JOURNALISTS URGE SENATE UNIT TO CURTAIL CIA CENSORSHIP OF FORMER EMPLOYES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110081-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 81
• Publication Date: April 2, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/09: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110081-9
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THE to!AS! II ?? 1T;) POST
2 Arri1 1980
Journalists Urge Senate Uiiit
CIA' Ceiisoi'ship of Foi ter E~ij-i~y
By George Lardner Jr. approach, he.suggested, would be to The bill, introduced by Huddleston;
r;aah:n::onPost Staff Wrtter set a time limit-perhaps five years would prevent CIA agents from pus-
The Senate Intelligence Committee after leaving the CIA-during which ing as journalists. but would not pre-
.was urged yesterday to fashion legis- former, personnel would have to sub- vent 'the agency from paying joura,W-
lation that would curtail the CIA's mit their manuscripts for clearance. ists to work for the CIA..
Other -witnesses at the hearing- 'Reed Irvine, chairman of Accuracy
censorship powers over its former em which drew only one committee mem- in Media Inc., which describes itself
ployes. ber, Sen. Walter D. Huddleston (D- as "the citizens' media watchdog or.
-The request came from the. freedom Ky.)-assailed provisions of the pro- ganization.' said that curbing the use
of information committee of the Soci-
ety of Professional Journalists (Sigma
Delta Chi), which expressed alarm
over the scope of the secrecy agree-
ments that all Central Intelligence
Agency personnel are required- to
sign.
The Supreme Court held ' in Febru-
ary that the government has broad
powers to enforce such agreements
against former employes and can cen-
sor their wriitngs even when they do
not involve the disclosure of classified
posed charter that would give the CIA
a sweeping exemption from the Free-
dom of Information Act (FOIA) and
that would allow extensive surveil-
lance of Americans - both here and
abroad.
. Katherine A. Meyer, director of the
Freedom - of Information Clearing-
house, said the CIA "cannot point to a
single instance where release of infor-
mation under the FOIA has endan-
gered our national security?" Speaking for the American Society
information. of Newspaper Editors freedom of in-
Testifying at a hearing on proposed formation committee, Joseph R. L.
charter nn tt h for the pro and Sterne, editor of the Baltimore Sun.
other U.S. intelligence agencies, Rob- -said the CIA proposal would "pull
ert Lewis, chairman of the society's dlwn a curtain of secrecy that is sim-
freedom of information committee, p y unnecessary."
Rid the CIA has a legitimate interest add Sterne to also urged the committee
STAT? to the proposed charter a provi-
in preventing- former employes from eion ?that would prohibit the! CIA
disclosing, intentionally or otherwise, "from recruiting, or seeking to re-
sensitive information that could dam-
employed by Amer-
age this country's national security." icant, nejournalists ws organizations."
He added, however, that "we, are,-!
disturbed by-the reach of the con-
tract" that the CIA uses, requiring.;
pre-publication review of any informa-
tion involving the agency that the gov-
ernment has not made public be?ore.
In effect, Lewis protested; CIA "em-;i
ployes are forced- to - sign away their,
First - Amendment - rights;., Of 'free
speech and -freepress for. the-rest ofd
their lives.'
Voicing fears that this could block"
any effective criticism of the agency-
by CIA veterans, Leavis suggested that'
the Senate Committee-consider a 'ban
only on writings. "that irreparably
harm the national security." Another
of journalists by U.S. intelligence
agencies would be unwise. especially
since there is nothing to prohibit their
enlistment by the Soviet KGB or
other foreign intelligence services. ?
"It is safe to say that any of the
world's great ' intelligence agencies
have made and continue to make good
use of journalistic sources and jour-
nalists in their operations,". Irvine
said.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/09: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110081-9