ADMINISTRATION ADOPTS LESS-STRINGENT RULES ON SECRECY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100040079-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: February 3, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040079-1
STAT
I
ARTICLE API-'EltZED
ON PAGE !0.
30STO: J GL03E
3 February 1982
-./AA-dmi -a "I, A
es* on 7-secrjec
Y *1
'TBy Jack Nelson. .*?
J I os Angeles Times.
;:- --WASHINGTON'-- The Reagan Admin-
Hstration yesterday, ordered officials-, in-
.?volved in national security. to sign a secre-
4 cy pledge and. agree, tocooperate in inves-
1-figations? of, leaks,. of classified- informa.
= The order, part of a crackdown Presi-
' dent Reagan ordered on unauthorized dis-
closure of. national security information,
-also strictly limits access by government
=officials to such information. In addition,.
i calls for the Attorney General'to review
the effectiveness of existing la,s.on such
?,d sclosures..
However,- the order was not?pearly
?stringent:, as some intelligence officials:
had proposed: -In fact, it dropped one pr ,
"that the-press and some government In-
IEjui.rement 'that government, employees
'get the permission of a-senior official be=;
;fore contacting the media- and then file a'
The order, signed by William P. Clark;
tzpersedes the. Jane 12 directive:
tions director; said the order "retlects: a
determined, effort by all:, concerned to
draw a proper balance between'thclegitt-
mate need of the public's right tot know i
and the need of the government In pro-j
tecting classified Information," Clark ordered all departments.to,?holdd
to the "absolute minimum,': the: number
of people having access to national securi-
ty Information and to -"strictly control
document dissemination'.-and'-:reproduc--
tion to carry out existing law.
'
His order sets up: at , system -under
which each copy of a document circulated
by the National Security Council will car-
ry a numbered cover sheet bearing a'no-
tation that Includes the secrecy pledge.
The cover sheet contains this notice:
"The attached. document- contains
sensitive National Security Council Infor-
mation. It Is to be read and discussed only
by persons authorized by l1 =`` .'
' ."Persons-handling this document ac=!
knowledge he, or~she knows and under-
stands the security law relating thereto
.and will cooperate fully with any lawful
irive?stigation the United States Gov
ernment -Into: sany unauthorized dfsclo-'
sure of. classified information contained
herein...
The'order.r juests that the Attorney
General convene by March 1 an intera-
gency group to report to the President on
the effectiveness of existing statutes and
executive orders- prohibiting unauthor-
ized disclosure of classified information.
Gergen said.Clark.. had dropped the
f provision in the Jan. 12 directive regulat-
ing media contacts because of a feeling
that it had "a chilling effect" on govern-
ment press relations.
After- the-directive was .issued, that
provision was criticized by reporters, in-
eluding Barrie Dunsmore'-oI:ABC-TV,
president-of the State Correspondents
`.Assn., who wrote Clark a- letter saying
the directive already. ..bad- caused some
.government officials to- cancekscheduled
;appointments with journalists.:.. 4 ; . -
Clark met with Dunsmore and several
_other_reporters Mondaybeffore_deeiding-b
delete that provision from his order. - -
After the new order was issued, Duns`
,more said,,, I'm delighted that. the section
on media'contacts wasdropped_--When 1.
tall ked'with Clark Monday the draft of thel
order we were shown still had. that sec-
Lion in it and i,t-would -haverbeen.devas
tating if it had been implemented
President Reagan has spoken out fre-
quently in recent -w~ekst about. leaks of
national security information. In his Jan..
12 directive he referred - to.' a "hemor
rhage" of leaks and warned' that "all le-
gal methods would be used to investigate.
the situation.
Speaking of the Administration's re -
"cent antileak activities and the new-
Vlnrlc -A-
?'What much of this endeavor of thej
last few weeks has- done clearly-- beyond
and above 1he'f'our-corners of thisdocu-
ment - -is send a message through the.
ranks that the.-President regards-the un-
'authorized disclosure of .classified?;infor-
i ? oration as a serious matter- At. the- can,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040079-1
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