Doc ID: 6879110
Doc Ref ID: A4269469
AGENCY: NSA
JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
AGENCY INFORMATION
RECORD NUMBER: 144-10001-10205
RECORDS SERIES :
AGENCY FILE NUMBER :
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
ORIGINATOR : NSA
FROM DIRNSA
TO DOD GC
TITLE
PENDING CONGRESSIONAL REQUESTS
DATE: 01/05/78
PAGES:
SUBJECTS
INFORMATION ACQUIRED BY NSA RELATING TO CUBAN INTELLIGENCE
DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM
CLASSIFICATION : +
RESTRICTIONS : 1B
CURRENT STATUS : X
DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 07/01/97
OPENING CRITERIA :
ORIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRED
COMMENTS
CONTAINS SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION
[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED
DATE: 12/09/97.
PAGE: 1
Released on 08-12-2022 under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Act of 1992
Doc ID: 6879110-
DEFENS
Ref: A426946
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY
CENTRAL SECURITY SERVICE
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND 20755
Serial: N0015
5 January 1978
Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS.
JFK, SEN. RFK,
AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.
OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES.
CONFIDE
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HONORABLE DEANNE SIEMER, GENERAL COUNSEL,
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
SUBJECT:
Pending Congressional Requests
REFERENCES: (a)
15 December 1977 letter from Senator George
McGovern to Secretary of Defense
(b)
(c)
Undated letter received on 20 December 1977
from Congressman Louis Stokes to Director, NSA
16 December 1977 letter from Mr. Ira Nordlicht
to the Honorable Deanne Siemer
1. Referenced letters iterating requests for information
from the National Security Agency present two common issues:
namely, whether signals intelligence information is to be pro-
vided to Congressional Committees which exercise no traditional
oversight over intelligence matters; and, if it is to be provided,
how it is to be done. NSA Charter legislation, now in draft form,
would obligate the Director to keep the Committees of the Congress,
having jurisdiction over the Agency, fully and currently informed
of the Agency's activities. Provision of information to other
committees would be responsive to policy developed within the
community.
2. We anticipate that requests for information, as illus-
trated by the three referenced letters, will continue to increase
and can present difficulties in maintaining good relations with
the Congress. While this Agency has been fully responsive to
the needs of the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Appropriations
Committees, we have treated requests for information by other
committees on a purely case-by-case basis. Several times during
the past two years, Committees of the Congress which do not have
jurisdiction for intelligence oversight have approached NSA
directly for foreign signals intelligence information. In each
case it has been our understanding that the SIGINT information
NSA has provided to the requesting committee is being used as
background information in assisting that committee in formulating
U.S. policy matters. On these infrequent occasions, NSA has
responded directly to the requesting committee providing either
access to SIGINT product or briefings, as required.
Classified by DIRNSA/CHCSS (NSA/CSSM 123-2)
Exempt from GDS
, EO 11652, Cat 2
Declassily Upon Notification by the Originator
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3. Regarding these three specific requests, inclosed for
your information is a summary of NSA's contacts with Senator
McGovern's Subcommittee on International Operations. As indi-
cated in the summary and as discussed previously with Mr. Andrews
of your staff, we have not shown nor discussed any material with
Senator McGovern's staff representative pending the drafting of
an approved memorandum of understanding by your office and the
execution of such an MOU between the Executive Branch and the
Senator.
4. In his letter received by NSA on 20 December, Representa-
tive Louis Stokes, Chairman of the House Select Committee on
Assassinations, requested certain information from NSA relating
to the Cuban intelligence network during the period 1959 - 1964.
Chairman Stokes also certified that access to any NSA material
would be restricted to those staff members with a TOP SECRET
security clearance; access to NSA material, of course, requires
indoctrination for SI as well. No response has been made to
Chairman Stokes' correspondence pending resolution of how NSA
should deal with non-oversight committees. Once that decision
is made, we recommend that any SIGINT information selected for
the Select Committee on Assassinations be provided only by the
DoD or DCI as part of a larger submission of data and that the
SIGINT be properly sanitized.
5. Mr. Ira Nordlicht's 16 December letter to you requested
information from NSA on the flow of oil to South Africa and
Rhodesia. At the time of his initial telephone call, Mr. Nordlicht
had a TOP SECRET clearance. It is our understanding that he has
since been indoctrinated for SI/TK by DIA. While any SIGINT
pertinent to Mr. Nordlicht's request may contain unique informa-
tion, it must be emphasized that SIGINT alone may be incomplete
or misleading unless it is examined in the context of all-source
intelligence information. In this instance, after the execution
of a suitable MOU, we recommend the requested information be
furnished by the DCI combining the SIGINT with other materials
available to him. You may recall that earlier this year the
Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Economic Policy requested and was
provided information on Arab foreign investments and the lifting
and sale of Saudi and Iranian oil. This is the information which
was provided specifically to Mr. Jerome Levinson, then counsel
of the Subcommittee, and which subsequently formed the basis for
a 20 June 1977 letter from Senator Frank Church, Chairman of the
Subcommittee, to the Secretary of State citing ..a substantial
discrepancy between CIA and NSA estimates of Saudi crude oil
exports in the first quarter of 1977." This charge was repeated
2
Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,
SEN. RFK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.
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by Mr. Levinson in an article by Seymour M. Hersh appearing
in the New York Times of December 25, 1977. Mr. Nordlicht
stated his present request is not related to the previous
inquiry.
