CONVERSATION WITH NORMAN CORNISH, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SUBCOMMITTEE STAFF, RE REQUEST FOR AGENCY TESTIMONY ON THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND EXECUTIVE 11652.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00380R000100020052-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2001
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: May 1, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

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OLC 72-0553
l May 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Conversation with Norman Cornish, Foreign Operations and
Government Information Subcommittee staff, re Request
for Agency testimony on the Freedom of Information Act
and Executive Order 11652.
1. Met with Mr. Norman Cornish, Foreign Operations and Government
Information Subcommittee staff, in response to his call of Thursday evening
concerning the Chairman's letter request of 27 April 1972 for Agency
testimony on the Freedom of Information Act and Executive Order 11652. In
brief, I told Mr. Cornish that the Director would appreciate being excused from
providing a witness for these hearings. In the context of the Anderson papers
and other releases of intelligence information, it is necessary to avoid public
exposure particularly in a context where the Agency has little or nothing to
provide In the way of information for the Committee in its present hearings.
We reviewed the Director's response of 30 September 1971 to the Committee
request for information relating to the study of the effectiveness of
5 U. S. C. 552 dealing with public information and the Committee's stated
purpose to examine the way in which the President's new Executive Order
11652 will affect the economic and efficient operation of the security classifica-
tion system, the rationale behind its provisions and alternatives to the
present approach to this problem of classification and declassification
standards. Mr. Cornish agreed that one purpose of the review is to insure
that the classification standards established in the Executive Order do not
interfere with the public's right to information or to the flow of information
within Government. He did not question the fact that the Agency is not
involved in the policy formulation relating to classification and declassification
standards.
2. Mr. Cornish told me that the Committee will be proposing a
statute to replace the Executive Order and said he hoped the Agency would
feel free to comment on any aspect of the bill that is of interest to us. I
thanked him and told hire we would want to comment and at least under present
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considerations I would hope that our comment could be in writing rather
than by testimony before the Committee In response to his query whether
such a written response would be processed through 0MB, I told him that
it would be, but that we have never found this an inhibiting factor in our
relations with congressional committees in the past.
3. Mr. Cornish told me that he would be pleased to relay the
Director's request to the Chairman. At the moment he sees no reason
why the Chairman will not be willing to accede to our request. He will
call me as soon as he has a chance to talk with Chairman Moorhead.
egislative Counsel
Distribution:
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OLC/JGO:mmc (2 May 1972)
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