INTELLIGENCE GROUPS SEEK NEW AUTHORITY TO GET INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100050075-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 75
• Publication Date: March 10, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100050075-4
nt2I T?L Y-' u_iM)
04 PAT. - -, '
TO. GET LNFORMAT1O
SEEK NEW AUTHORITY-'
HEW YORK TIMES
10 MARCH 1981
INTELLIGENCE GROUPS
NROPOSAL:?STILL UNDER:REVI
ra bn of Or9am2atlons ?
WoulddA ain Be Altnw~rl ;_ -
WASHINGTON, March 9 :The Rea-
role of the Atioiney Geaereja scrutiny
l
of Certain Collection Techniques j-
would replace those headingswith'"`Coo=
duct of Intelligence Activities" and.'Use-
fect;'overturn many of the. -regulations
Imposed on intelligence-gathering activi-
ties by Presidents Ford and Carter.
An interagency- working group led by
Central Intelligence Agency officials has
proposedmrmerous changes in Executive
Order?12038,the basic framework for all
intelligence activities, signed by Mr.. Car-
ter Jan. :24,. 197g.. The revised order,
though now treated 'as secret,would be-
come public and would have the force of
law if signed by president Reagaa.;?{_
Propoaals `Still Under Reviewy
A: Whfte.House-spokesman said today
that the proposal&,were-."yj under re.
view" and had been circulated within the
intelligence community for comment:
? The? proposed order would recast Mr:
Carter's decree itt terms that authorize,
rather than restrct;-the.coliectioa of in-
telligence information and the use of such
techniques as? searches', surveillance and
infiltration; whictr are generally called
intrusive?- bytntelligence experts.-.-
Forexample,~the basic controls estab-
lished by Mr. Carter were set forth in Sec
lion 2 of hisorder .titled r Restriction on
Intelligencii Activities, `Including the
category;'"Reststctions onCertain Collec-
tion Techniques':Theproposed:order-
using such tech:uquesas searches; physi-
cal surveillance and the infiltration of do.
mesticorganizations~?} ti 7{ ?':
The authority Is, being sought Ina pro"
posed executive order that would,-in 6f-
n
newts a to ga then information on Many
u#horitl! any of the restrictions that the pro
Americans In. this. country: and-. abroad, posed order would rollback were first lm-
"least intrusive means possi
domestic organizations for
purposes, and narrow the de
"United States persons" enti
tection under the order.. ?
The proposal also weak
genre officials to. report eviden
fished concepts of privacy and civil liber-
ties.'
'"It would not change those se
ti
c
c
ons
of Mr,..- Carter's order that prohibited as-
sassinations and curtailed exper.menial
research on human beings.. But it would
give the_C.I.A. greater latitude to collect
no reference to the rights of journalists. It
broadens the-type of surveillance that
maybe conducted by an agency investi-
gating the "unauthorized disclosure" of
intelligence information; and conceiv=
ably reporters might be included in such
teuigencz omcials,asking: for -re= an invests atio
headed ? by Vice President: Nelson A.
Rockefeller after the:'commission had
documented extensive spying on Ameri-
can citizens both In ' this country and
abroad by the Central Intelligence Agen-
cy / ..
ility Against Terrorism
order grew out of a meeting in late Janu-
ary or early February in. which intelli-
gence officials discussed terrorism with
President Reagan. The White House
asked various. agencies to . suggest
changes in intelligence regulations to im-
prove antiterrorism capabilities and ap-
proved a suggestion by the C.I.A. for a
study group to make specific recommen
dations..
William J. Casey the Director of Cen-
tial'Intelligence, and paaiel B. Silver,
general counsel*of the: intelligence agen-
cy,-took the initiative-inrevising Presi-
.
dent'Carter's ex*tive. order,-, but the
:study group included representatives of
.all the other agencies that collect-and
produce intelligence informtion. .
Mr. Carter's' order, which remains in
effect until supersededsays : "The
President has approved the general type
of activity involved , and the Attorney
General has approved its use in a specific
case, after finding "probable cause to be -
lieve" that the target Is an agent of a for-
Less Official Approval Required
The draft order drops both the "prob-
able cause"- standard and the require-
went *of Presidential approval
It sa
.
ys
that-the Attorney General may approve
the use of such techniques by category"
or delegate his approval authority to the
head of any intelligence agency.
The existing order says that -Intelli-
gence agencies may collect, store. and l
disseminats.information about a person
who is "reasonably believed" to be acting
on behalf of a foreign power or engaging
in international terrorist or narcotics ac.
tivities.
The draft order drops the requirement
for a "reasonable" belief. It would per-
mit agents to collect information about a
person "who has acted or may be acting
on behalf of a foreign power" or who "has
engaged or may be engaging" in terror.
ism or the narcotics trade. .
- Under the existing order, the head of
each intelligence agency must establish
written procedures for the conduct of In-
telligence activities. The Attorney Gen-
eral is given broad; independent author.
ity to review, approve and establish such
procedures in the interest of protecting
.constitutional rights; and privacy. .The
draft order would.limit the Attorney
General's role-to checking the legality of
guidelines submitted to him- - ! ..
Under President Carter's order, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation was the
only Intelligence 'agency that , could
search an office or home without the con.
sent of the owner or occupant. The draft
order authorizes other agencies to con-
duct such searches, saying.they "shall be
coordinated with the F.B.I."
tug
a cuigeace .activities from-:a ire tai ll
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/28: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100050075-4