Evening star., 1954-09-22

Issues Rules on
Classified Material
Justice Department employees |
throughout the country are re-
ceiving detailed instructions on
how to handle classified mate |
rial.
The instructions warn spe-
cifically that unnecessary de-
classification and over-classifica-
ton shall be scrupulously
avoided in order to prevent the
depreciation of the Importance
of properly classied information
and prevent unnecessary delay
and expense in the handling,
transmission and storage of doc
uments and other material"
And employees are also advised
that when they release classified
information to authorized per-
sons outside the Executive
Branch of Government it must
be accompanied by the follow
ing statement:
This material contains infor-
nation affecting the national de-
fense of the United States within
the meaning of the espionage
laws, Title IS. United States
Code. Sections 703 and 794. the
transmission or revelation of
which in any manner to an un-
authorized person is prohibited
by law"
Contained i'm Booklet.
Contained in a printed book
let, Regulations Relating to
Defense Information. the rules
were originally distributed last
June in typewriter form to top
officials in Washington and the
field as fellow-up on President
Eisenhower's November, 1853,
order establishing policy on Sc
curity of information.
The issue of who should get
such information has been raised
in recent months by the Nc
Carthy investigation of censure
motions against the Wisconsin
Senator.
Senator Mccarthy attempted
to introduce a two-and-one-
quarter-page document purport-
ing to contain excerpts from a
classified FBI report into the
record of both hearings but was
prevented from doing so by JUS
tice Department opposition. The
Senator said he received the
document from young officer
in Army Intelligence.
Stresses Caution.
The Justice Department book
let. signed by Attorney General
BroWnell. stresses that classifica-
ton shall be used only with
caution. The regulations. it says,
shall not be applicable to in
formation solely on the ground
that the disclosure thereof would
be prejudicial to the interest or
prestige of a governmental &C
tivity of the United States, cause
unwarranted injury to an indi-
vidual. or cause administrative
difficulty to the functioning of
the Department of Justice, or to
any information other than in
formation the disclosure of which
would be detrimental to national
defense"
Further, the booklet warns:
"These regulations shall apply
only to classified defense infor-
nation as defined in these regu-
lations. and no information shall
be classified hereunder unless it
requires protective safeguarding
in the interest of national de-
fenSe.
ABUSES FrOh1OiteQ.
1.-THE assignment of CLASH
fication under these regulations
to material which does not con-
tain information requiring safe
guarding in the interest of ma
tional defense is hereby strictly
prohibited.
Defense information shall be
assigned the lowest classification
consistent with it's proper pro-
lection. Unnecessary classifica-
ton and ver-classifcation shall
be scrupulously avoided"
The booklet outlines methods
for handling, storing and, where
necessary, destroying classified
material. It notes that violations
of regulations governing security
of information may be punished
by disciplinary action cor, in ap-
propriate cases, criminal prose-
rllti0n -