REAGAN'S EFFORT TO RESHAPE MAY REVIVE DEBATE OVER AGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100140063-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 24, 2011
• Sequence Number: 63
• Publication Date: November 21, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100140063-6
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21 NMove bar 1981
Reagan's Effort to Reshape
May Revive Debate over Ag
The President is about to sign an executive order on the CI
delicate question of how to balance national security w
BY DOM BONAFEDE CIA" will be like the old CIA, which in a D
torrent of headlines in the 1970s was ne
The Reagan Administration, intent on exposed for illegally spying on American se
revitalizing the U.S. intelligence ap- citizens, exhibiting a cavalier disregard th
paratus, is seeking to assure that the for civil liberties, participating or conspir- co
changes conform to President Reagan's ing in overseas assassination attempts and tiv
goals-to combat international terrorism masterminding a host of bizarre, costly by
and other perils to national security, and embarrassing James Bond-like plots. po
After several false starts, Reagan will Adm. Bobby R. Inman, the deputy
shortly disclose the revisions in a new CIA director, publicly declared in March
executive order-the third presidential that while the reins on the agency may be
directive governing intelligence activities eased, the scope of the proposed changes
in the past five years. In addition, Wil- has been distorted and exaggerated. Yet,
Liam J. Casey, director of the Central should Reagan persist in "unleashing"
Intelligence Agency, has taken adminis- the CIA, the consequences almost cer-
trative and organizational measures to tainly would be to revive the highly
further centralize operations under his charged dispute over the proper role of
aegis. the intelligence community in a free
On another front, the Administration is society.
pushing legislation to exempt the CIA The President has already been put on
from Freedom of Information Act stric- notice by the intelligence oversight com-
tures and is supporting a bill that would mittees in the House and Senate that the
prohibit unauthorized disclosure of infor- overwhelming majority of their members
mation identifying U.S. intelligence oper- are opposed to any proposals that would
atives. allow the CIA to conduct covert domestic
Each of these steps is part of a con- operations.
certed effort to strengthen the nation's On Oct. 30, the Senate Select Commit-
intelligence machinery in keeping with tee on Intelligence, headed by Barry
Reagan's hardline defense posture and Goldwater. R-Ariz., sent its recommen-
his political ideology. dations on the proposed executive order
Reagan's new executive order, cover- to . Richard V. Allen, assistant to the
ing the CIA and a galaxy of sister. President for national security affairs.
intelligence agencies, could nonetheless Allen and an assistant, Donald Gregg,
provoke an intense national debate over director of the National Security Coun-
the delicate balance between individual cil's intelligence cluster, arc handling the
rights and national security. Two earlier issue for the White House. Although the
draft proposals, leaked to the press by committee's report is confidential, it is
antagonists, were purportedly designed to known that the members, in a bipartisan
expand the CIA's jurisdiction to include agreement, dissented from proposals that
domestic counterintelligence, lawfully would permit the CIA to engage in
the province of the Federal Bureau of domestic operations and offered several
Investigation. modifications. An addendum attached to
That raised the specter of surreptitious the report included the views. mainly in
entries, mail openings. electronic surveil- opposition to particular provisions of the
lance and infiltration of political groups executive order, of S of the 15 committee
and even legitimate business organiza- members.
tions. It has triggered fears that the "new On the same day, Edward P Boland,
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mittee on Constitutional Rights. Rodino
and Don Edwards, D-Calif., the subcom-
mittee chairman, contend that the execu-
tive order falls within their purview be-
cause it would diminish the authority of
the Attorney General and the FBI in
domestic intelligence matters. Both the
Justice Department and the FBI come
under the committee's jurisdiction.
"Most people don't know how far the
order goes." Edwards said. "We're trying
to let the American people and the media
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100140063-6