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VIXJAS~l~ 25 Ausu•t 1947 

BlJBJBCT1 Proposed amended version ot Bill s.1019 

TOI Deputy Chief, Army SeCUl'.'1t7 Agency 

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l. a. The attached propoaed am.ended vera1on ot s.1019, 

aa adopted bf the Intelligence and SeouritJ Sub-Committee ot 

USCICO on 20 Auguat 1947. baa been carefull7 studied. B7 va7 

or general comment, 1t 1a my op1n1on that bee•u•• the bill 1• 

aimed 41reotl7 at only one phase or matte~• pertaining to the 

••curit7 or the u.s., and eapecially because or the history or attempta to obtain legialation or th1• sort, it Will excite 

undue attention and .-noounter moat caretul acrut1nr ror hidden 

motives, even though there are no hidden motives. Our expar1e"'e' v1th the aeveral &ttempta made in the paat to have auoh ver7 

1pec1t1c legislation enacted should be convincing 1n this 

regard. It appears to me that 1t would be more advisable and 

reall7 es.s1er to obtain pe.a•age or a modification to existing leg1alat1on rather tban &1.m at brand nev legislation bound to 

be examined with m1croacop1c acrutiny ror ulterior motives. 

On this poas1b111ty 1ometh1ng turther 1a 1tated below. 

b. The new version 1a an improvement on previous 

attempta to correct the serious detects in the original bill, in that it e11m1natea the principal provision that would have 

been the center of much controvera7, viz, Clause (}) ot Seo. 1, the one that would make 1t a or1me to publ1ah or divulge any 

m.eaeage Vh1ch bas been transmitted 1n a u. $. Government code 

or cipher. 

c. Additional 1pec1r1c comments on the d.l'att are contained 1n Par. 2 belov. 

2. a. The present draft still has one fatal detect. ao 

tar aa ita meeting the requirements or the •1tuat1on vh1ch the 

bill 1• dee1gned to meat. Under 1t, •vhoev•~ ••• ahall villtullz. 

communicate ••• ••ball be tined etc. It v1ll prob&bl7 be 

accepted by all concerned 1n cona1der1ng th1a leg1al&t1on tbat 

the term "villtull:r" means "1ntent1onally or dea1gnedli, without 

l.&vtul excuae, but not necesaar117 with an evil intent • "W111~ull7" here would imply only a person Yho, having aaked 

@'pp roved for Release by NSA on 09-26-2013 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 
REF ID:A39994 

WDGAS·l- (25 Auguat 47) 

per.m1aa1on to divulge or publiah elaaaitled 1.ntormation&nd 

having been denied eucb pe:rm1.aa1on, then proceed.a to d1'Y\llge 

or puol1ah the 1ntormat1on could be indicted tor hi• V1llfli!l 

disregard or the prohibition. It 1a not that aort or v1ol&t1on 

or aecur1t7 that ba• cauaed ua more d1tf'1eult1ea. Recent 

eaaee or lealcage or cl&aaitied 1ntormat1on have come J.argel7 tro.Jll mo:re looae talk or thoughtlesa action, Yithout anJ Villtul 

attempt to circumvent an of'f'1c1al prohibition. The vord 

"vlllt"ull7" ahould therefore be deleted. 

b. On the other band, this version. unlike s.1019. pro- vides no procoduz-e or means for authorizing the publication ot 

any olaaaitied cr7ptologic 1ntorma.t1on when thia might be advisable. Thus under a atr1ot interpretation it would be a 

v1ol&t1on tor the &rnied serv1eea to publish documents conte.1n1ng claa•1t1ed 1ntol'DJ&t1on regarding the cryptographic or 

ar7ptanal7tic act1vit1ea or the services~ tor 1nstruotional or 

other purpoeea. The f'ailuro to prov1de aom.e procedure or meana 

of this sort should be corrected and a new Sea. 6 is proposed (see Inoloaure 2). 

o. The bill vill very probab1y meet vi th •trenuous • 

objection ~rom the repiteaentatives ot the press. It readat 

*Whoever having obtained ••• lcnovledgo ot ••• (3) any clasa1t1ed 

1.nf"ormation concerning the commun1cat1on intelligence activ1t1es 

ot ••• anv foreign governmentJ or (4) any ol&ea1tied 1ntormat1on obtained r~om the commun1c&t1one ot the United States or 

any foreign government bT the prooeeaea ot cODUilUn.1c&t1on 1ntell1genoe, ah&ll v111ru11y ••• communicate ••• or publish any •uoh ol•••1r1•d 1ntorm.t1on •ball be ••• etc." Thia means that 

it an American newspaperman •hould obtain auch information in 

•ome roroign country~ he could not without expectation or aer1oua 

puniahmont. send 1t to hie hoae of~ice in thia countr7, nor 

could the editor at tb1• home office publish it without aimilar 

•xpeotat1onJ the same goes ror radio nevs, commentators, and net 

vorka. Considering how caretull7 the preaa examines any measure 

which even remotely might 1ntr1nge upon its rigbt to print vb.at 

1nto:ramat1on 1t obtaina, no matter hov that 1ntormation ha.a been 

obtained, tbia part of the proposed bill will be a controv•rai&l 

1•e'U.•t Uutort1.m11t,17. I can recommend no obange to •11m1nate 

thia defect without a complete red.ratting. 

