BILL SHIPP ATTY. GEN. BELL IRKED BY LEAKS OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100080080-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 80
• Publication Date: April 2, 1977
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sl Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/23: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100080080-5
t-xi
ATLANTA CONSTIT"JTTOY
2 APRIL 19'T t
o fit 4
-J--xiiell all
Griffin Pc,',; has discovered that the United
Sates
Depa:trnent of Justice is about as leaky as a sieve
:~ hen it comes to keeping confiden-?
tial information cc,:nfidential.
The U.S. attorney general from
Georgia has warned Justice Depart-
ment employes repeatedly about
leaking stories to the media or to
persons not directly involved with
pending cases. The warnings appar-
Oid.ly have gone unheeded.
On March 18, Bo-11 addressed
Justice Department employes to-
outline his po'ic c and plans for the
future. He used the occasion to order a ialf to s?ipp ng
sensitive i::fo n:ati sn to rerartcrs..Pelt Miami:
X0 case, civil or cri: i,'.. _t, is to be tried in th:?,e
press. 5P `'...,al."- oppose looks lit l of ; `c
~ p, rii }oil fro::,
any jo: Ii 'I a ti atlo Not only does this violate
Ju:;Lice De{ a tment rules, often it denies due process."
Bell also has practiced what he preached. When he
wanted to discuss a presidential appointee with'another
memLer of the Carter cabinet, the attorney general ob-
tained a court order permitting the discussion.
Nevertheless, some Justice emplops Wed to get
the :.less age that leaks are net in vogue in The Judge's
depar` ent
On March 31 The Los Angeles Times published a
"sources" story saying Bell was not especially inter-
ested in prosecution of FBI officials and former FBI
men connected with breaking into the homes and head-
quarters of susooeted members of terrorist groups.
A Washington source suggested that the story was
leaked by persons "close to the investigation" as a
means of bringing public pressure to bear on Bell to go
fu11-speed ahead with the investigation and prosecution
of the FBI agar`
That leak is just one of a series Bell aria his assoei-
1\r) r rt
1
r
- r1n; tio
Ails, ed new detail.: of a probe into former CIA
director Richard Helms and the CIA role in overthr,,M
sing the Allende regime in Cuba were published P;-c{
caught Bell by surprise. The Justice Department isstrd
a denial of that story.
Mike Egan of Atlanta, the associate, attorr
general, said recently that he attended a meeting cc r
one end of a corridor in the Justice Department an( A r
the time he got back to his office at the other end c~.
reporter was calling to inquire about subjects discu?x{l
at the meeting.
Of course, not all tee leaks are coming from lower.
echelon Justice Department employes. Much of the
information is being fed to the press by defense 'actor-
net's, members of Congress a''ck'or their staff mein-
bets. That seems to he Eeli's control.
In ad'itiol,, a spekesinan said
much of iii-, inform