WHITE HOUSE AIDE CALLS IN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMEN TO 'CLARIFY' PRESS RULES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100040115-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 115
• Publication Date: January 19, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040115-0
STAT
AR ^ -
AFIPEAREM
ONPA-G
THE WASHINGTON POST
19 January 1982
Sv-wk . - A- - 4
rf es-men to
By Michael Getler
and George C. Wilson
Washington PostStatf Wrttera
White House communications di-
rector David R. Gergen called in the
top public information officers from
throughout the: government last
night for a meeting to "clarify" con-
troversial new rules for contacts with
the news media.
And defense, officials said the
Pentagon is considering administer-
ing lie-detector tests to its employes
on a regular basis before giving them
access to. sensitive information that
could leak to the press or result in
other unauthorized disclosures.
On Jan. 12, President Reagan or
dared a sharp crackdown. on official
contacts with the' news media on
national security matters.. Yesterday.
administration officials acknowl-
edged that White House chief of
staff James A. Baker .III had sent a
memo Jan. 6 to all top officials re
quiring them or anyone under their
jurisdiction to clear all major. tele-
vision appearances or major print
interviews on any subject with the
White House beforehand. ? '
Deputy White House press ` sec
retary Larry Speakes yesterday
stressed that the Baker memo was
clearly separate from the national
security. directives. He said it was
not an attempt to control the flow of
information, but reflected the ad-
ministration's desire to know in ad
vance when senior officials' were to
appear on television. or discuss major-
policy issues in interviews., The pol
icy, Speakes said,' was a traditional
one that needed to be restated.
Although the Baker memo seemed
to provide a sweeping order to con-
trol press contact, Speakes said it
should not be construed to mean
that every press contact had to be
approved by the White House.
The Pentagon's lie-detector suo
gestion came from retired Gen. Rich-
ard G. Stilwell, deputy undersecre-
tary of defense for policy, but has
not yet-been adopted by Defense
Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger.
-The idea is to institutionalize lie-
detector tests before giving key de-
fensepersonnel access to top secret
material. One official compared the
recommended, practice to that fol-
lowed . by the Central Intelligence
Agency for sensitive jobs. .
Stilwell's recommendation comes
.amid a continuing Pentagon inves-
tigation of who told The Washington
Post about what went on during a
meeting of the Defense Resources
Board Jan. 7. At that meeting, ex -
ecutives were informed that it could
cost an extra $750 billion over five
years to buy the forces the Joint
,Chiefs of Staff say they would need
to carry out civilian defense policies;
including Reagan administration di-
rectives to prepare to fight in several
parts of the world at once.
Deputy Defense Secretary 'Frank
C. Carlucci, a former CIA executive
who was said to be enraged. by the
estimate becoming public, ordered
lie-detector tests to try to find outs
who talked about the supposedly)
secret meeting he had chaired. Pen-
tagon sources said some people are
refusing to take the tests, which are
being "offered"-as the Pentagon
puts. it--to",everybgd}t:.who was .at'
the meeting;. .'including::sthe staffer'
who put the-charts on the.screen.. .
Henry B.' Catto Jr. assistant sec-
retary of defense foi'.public affairs,
has acknowledged.thaa.i othing- that
was published' in_The P.gst about the.
meeting jeopardized, national secu-:
rity. Said Cattor?= :na-
"I certainly.,;wouldn't?.say -fox a.
minute that L;the& particeiiar DRB -
meeting dealing with. the. budget is'
likely to endangernational' defense. .
It's the principle. of the thing that we
strenously object. to-the expression
of minority opinion. via leaks to the
news media..designed. 'to . influence'
the course of events.. We feel-.that-
things ought. to be decided in cam_
era and then' a policy supported by
everyone who stays on the team. In
most cases ,-. it's 'not appropriate to
have. debate.on national security 13
sues in public."
Pressed on. whether someone who j
refused to take the.'test,would
suspect, Catto,replied:_"Tdon't.think
that,there is anyone,whawould.aii..
tomatically; ,assume., that.. person: is
guilty. They have ethical objections,
to-the whole .idea. One can'tgener-
alize.on that." _
:Pentagon_oiicials said the. rams 1
of - the 1965 rules" on. administering
polygraphs -started-.41st September-.
Congress insisted:back then that'd)
Pentagon curb; ita. use, -
.6t lie,.iletee
tors: A key" of the 19654ri ,tw
states that ...`nn potygraph.examirja=
tion_. shall be-conducted.unless..tlie.,
person... _ voluntarily ,consents in
.writing" and no "adverse action",may'
be taken against someone for refus-
ing to submit to a lie-detector tes
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100040115-0