6. The lack of an MOU or other agreed procedure for dealing
with requests for SIGINT from other than the three traditional
oversight committees mentioned above has severely hampered NSA's
ability to be responsive to the Congress. We urgently recommend
that an agreed procedure be developed between the Executive and
Legislative Branches which would set forth the terms and condi-
tions on which sensitive cryptologic or other intelligence
information would be provided to the non-oversight committees.
In the absence of such an agreement with both the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee and the House Select Committee on Assassina-
tions, we cannot respond to these queries. We also recommend
that your office so advise Congressman Stokes and Mr. Nordlicht
and also determine a proper response to Senator McGovern
consistent with the President's instructions.
Incl:
a/s
Copy Furnished:
Col. Stephen Harrick
OASD (LA)
B. R.INMAN
Vice Admiral, U. S. Navy
Director, NSA/Chief, CSS
Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,
SEN. RFK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.
TOP SECRET
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SUMMARY OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS
OF SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
DISCUSSIONS WITH NSA
MAY
NOV 1977
On 6 May 1977, Senator George McGovern, Chairman of the Sub-
committee on International Operations, Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, sent a letter to NSA informing the Agency of the Sub-
committee's pending investigation into matters relating to (1)
the activities of intelligence agencies of foreign nations in
the U.S. and foreign-sponsored surveillance, harassment or intimi-
dation of private persons, and (2) efforts by foreign interests to
influence official U.S. Government policy. We understand that a
similar letter was sent to the Secretary on 15 June.
Since that time, Mr. Michael Glennon, Legal Counsel for the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visited NSA on 15 June to
explain in more detail the scope of the Committee's investigation
of item (1) above: (a) whether intelligence agencies of foreign
nations are engaging in harassment, intimidation and surveillance
· of foreign nationals here in the U.S.;/ (b) against whom these
activities are directed; (c) who is performing these activities
on behalf of the intelligence agencies; (d) how often it occurs
and what form it takes; (e) where these activities are conducted;
and (f) to what extent U.S. intelligence and law enforcement
agencies may be "cooperating" with or "acquiesing" in this activity.
This information will, according to Mr. Glennon, help the Committee
evaluate the extent to which intelligence agencies of foreign
nations can conclude that their activities are condoned. He
stated that it was his intention to talk also with the FBI, DIA,
and CIA, and we understand he has done so.
NSA made no substantive contribution during this visit since
Mr. Glennon did not hold an SI clearance.
On 14 September 1977, Mr. Glennon requested by secure tele-
phone that NSA brief him on information NSA may have about the
harassment, intimidation and surveillance of foreign nationals
in the U.S. by organizations such as SAVAK (Iran), DINA (Chile)
and comparable organizations of the Soviet Union and the Philip-
pines. In response we searched our product records for the
period 10 Nov 76 - 1 Nov 77 to determine whether NSA had any
information pertaining to, this request. We found several reports
dealing directly with foreign operations in the U.S. (i.e., SAVAK
arranging for the search of a house in Houston, Texas, and SAVAK
reports on demonstrations planned during the Shah's visit to the
U.S.), and two Chilean (DINA) items relating to the assassination
Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,
SEN. RFK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.
Classified by DENSA/CHCES (NSA/C33 123-2
Exempt from GDS, ED 11552, Cat 2
Declassify Upon Nation by the Originates
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in Washington of a former Chilean ambassador. There were no
reflections of such activities by the Soviet Union or the
Philippines.
Mr. Glennon did not ask for information on efforts by foreign
interests to influence U.S. Government policy at this time and
no search was made for SIGINT on this aspect of the Subcommittee's
investigation.
The Director, NSA, reviewed these reports on 17 November
and said they were not to be shown to or discussed with Mr. Glennon
until the memorandum of understanding between the Executive branch
and Senator McGovern on behalf of the Subcommittee on International
Operations is executed. Mr. Glennon was so advised in late
November and again in early December.
Although the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has been
conducting a similar investigation since January 1977, they have
focused primarily on KCIA activities. None of the product records
pertaining to Mr. Glennon's request have been provided the SSCI..
Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,
SEN. RFK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.
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M/R: a. On 17 May 1977, the Director proposed in a memorandum
to the DCI that the DCI assume responsibility for acting as the
focal point for requests for intelligence information from any
Committee of the Congress which does not have direct oversight
responsibilities. This proposal included the recommendation
that the channel of communications for such requests should
be through a designated individual on the IC Staff and that
responses to the Congress should flow back through the same
person, providing the DCI, on behalf of the President, the oppor-
tunity to review what intelligence information is made available
to the Congress. The DCI has never responded to this memorandum.
b. Instant memo recommends that an agreed procedure be
developed between the Executive and Legislative Branches which
would set forth the terms and conditions on which sensitive
cryptologic or other intelligence information would be provided
to the non-oversight committees. It also recommends OSD GC
assume action on R/S 5507 and provides background information
on two Congressional requests (references a and c) for SIGINT
information now pending in OSD.
C. Deadline on R/S 5507 response to Ms. Siemer extended
to 4 January per Col. Steve Harrick, ATSD (LA); and Mr. Bob
Andrews, OSD (GC).
d. Mr. Yeates, Exec DDO, and Mr. Brady, GC, concur.
Classification reviewed by Mr. Michael Levin, D4.
JULIA WETZEL, U2, 3161s, 4 Jan 78, bj
SJata
LAO
Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,
SEN. RFK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.