MEESE FAVORS REDUCING TOTAL OF CLASSIFIED DATA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404180005-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 6, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: March 21, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/06: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404180005-1
ILLEGIB J 1 H I
21 "arch 1985
Meese Favors Reducing
Total of Classified Data
By LESLIE MAC WERNEt
I am.trotw.: ..
WASHINGTON, March 20 - Atoon Today, however Mr. Mews refsc'oed
nay General Edwin Mew hid said W the suggestion that the Admiown'ariea
day that any Government decision to had restricted access to knfaemation
, ,..cute journalists for malting se- and said it bad instead reduced the
Qeti public would "depend an the sir- amt d,idormation that was dasd-
cumstaaces of the case." , >yed, which he said be appkasded.
"I think and I would hope,.' Mr. -'We have tar too much cla dfsed in-
Masse said, "that journalistic ethics formation in the Federal Govern-
would prewar people who bare oh- wt,.. Msl'-Meeae added. "A lot of
tamed what is to sited stolen property. tip whin shouldn't be classifed
stolen information, from utilhriag it in a , and tbarafate there is kind of a ho-
would compromise or hurt thud:. of
waou ~t
national A
..then at a aluochem speech to the ' classification Be called for a "tightceing up"
l
classification "so that oily material
whether be tavoeed r^osea1111i
naWns for publkcizingp daadB?a mtbe~
matisn that was dieclaed to them
without authorisatio .
The Reagan Administration has re-
peatedw espreessd concern over the
i potential for uoauth dead disclosures
d Information that would endanger na-
tiooal security. In 1 it to
~Qisn procedures for &Wiiaiia of
sachinformation through an order re-
quit jag many more Federal employees
.to sign secrecy agreements and ez
..Faad?nn the use of the polygraph, or Ifs
detector, to investigate breaches of as-
curtty.
C.I.A. lropesr Iwgidatlea
The order, which drew a storm of
wotest from civil Ifbatariana, also
drew enough criticism from Congress
to prompt the Administration to with-
draw its key provisions. But since than
the A atlon has dsmonsasted
its dlspieasure with uoaaehccized dis-
closures In other ways, and is now con-
sidering a Central Intelligence Agency
proposal to make it a crime for Govern-
employees to disclose national se-
crab without permission.
secret the
that really has to be kept
interests of national deleos I or national
security is classified, an*tben that the
news media as well as Goveram" of-
fidals work together to mob be pre
Vat that infwrmatim is nottgsrsp~cly
disclaeed." - .. . _
'ogee A - -lei Ua' A/,.sw./
"I think that ultimately is the bolu-
aion to this whole problem." Mr. Meese
arid.--
Mr. Mesas. who has at times been de-
1 picted as hostile to the Pros, pMdg _
an "open aim ation' to his teem,
as Attorney General. - ... - his told
I "We have a respoodbU ty,.,
the audience of reporters. "to get WI i X@tbw to provide timely and accurate
information to the public about the De-
partment at Justice and its activities as
well as about the legal system. We
have a mutual interest, really, and a
used for each other."
"Sometimes there is a temptation in
Gwarnmeot to close up sources of in-
formation," be said, addia` that be
would seer "to avoid this temptation"
and try iastsed "to wort cooperative-
ly.., ,
He Says He71 Meet Milan
Mr. Meese emphasized the role of the
Federal Government in combating
crime, which be defined as one of his
top said bye would meet in Washington
this Friday with the Attorney General
of Mexico, Sergio Garcia Ramirez, to
begin "l depth discussions" of the
drug traffic and of "serious problems"
Mardoo represented in that area.
Later, in to a question, be
said he would the possibility of
extraditing to this country those ar-
rested in Mexico in the murder of an
American narcotics agent. But it will
probably "be better," be said, to leave
prossattian to the Mexicans.
Mr. Masse said he would also meet
soon with the President of Colombia,
Belisario Betanwr, to discuss combat-
O n narcotics. .
another subject, Mr. Meese said
that "cracking down on crime doesn't
mean that we as a society should toler-
ate inhumane prison condition." In
the last 25 years, be said, than had
been a 435 percent increase in serious
crime, a 425 peroeat increase in ar-
rests, but only a 71 percent increase in
he said he
prison wana situation ted to help correm
anted help
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/06: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404180005-1