4. The det1n1t1on, in Sec. 6, o~ the pbr&ae •a pereon 

not &uthoriaed to receive auch 1nfol'JDll.t1on" 1• propabl7 too 

reetr1ot1ve to be acceptable. It would means# tor inatance. 

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Vl:GA0-14 (2~ August 1947) j 

that the Sec~etary or the Treaaur7 could not, v1thout v1ol&t1ng the l.av di•oloae to the 8eoretar1 ot 8tate •om.e cl&ea1t1ed 

1ntormat1on oonoe~ning a Cl'Jptosraphic a1etem used bJ one ot 

the ageno1ea or bureaus in the Treaaur1 Department, tor exam.pl•• the BUl'e&U or Internal Revenue or the Bureau or Cuatom&J vioe 

versa, the 8eoretar7 or State could not disclose •1m11ar in• 

tor:u.tion to the Secretary of the Treasury. Nor could any 

foreign aervice otf1c•r in our diploma.tic service. bAV1ng obtained some 1ntormat1on concerning the communication intelligence aot1v1t1es of aome toreign govermnent, dtecloee this in~ 

torJDBt1on to hi• aupe:r1oras, even to t~ Seoretaey ot State himaelf", without violating the le.Y. Alao,"'berican citizen $.broad,, 

who baa in some manner or other obtained a11D1lar 1ntormat1on 

and vanta to communicate it to some U.5. agency where it might be uaetul or iDlportant, vould have to make cortain that the 

person to whom he diacloaea the 1ntormat1on is authorized to 

receive 1tJ he vould violate the lav it he diacloeed it to the 

Ambaaaador or to ant State Department emplo7ee in the Embaaa7--

<hough ~eaumably he would not violate the law it h& disclosed 1t o the military or naval attaehe. FUl'thermore, as 

the definition in Seo. 6 nov stands, 1t would appear neceaaar7, in a strict 1nterpretat1on ot the det1n1t1on, that each and 

every civil service employee or ott1cer aft&igned to duty in 

oryptologic work tor the government be g1ven Vl'itten authority 

to ~eceivo auah 1ntor:mat1on, such authorit7 to be a1gned by the Secreta.r7 of Var, the Secretary ot the Nav7, or the Attorn91 

General. Thia !a carr71ng matters pretty tar, it aeema to me. 

It 1s suggested that Sec. 6 1a not neoesear1 and that the 

dereota po1.nted out eould be el1m1nated b7 ehan.g1ng the elauae 

"a person not author1i:ed to receive auoh 1nto:rmat1on,tt 

appearing in Sec. 1, to make it read "a person not entitled 

to receive such 1ntormat1o.n"-·tb1s being the vord1ng in the 

long-standing Espionage Act. The present Sec. 6 can then be 

deleted. 

•· The proposed bill does not make the "pun1ahmont tit 

'the crime." It 1a clear that the d1•cloaure or some p1eoe ot 

ta!nor bureaucre.tio scandal not even remotel7 arrecting tho 

eatet7 ot the u.s .• provided onl~ that the 1ntormat1on was 

claas1t1ed (even ae lov as reetr1cted) and obtained by tho processea ot oommunioat!on 1ntell1gence1 vould be autt1e1ent 

violation ot the law to bring about the 1mpr1aonment ot the 

ottender tor ten 7e&ra, •• well •• h1a r1n1ng up to the 8'UJJ1 or 

•10,000. It 1a doubtt'ul it so stringent & proposal vould meet 

v!th acaeptanoe by the Congreae, or avoid the bl&ata of the 

preaa. It 1• recommended tbat a graduated ecale ot aanotiona 

and penalt1e• be incorporated. 

