MEDIA WARNED AGAINST DISCLOSURE OF SECRETS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100120012-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 3, 2012
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: June 7, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/03: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100120012-5
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Pelton Trial Opsns
Medfa Warned Against Disclosure of Secrets
In a major and unusual development, the direc- Lion, thus making it easier
tors of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Na- such as the
tional Security Agency have warned the news basis that it
media against "speculation and reporting details"
about U.S. communications intelligence activities
being discussed at the trial of former NSA analyst
Ronald Pelton.
Pelton is accused of providing the Soviets with
detailed information about highly secret U.S.
intelligence-gathering systems aimed at the Soviet
Union.
The warning by CIA Director William Casey
and NSA Director Lt. Gen. William Odom came
one day after the Washington Post went beyond
reporting what had transpired on the first day of
the trial and disclosed the secret location of a U.S.
listening device that Pelton was said to have com-
promised. The Post cited "informed sources" for
its report and published a map of the area in ques-
tion near the Soviet Union.
In opening the government's case against
Pelton, prosecutor John Douglas and other
witnesses described in general terms the nature of
the NSA's activities and the intelligence systems
that Pelton was said to have betrayed. But they did
not provide such details as code names or loca-
tions.
On May 19, before the trial began, NBC cor-
respondent James Polk reported the code name
and location of one of the secret operations that
Pelton is accused of compromising. The report
prompted CIA Director Casey to issue a statement
that Polk's story, "if true," had violated a section
of U.S. law (18 United States Code 798) against
disclosing information about the communications
intelligence activities of the U.S. Casey said he was
referring the matter to the Justice Department for
possible prosecution.
Some reporters, such as Lesley Stahl of CBS and
Sam Donaldson of ABC, have insisted that the
government has no reason to threaten the media
for publishing information that is said to have
already been provided to the Soviets by Pelton. But
Prosecutor Douglas, in going public with only
general descriptions of NSA activities, said it's still
necessary to keep the details secret because other
governments would like to obtain the information.
Moreover, intelligence experts maintain
that press disclosures can authenticate or pro-
vide added confirmation of secret informs-
for governments
to proceed on the
legitimate.
As HUMAN EVENTS has reported, Director
Casey has already accused the Post and other
publications of having violated the law when they
described in detail the nature of the Libyan com-
munications intercepted by U.S. intelligence show-
ing a Libyan link to the German disco bombing
that killed an American serviceman. President
Reagan had described in general terms the nature
of the messages in his justification of the U.S.
military strike against Libya.
At the time, rather than recommend prosecution
over that violation, Casey warned the Post against
publishing another such article on U.S. com-
munications intelligence capabilities. The article,
which was published, on May 21, was about the
alleged disclosures of Pelton.
In fact, it was shortly after NBC reporter Polk
went public with his detailed description of an
operation Pelton was said to have compromised
that the Post published its own story. The Post
said that Pelton had compromised "a costly, long-
running and highly successful U.S. operation that
used sophisticated technology to intercept Soviet
communications..." The Post said the operation
involved the use of submarines bat didn't provide
any further details.
The Post explained that it had prepared "a more
detailed version of this article" but had been
warned by Casey, other top U.S. officials, and
even President Reagan himself that its publication
would harm national security. Post executive
Editor Benjamin C. Bradlee said the original ver-
sion was not published because, according to the
article, the Post was "unable fully to judge the
validity of the national security objections of
senior officials, and because of Post lawyers' con-
cerns .... "
However, after Pelton's trial opened on May 27,
the Post published its article about the trial which
revealed the location of one of the operations
Pelton was said to have betrayed. The location had
.not been disclosed by Prosecutor Douglas in open-
ing his case against Pelton.
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However, Douglas and other witnesses did pro-
vide general descriptions of the operations, which
were referred to as "projects." For instance, one
was said to involve the collection of "command
and control information" from the "highest level"
of the Soviet government to the next highest level.
In their joint statement warning the news media
against publishing "speculation" and "details".
about the operations, Directors Casey and Odom
acknowledged that the government's case against
Pelton "will include release of certain classified in-
formation involving communications intelligence
activities of the United States."
The statement added,"While not intending any
comment on this ongoing criminal prosecution, it
should be understood that the decision to make use
of this information in trial has been made by ap-
propriate government authorities after careful
consideration of the demands of the trial and the
potential harm that release of this selected data
may cause the national security. The information
thus selected has been carefully chosen to balance
these competing interests.
"Those reporting on the trial should be cau-
tioned against speculation and reporting details
beyond the information actually released at trial.
Such speculations and additional facts are not
authorized disclosures and may cause substantial
harm to the national security."
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/03: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100120012-5