. .L.. aa:. _ _re-. ?!'A l,1'?..-?t7`-1: _. ikt`i..ao~.s: :+. c?k l,.wa-.~ :n~~. ?~:a'. r:-?xi.h.~.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29 :CIA-RDP90-005528000303200041-0