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WXX>Ae-~~ (25 August 1947) 

:. .,, rt ~,he ~()posed bill •ke• no allovanc• tor the e.tteota ... ''lt ~be pa.a.age ot time. It voul4, tor example, be a violation 

qt the l&v to publ1•h a1qth1ng about the codes and ciphers uafd J.>7 the Pederal A~ 1n the 01v1l War or about the aolutione ot Contederat• oiphera b~ Pederal orJPtao&l7at• in tbe 

C1v1l 'Wa.rJ on the other band., 1t voultl not be a. violation ot 

the 1.av to 41.•clo•• 1nrorrnat10~ about a ~·v cryptographic e1•-

1n the research or development atage, provided it did not .,. ~ olve a device oi- apparatus. It 1• recoimnended tba.t the vprd ~•ntlI" be 1n•erted in Seo. l before the word "olaa•1t1ed""~ io aa'to ~•UJ'• tbat deolaa11r1cat1on vould occ1U' trom time to 

time an4 that no person•a aatety could be impaired by a ap1tetul ·~prd'aecution ba.s•d upon diecloa'Ul'• ot old and obaole~e inf'o:r•-

t.ton, . . _ ... . . ;.. ' -\ ,,. !• There might •till be aome doubt aa to vbetber or L AQt the av vould reallJ prohibit tbe d1scloeure of 1nt"ormat1on t~i.J1s1D1tted 1n a U.8. oo~e or oipher. Reterence 1• ma4e here ~o clause (-)1 "Any claea1t1ed 1ntorinat1on obtained trom the comm\Q:\l~tions ot the rri.iited Statee or &l'l1" foreign government by the proceeaes ot co:n:mun1cat1on intelligence~. It 1• t~ue 

r that the absence ot a comma arter "\!nited St&tea" probablJ 1nu>l1ea that the qual1ty1ng phrase b~ the proceaaea or commun1• . cation inte~l~gence" alao applies to commun.1cat3ona ot the 

Ullited States , but aomeda7 somebody might raiee & question 1n t~~ premises. It the elauee ia niade to reads "An1 claaa1t1ed 

#1.ril'ormation obtained tro• the camnun1cat1on• ot the United - ftatea t.' by the processes or co.mmun1cat1on 1ntell1g•noel• it 

ta 6bv1oua that sueh 1Xlf'orinat1on would have to come from aome 

foreign count17, 1n which case, it vould not be clasaitied in• 

forJQation v1tn1~ the aeope or the def1n1t1on ~1ven in Sec. 2, vbich ~equirea that the matter be cl.&eaif1ed b7 a United States ~ov~r.nm.ent agenc7". I see no point 1n including 1n that clauee r CQmrn~loattona ot the United State•" at a11. and recommend 1te 

deletion. ~ ~ 

~ ~ ~h. IJ.lhe def1n1 t1on or tbe term .. commun1oat1on 1ntell1- ienc~ (Sec. 5) ae a t1eld ot endeavor" excludes the "intelligence• «{taelt, Tni• may be 3&t1efactory tor the purposes of the bill 

but ia eom~vbat qnusual a, a def1n1t1on. · ·- • ' j i 

.r~ ~ • 1. Tbe det1n1 ti on in Sec • 6 • ahould be changed to read.a 

• •"'111 P•r•on Yho, or agenc7 which, ia ••• ". The det1.n1t1on 1• ~rett7 complex. Its delot1on bas bee~ recommended above. ... • 't" l ' " '9 " ..:- .... ~ 

• "t '1.. 3. :tt 1• doubttul 1t the title or tho bill ahould re•1n ", •• t\ •"1ida. llov can the security ot the p:nited Statea be ,_furth•~,d b7 preventing d1aaloaurea of 1ntormat1on concerning It._ .. '"' ' • 

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the cr7J>tograph1c systems and the communication intelligence activities or foreign governments? 

3. It 1e still believed that a bill of much more general 

scope in relation to eecuritJ and national defense would be 

prererable and moreover would receive the hearty support or &11 

bureaus and branches of the armed forces- A suggested draft 

of an amendment to the so-called espionage Act of 1917 was 

submitted recently by this section. All references to crypto- graphy, cryptanalysis, com~un1cation intelligence, etc., were 

eliminated :from that draft, but the scope or the measure was 

broad enough to be applicable to anything of a cryptologic 

nature. Further, the punishments cited therein were graduated in severity, so as to make them fit the crime co!!llllitted. This 

is believed sound in principle and it is believed that such a 

provision is likely to meet with more favor than would a bill 

vhere1n punishment for revealing top secret information 1e 

&s severe as that for revealing restricted 1nf'orma.tion. Hovever J it there is now no poaaibilit7 ot presenting ths AS-14 

draft bill for cons1derat1on, then the present version Vill have 

to be used. A draft as amended in the light of the foregoing 

comments is submitted as Inclosure 2. Hovever 1 as stated above, 

I am not able to auggest a simple change vh1ch vill eliminate 

the objections cited in Par. 2c above. 

2 Inols 

2 drafts or 8.1019 Bill )LILLIAM P. FRIEDMAN 

Cbiet, Comm.untcations Research