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DEPARTMENT OP THE AIR FORCE 

MANNED ORBITING LABORATORY, SYSTEMS PROGRAM OFFICE (OSAF) 

AF UNIT POST OFFICE, LOSANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90045 

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1 March 1968 

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MEMORANDUM FOR MEMBERS OF THE MOL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 

SUBJECT: Guidance for MOL Contractors in Dealings with 

Members of Congres 

During the January 24th MO.L Executive Council. Meeting at 

Valley Forge, General Stewart discussed possible events which 

might occur when Congress r'ev.ews the DoD FY 69 budget proposal 

for the. MOL program. As a tart of his remarks, General Stewart 

described each Senate and House Committee of Congress which has 

a responsibility for or an active interest in MOL. The membership 

of these committees and appropriate sub-committees was discussed 

and the level of MOL program information possessed by each individual 

member also was indicated. The attached list identifies the pertinent 

Senate and House Committees and their Chairmen. Each Chairman, 

and at least one staff member-(although not always the Chief Counsel), 

has been briefed on the reconnaissance aspects of the MOL program. 

General Ste...wartIs office maintairis up-to-date records on the status 

of MOL information briefed or discussed with Committee and Staff 

members. 

In the discussion following General Stewartls briefing, general 

guidance was provided with regard to the Congressional queries made 

direct to MOL contractors and/or contacts between contractor 

personnel and members of Congress. The purpose of this memos. 

randurn is to provide that guidance to you in writing so that it-is 

clearly understood and available for future use. 

By way of background, it is important to understand that the 

National Security Act specifically authorizes members of congress 

access to all defense security information necessary for them to 

ci.rry out their responsibilities. Therefore, a member of Congress 

noes not require an additional formal clearance, per se, for access 

to sensitive data of any nature, nor is he required to sign a security 

oath with regard to any information provided him. However, the 

Executive Department and the 1.(-4,tors of Congress do exercise 

discretionary judgment in the : sensitive areas of national 

.:;..-curity. This is done throur; ; appropriate Committee Chairmen. 

The individual Chairman is bi and asked to designate for briefing 

the minimum number of come members necessary for the a 3 .4,g 

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committee to carry on its work and, at the same time, maintain 

the highest possible security. Generally, the Chairman designates 

several key members, including senior minority party members, 

plus one or two staff members. In the case of staff members, they 

do not have the same statutory privileges as a member of Congress 

and therefore must undergo a formal security review and sign an 

appropriate security oath if briefed on MOL or other sensitive - 

programs. 

An important point which 'should be understood is that unless 

a member of Congress has been exposed to this special system, 

he may be unaware that some information to which he has a legal 

right has not been made available to him. In that vein, a Congressman simply can never be told that he does not have the appropriate 

clearances or .a need-to-know; for certain information. In a direct 

confrontation, the final recourse for a contractor is to state that 

he is contractually constrained by the government to release no 

information about the contract without specific permission of the 

contracting officer. 

To avoid undesirable and/or embarrassing situations, the 

East Coast MOL Office works closely with the Air Force Legislative 

Liaison people and members of the Congress. This close contact 

usually prevents surprises, ly,;-t it is not foolproof. Therefore, 

should you receive an unexp(!cted contact from a Congressman with 

regard to MOL, or on a genr:r al matter which might reasonably 

bring MOL into a discussion 0 r briefing, contact me immediately. 

If, for any reason, you are linable to reach me, call General Stewart 

direct and respond to his guidance. In either case, please be sure 

that the contact has fully identified himself and his committee; and, 

in the case of Staff Assistants, his position on the committee staff, 

the purpose for which the contact was being made, the urgency for 

the information, and any other pertinent information you think would 

be helpful in assisting either General Stewart or myself to determine 

a proper course of action. 

I request that you keep aldetailed chronology of events, beginning 

with the initial inquiry or reciuest, of any Congressional contact and 

provide it to me in a suitable !report at the conclusion of the incident: 

Should you have personal friends in Congress with whom you 

would like to discuss the program, you should fully inform me of 

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all aspects prior to any such discussion, and allow adequate time 

for me to confer with the Washington office. 

I hope you find the above information useful. Please handle 

this memorandum with appropriate discretion and do not hesitate 

to contact me if clarification or additional information is. needed. 

1 Atch 

List of 

Committees 

and Chairmen 

'JOSEPH SieeL7CMAIER 

Major General, USAF 

Deputy Director, MOL Program 

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COMMITTEES/ CHAIRMEN 

1. Senate Committee on Armed Services 

Chairman: Richard B. Russell 

2. Senate Committee on Appropriations 

Chairman: Carl Hayden 

3. House Committee on Armed Services 

Chairman: L. Mendel Rivers 

4. House Committee on Appropriations 

Chairman: George H. Mahon 

5. House Committee on Science and Astronautics 

Chairman: George P. Miller