WE ARE WRITING TO ASK THAT YOU GIVE URGENT ATTENTION TO A MATTER NOW BEFORE THE CONGRESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R000300370012-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 4, 2008
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: September 14, 1984
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2008/12/04: CIA -RDP90B01370R000300370012-6 MCI
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
President's
Foreign Intelligence
Advisory Board
September 14, 1984
6
Executive Registry
84- 9217
We are writing to ask that you give urgent attention to a matter now before
the Congress. Both the Senate and the House are prepared to pass legislation
which would give the Central Intelligence Agency relief from some of the more
onerous search and review requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. However,
time is running out for passage of this bill as the end of the Congressional
session nears.
Unfortunately, the current position of the Department of Justice with
regard to the proposed legislation is complicating matters. One section of
the bill would prevent further use by the Justice Department of the Privacy
Act as a broad exemption from requests for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. While this exemption is undoubtedly useful in relieving the
Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the burden of
reviewing individual files in response to FOIA requests, the fact that this
very issue is pending decision before the Supreme Court makes the continued
use of that exemption quite problematic. In short, while the PFIAB is sympathetic
to the Justice Department's concern, we believe that the immediate and certain
benefits to be gained from the passage of the present legislation outweigh
the uncertain advantages of attempting to modify the legislation in the brief
time left in the present session.
The PFIAB's judgment is that the Justice Department's continued opposition
to this one part of the legislation jeopardizes passage of the act itself. Further,
we believe it essential that Congress pass this bill during the present session
and not delay until next year when opposition is likely to be more heavily
organized to defeat it. The Board thinks it is vital that progress be made in
trimming back legislation enacted in the recent past which has had serious and
deleterious effects on the intelligence agencies. However, before progress can
be made, the Executive Branch must be united in its presentation on Capitol
Hill.
We strongly recommend that you resolve this matter in order that the best
interests of the Intelligence Community are protected.
The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Approved For Release 2008/12/04: CIA-RDP90B01370R000300370012-6