FOIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R001800100027-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 27
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP83M00914R001800100027-7
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ACTION-
INFO
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Executive j Secretary
Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP83M00914RO01800100027-7
 Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP83M00914RO01800100027-7
JG\.r L
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14 September 1982
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of External Affairs
FROM: Director of Central Intelligence
SUBJECT: FOIA
1. Can you have someone prepare a succinct letter to use in responding
to newspaper stories which distort or disagree with our position on the
Freedom of Information Act. (See the attached NEW YORK TIMES story and get
the CHICAGO TRIBUNE story of about a week ago.) It should deal with:
a. The perception of public availability;
b. The enormous cost and the leakage which occurs;
c. The consequent loss of our ability to keep a secret;
d. The marginal. benefits and danger of misinformation
arising from the fragmental and selective nature of
what can usually be disclosed;
e. The fact that accountability and oversight is fully
provided for by Congressional oversight.
2. Let's try to get a satisfactory simple setter in layman's language
prepared for me to clear before I leave on Friday.
William J .asey
BWBY
Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP83M00914RO01800100027-7
 Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP83M00914R001800100027-7
ARTICLE APPP.LRF.A
ON PAGE
NEW YORK TII'LS
12 SEM 1982
Topics -
Pious Deceptions
'C.I.A. Disinformation
William Casey, the Director of Cen-
tral Intelligence, is continuing his at-
tack on the Freedom of Information
"Act by posing a false choice between
an open society and a secure one. "I
-question very seriously," he told the
`Amerlean Legion recently, "whether
a secret intelligence agency and a
Freedom of Information Act can coex-
ist for very long." That's because the
.law lets anyone, includi$tg foreign in-
telligence agencies, "poke into our
roles," he says. Dais solution: "Get rid
of the Freedom of Information Act."
The C.I.A. and the F.O.I.A. have
coexisted handsomely since 1966 with
ens., bmef= for democracy and
no demonstrated harm. That's be-
cause the act specifically exempts
from disclosure Government docu-
ments that are legitimately secret.
Before any outsider can poke into a
file, officials pore over it to see
whether all or part of it is classified.
The danger is not from over-exposure.
but over-classification. -
T1 still undocumented threat to naa
tional security is said to be the reluc-
tance of foreign intelligence services
to share their secrets, and the fear of
some individuals to risk lives and
reputations to help the C.I.A. Instead
of nourishing paranof-, W. Casey
could ease those concerns by explain-
ing to everyone bow freedom of infor-'
mation reallywork&
Approved For Release 2007/06/14: CIA-RDP83M00914R001800100027-7