SENATORS PUT OFF STRICT CENSORSHIP URGED BY REAGAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100030036-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 36
• Publication Date: October 21, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100030036-9
0?` ?Aoi 21 0ctobe-- 198s
SENATORS PT. OFF Thus, the Administration wauld pap.
eople r Mr. Reagan's directive, Mr. Mathias
patently remain free to censor people said in floor debate today, would create
who handle sensitive information while
STRICT CENSORSHIP they are with the Government. But it c syof o wA ch would allow the osor
would apparently not be free to proceed ciels of one Administration to censor
j with its plans to require employees to the writings of their predecessors," He
sign ecy agreements consenting to ment amounted to "a sweeping pro-
C ~j
REA(IAN submit to censorship even after they
u L leavesoffiecrce gram of prior restraint, a restriction on
free speech which could pass muster
The March 11 directive also called under the First Amendment only if
for vastly expanded use of polygraph, compelled by the most extraordinary
Move Would Bar Enforcement or lie-detector, examinations ininvesti. circumstances."
gations of unauthorized disclosures, or Senator Mathias said the purpose of
by Limiting Funds-House "leaks," of classified-'information-to the amendment was to give Congress
members of the press and others. time to hold hearings on the Reagan di.
Passage Is Expected While the amendment adopted today rective, which the Administration put
By STUART TAYLOR Jr.
Spedil M The New York Timm
i would not affect the Administration's into effect without consulting Con.
use of polygraphs, another measure k guess, and not necessarily to block it
that limits the Defense Department's Permanently.,
use of pmWygraphs was passed earlier ppoaents of the amendment did not
month offer a detailed defense of the censor-
President Reagan says he has the au- , that any gym' but , bab
Y problems, could uld probabllybe
y be
thorny to carry out his secrecy order worked. out with the Administration I
without approval by Congress, but he Without any legislation blocking it,
has not so far challenged the power of Senator Jeremiah Denton, Republican
Congress to block the order by adapting of Alabama, stressed "harm to the
new legislation. 'United States" that had been caused by
The measure'limits the authorization unauthorized disclosures of classified
for various Government departm eat L*tformation,
to use funds appropriated by Congress
for the purpose of carrying out the ces,-
sorship program.
'Sweeping Prior Restraint'
Today's amendment, sponsored by
Senators Charles McC. Mathias Jr.,
Republican of Maryland, and Thomas
F. Eagleton, Democrat of Missouri,
and supported by such key Republicans
as Charles Percy, chairman of the For.
eign Affairs Committee, was adopted
as an amendment to the State Depart. -
meat's authorization bill for the fiscal
years 1984 and 1985.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 - The sen-
ate voted today to block until at least
April 15 President Reagan's new svs-
ten of lifelong censorship for more
that;. 100,000 officials handling highly
sensitive information.
The 5?-to-34 vote in the Republican.
controlled chamber was considered a
mild rebuff to the Administration and
Signaled rising concern in Congress
about N-. Reagan's directive of March
11 to protect national security secrets
by expanded use of censorship and
polygraph testing of officials.
The measure approved today, which
supporters said would probably be
adopted by the House as well, would ap-
pare:^ttic force the Administration to
stop putting into effect its new require-
ment that: officials of the Defense,
State, Justice and other department
who hand.ie highly classified "sensitive
coWpa:,.mented information" sign
agreements consenting to "prepublica-
tion, review" by Government censors of
their writing for the rest of their lives.
Distribution Has Begun
The Administration . has already
begun distributing such agreements to
be.signed, and some of the more than
100,000 employees with access to
"sensitive compartmented informa-
tion" may have signed them already.
The effect of the language adopted by
the Senate today was not entirely clear,
because it would block the Administra.
tion only from'carrying out a policy of
re?uir'ing Federal employees to submit
to censorship "after termination of em.
ployment with the Government."
Declassified in Part -'Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100030036-9