SENATE VOTES TO BAR IDENTIFICATION OF SECRET AGENTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100060014-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 18, 2011
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: March 18, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/01/18: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100060014-9
ARTICLE .APPEARED
Oil PAGE n+2
NEW YORK TIMES
18 MARCH 1982
snare Votes to Barldentification or ecre :gents
,':By DAVID SHRIBMAN
Spni*WT NwYmtT1m+
that-would make it illegal for individu-
als,,.;iricluding -journalists, to- identify
activities..
The amendment, which: was offered"
bySeriator John H. Chafee; Republican
of Rhode Island, would make it a crime
that. -would Identify American intelli-
In approving language virtually iden-
stringent standard forprosecution than
its Ju,?iciary Committee had reeorn-
todajt,'which has strong White House
telligence Agency officers by Philip
Agee, a former agency employee who
has written booksabout the agency, and
by assertions by American intelligence
officials that theidentification of agents
restricted their activities or exposed
them topbysicalharns. =:'7
Busli obbiedfourAmendment
Today's approval of-~ther. Chafee
'amendment to the' intelligence identi-,
ties. protection act came after an in-
tense lobbying effortby the Administra
tion. Vice President Bush, himself a for-
mer Director of Central Intelligence,
gresided over the vote and was credited
by. supporters of the -amendment for
winning at least six uncommitted votes.
The action was swiftly condemned by
press and public interest groups. John
H. F. Shattuck, Washington director of
the' American Civil Liberties Union,*
called the approval of the amendment
"a devastating blow to freedom of the
press" and said his group was prepared
for co urtaction to challenge it.
. The bill provides fora fine of as much
as. $15,000 and three years' imprison-
nal because it could expose to proaecci
Lion those who publish the identity of an
agent in the course of an article that
was not intended to jeopardize Ameri-,
can intelligence activities or expose are-
American agent to physical harm.
Senator Chafee said the bill posed no
threat to general-,circulation newspa-
pers and magazines; "I don't think the
C.I.A. is going to go around trying to
nab everybody,"- he said.: "The legiti-
mate press has always showrrtremen-
dousrestraint."
But Jack C. Landau,'director of the-
Reporters Committee for the Freedom
of the Press, one of the groups-that has
led the battle' against , the Chafee
amendment, said the measurewas "un-
Coost1rlmonal.' .
"The First Amendment only permits{
the conviction and jailing of news pea;
pie for publishing information whichi
does a direct, immediate and irrepai-a.4
ble injury to the national security,'.
he{
said, "and does not permit prosecutions
for disclosing information which is
merely embarrassing or causes some
discomfort to the Government:"" 7%7-J
ties-? .7 -
The language 'that arcs adopted
T measure, which was aimed at a earlierby the Judiciary Committee, by The Senate still as consideii
n
ng a
serier of intelligence newsletters but a 9--to 8, vote, was_ directed. at persons - amendment from Senator Bill Bradley,
wouldratfect the general press as well, y who identified American: intelligence Democrat of New Jersey, that would re-
was gompted by the disclosure of the t personnel "with intent to impair or im- strict prosecution to those
identities of more than 1,000 Central In-; pede foreign Intelligence activities" of .. l engaged in a
theUmtsd States..., pattern of activities' where main
rection" isg'to identify and expose eov
The concept of outlawing the publica ertagents: ? ;
tion of agents' names has broad support
on Capitol Hill. The debate focused in- The intelligence identities protection
stead on the Chafes proposal, which act is all but certain.to be passed in this
called for prosecution ofss'any person Cangress.,-? - ;W rs 4s
who, in courseof patternot activities in.
tended:aoAdentity and expose covert
agents and with reason.to(believe such.
activities would impair..oir, Impede for.
eign.: Intelligence 'activities".`-of the
United states orrdiscloses Identity of a
covertagent.'iX; 'tf .:
:.,~tCritlaSay?abFatsytoConvict,;;A ,
"Critics of. the -r?p??ai siidthat the
p~
"reasonaa. believe;:.Standard' would
Inat* it too easy to convict: M,
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/01/18: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100060014-9