SECRETS AND CENSORS IN GOVERNMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100020153-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2012
• Sequence Number: 153
• Publication Date: January 21, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

A Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100020153-0
ARTICLE AppPim, WASHINGTON POST
9N AGE' - 21 January 1984
Secrets and Censors. in Government
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- or personal reasons. -debate on au aspects of national policy. _
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, uresucrats have been em- prosecuting spies and traitors, trusting the.loyalty land
barrassed . and, -to be fair, some follm-with an ax to good sense of government employees and encouraging
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S EN. CHARLES MATHIAS is trying A o save the : But it's all part of a free society, which .can only -be
administration from its own worst instincts. - When . ' ' maintained if information flows -freely between .the
the president issued a directive last March that would -government and -the public. Far from conceding that
have - required _' lifetime.. prepublication . clearance of ? the March directive was wrong in its conception, Mx.
speeches and writings-of some govemment,employees, Willard now suggests "compromises" that involveatiff
the Maryland senator offered an amendment to The lines and administrative penalties againstgovemment.
State Department authoorization bill that ut the plan employees who divulge -material' some other overn-
on bald until April I& Another partof#he.presidential =anent employee thinks ought to be secrets anyone directive, which o cold lave greatly expanded the use: who' has ever worked in government can attest, this
of polygraphl~sts in the federal-service, has been.tern covers a lot of territory-and tons of papei:,r
porar y sidetracked ly an .-amendment -to-a Defense ` Mr. Willard. maintains that new proposals a ,has
DepartmentblL The good' news is diet the administra.'- discussed with co oral staff are simply :talking
tion now appears. to be -willing to let Congress .play a points, offered without the imprimatur of the Justice
role in dealing with national security. leaks, the. bad Department or anyone in the administration. Perhaps'
news. is that some of the legislative proposals quietly he has offered this parade of horribles-to demonstrate
floated by -acting- assistant attorney, general Richard -hat the March directive is moderate in contrast. It
Willard sound worse than the original directive.. won't work _ The whole business of subjecting =mil-
The paranoia -about -leaks is. preposterous in the lion individuals to he detector tests and imposing per-
first place. No-one in the administration has cited any manent censorship on officials --some of them.political
actual cases where national sec htyhas-been jeopard- appointees--is wrongheaded. Junk the directive and
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Vie-blower. Of course, scandal and stu- suggested compromises Let's return to a -policy of
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STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100020153-0