CONGRESS CRITICIZED ON LEAKS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100090051-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 51
• Publication Date: January 27, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ST
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/24: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100090051-6
on leaks
As ia.ti,i ?re-t'
WASHINGTON Congress' ability
to obtain and keep secrets was at--
tacled by the Ford Administration
and by some congressmen yesterday
as details of the final report by the
House Select Committee on Intelli-
gence became public. -
The report says that U. S. intelli-
gence costs about SID billion.a year
and that some covert operations
sometimes have been ordered by
presidents and their stars despite
CIA and State Department opposi-
tion.
_
It says Richard M. Nixon, for es?-
ample, directed the CIA to support
Kurdish rebels in'Iraq despite the ob-
jectons from the CIA, Secretary of
state 'Henry A. Kissinger and the
State Department.
The House committee set to- work'
yesterday on proposod recomznenda-
tiors. including one to abolish a
major Pentagon intelligence agency
and another to create a permanent
House intelligence committee.
CIA Director William B. Colby, at
a news conference, criticized public
disclosure of secret operations in con-
nection with release of the House re
port. -
Without criticizing Congress, FBI
Director Clarence Kelley told a Sen-
ate committee that increased con-
gressional supervision could.jeopar-
dize his agency's investigative abil-
ity.
"The establishment of unlimited
access (of congressmen to FBI se-
crets) could seriously jeopardize the
flew of volunteer information, which
is the life blood of our investigative
organization," Kelley said.
. At the White House, Press Secre-
tary Ron Nessen said President Ford
had not seen the final House commit-
tee, and Hessen declined to comment
on it.
He said the preliminary draft of
the committee's report had been re-
leased prematurely, raising "serious
questions about how classified mate-
rial can be handled by Congress
when the national security is at
stake."
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
27 JANUARY 1976
. The bluntest -attack came from
Rep. Robert McClory of Illinois, sen-
ior Republican on the committee, as
members took up a proposed reyom-
mendatiori to create a permanent
House committee to oversee secret
intelligence operations.
"I must confess that at this point, I
am not confident a House committee
could be trusted with this informa-
tion:" McClory said_
- Staff Director A. Searle Field told
the committee that it was possible
that some administration official had
leaked secrets in an effort to make it
appear that. Congress should not be
trusted in the future with such infor-
mation..
,The proposed recommendation for
.creating a permanent House commit-
tee also proposes severe. sanctions
even against congressmen for leaking
gather pri r ri y diplomatic and eco-
nomic rather than military intelli
.gence.. .
There is no proposed recommenda
tion to abolish all U. S. covert opera-
tions abroad as some members have.
suggested - but there is one to re-
quire that Cie entire National Secu-
rity. Council approve such operations.
That recommendation stems front
what - committee sources say is a
theme through the report that presi-
dents and aides, specifically Nixon
and Kissinger according to the re-
port,-have pressed for rations despite
objections from agencies.
secret information. ' - - . -
It proposes steps for removing con-
gressman for the. intelligence corn-
mittee and moving .to censure them'
for releasing such information.
At the same time, the permanent
House intelligence committee would
be empowered to determine on its
own that secret information 'shoulo?
be released to the.public.
If a congressman tried to disclose
a secret operation that he considered
improper and. the intelligence com-
mittee refused, he would have. the
right to petition for a secret session
of the full 435-member House to con-
sider s request.
Another proposed recommendation
would abolish the Defense Intelli-
gence Agency and divide its opera-
tions, including the worldwide net-
work of military attaches,.:-between
the CIA and the secretary of Defense's
office.' The -National, Security .Agency
would be-separated from the military
agencies under another proposed re-
commendation. It would become .a. ci-
vilian :agency with instructions: to
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/24 : CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100090051-6