PENTAGON ACTS TO CURB SCIENCE PARLEY PAPERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100030079-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: April 8, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-
STAT
Position of Pentagon
Defense Department officials have
contended that the flow of scientific in-
formation overseas through the open
discussion of scientists and engineers
has damaged the strategic position of
'
the United States in its relations with
the Soviet Union.
Critics of the department have re- 1
sponded that the open exchange of in-
formation is an important reason why
the United States is a world leader in
scientific research and that the techni-
cal advantages said to have flowed to
the Soviet Union through the presenta-
tion of unclassified material have been
exaggerated.
Mr. Adler, the civil liberties counsel,
charged the Defense Department with
'bullying" the scientific community.
He also said the department's decision
to either cancel papers or require the
society to restrict attendance at sensi-
tive sessions appeared to conflict with
the Pentagon's announced policy. He
cited a recent statement by Defense
-secretary Caspar W. Weinberger that
the department bad "a longstanding
policy regarding the open nature of un-
classified basic research and have en-
couraged the free and open exchange of
such information through all channels,
including presentation at open confer-
enoes." -
-Mr. Adler added that many of the
basic policy issues involved in the con-
-
tinued tension betweeen the depart
United States. ?. The Pentagon's last-minute decision
In addition, the department has or- to impose restrictions on the papers at
opted the sponsor, the Society of Photo- the forthcoming symposium has re-
restrict optical In the audience Instrumentation that Engineers, attends to
the newed concern among some of the na-
presentation of two dozen other techni- tion's leading scientific and engineer-
cal papers that are also not classified. ' ing associations about the Reagan Ad-
The Pentagon has contended in this rnuustration's continuing effort to re,
case and others like it that it has the au- strict the flow of information that has
thority to limit distribution of informs- not been declared a military secret be-
tion under the Export Control Act, Yond United States boundaries.
which bars the export of sensitive tech- Just Friday, for example, the Amer-
nology without a license.. When
speeches and papers are involved, the ican Association for the Advancement
of Science, the National Academy of
Defense Department has said that the Science and the National Academy of
presence of foreign scientists in the ' Engineering called an unannounced
audience could lead to unauthorized ex- meeting at which about 35 represents.
port of information. , tives from various professional groups
The legal authority asserted by the discussed what steps, if any, they
Government has never been chal-
lenged should take in response to the Penta-
gon's information policies.
lative counsel of the American Civil Civil . A participant at the meeting, Robert
Liberties Union. But leading universe- L. Park, a professor of physics at the
ties and professional associations have University of Maryland, would not
objected to the restriena g and have comment oh what was said at the ses-
been working with Pentagon officials sion. However, he said it was his per-
in trying to resolve the conflict. sonal opinion that the Pentagon efforts
Sensitive issues involved 1were damaging American interests by
+h frog Pwrhangre of ideas.
Science Parley Papers
NEW YORK TIMES
8 April, 1985
Pentagon Acts to Curb
WASHINGTON, April 7 - The De-
fense Department has told the sponsor
of a technical symposium to be held
here this week that it must cancel the
presentation of about a dozen unclassi-
fied research papers because the infor-
mation might help the enemies of the
The scientific and engineering work
of members of the photo-optical society
are of special interest to the Pentagon
because of their application to such
areas as lasers, communications with
submarines by way of satellites and the
use of satellites to assure compliance
with various nuclear treaties. The bulk
of the research conducted by members
of the society and others like it is fi-
nanced by the department
In August 1982 the Pentagon sur-
prised many American scientists and
h
association, who asked not to be identi-
fied, said in an interview over the
weekend that negotiations were still
i under way about the exact restrictions
that would be required.
t
engineers when it demanded the wi
drawal of more than 100 papers from a
symposium organized by the same or-
ganization.
A senior official of the 6,000-member
By DAVID BURNHAM
spbal to The New Yort Tuna
"The Defense people see themselves
at war, while most of the rest us think
we're living in a peacetime environ-
ment," he said. "Some people feel the
restrictions damage the United States
by curbing the exchange of information
needed for research. The Pentagon dis-
several participants said, was the Pen-. I resolved inexport control legislation,
tagon' s decision late last week to which is soon expected to be considered
sharps
decision the presentation of by both house of Congress.
papers at the weeklong conference of
photo optics experts.
Another matter discussed by the par- ..
ticipanis was the recent decision of sev-
eral professional groups to close their ?
meetings to foreign scientists because
of their uncertainty about Defense De-
partment policy.
Though no position was adopted, one
official attending Friday's session said
there was discussion-about whether the
professional groups should attempt to
I develop a unified policy concerning the
Pentagon's efforts to restrict the dis-
semination of research papers that are
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000100030079-1