Evening star., 1961-09-20
Agencies Hit
On honitoring
OF Phones

Of Phones /.
Finding that SO of 81 Federal [
agencies permit some kind of
telephone monitoring, a House
committee today demanded an
end to "eavesdropping" meth
ods and a ban on use of record 4
ing devices without advance
notice. I
The Government Operations
Committee did not condemn all
monitoring of telephone calls.
But its report to the House
declared:
When monitoring is done Sc
cretly and becomes eavesdrop-
ping, the bureaucracy is sacri- /
ficing principle to the altar of
efficiency. No matter what the
excuse. there is something mean
and unprincipled in a Govern
ment officials arranging for a
secretary or a transcribing ma
chine to eaveSdrop on telephone
calls"
Four Prohibit Monitors
OF the 81 agencies contacted,
the Post Office Department, I
Railroad Retirement Board, Sc
lective Service System and Tar
iff Commission were the only
ones that prohibit any form of
telephone monitoring, the COM
mittee noted. 4
"It is evidence of cavalier
disregard for the rights of 9TH
ers when most Federal agen-
cies have absolutely no regula-
tions controlling telephone mon
itoring and eavesdropping," the
committee stated. g. =
IF efficiency is a valid ex-
cuse for telephone monitoring,
the practice should be per-
mitted in Government agencies
only under clear. written guide
lines. Those guide lines should
not permit unannounced tele-
phone eavesdropping, either by
secretary or by recording
equipment. When this is done,
it is unlikely that the Govern
ment will have to run up a
monthly telephone bill for
secret shopping devices to per-
nit telephone eavesdropplng."
Favors Fuller Study
The admittedly incomplete
survey under the direction OF
Representative Moss, Democrat
of California, should be made
more searching and scompre-
hensiye, the committee recon-
mended, On the basis Of replies ,
to queries from Mr. Moss, the
committee found that:
OF. 81 Federal agencies con-
tacted, 33 permitted telephone
monitoring; 81 had no regula-
tions controlling telephone
monitoring; II did not require
the other party to be warned
that call is rnonitored. AS a
result of the inquiry, seven
agencies established regula-
tions and the Federal Com
munications Commission be-
gan work for the first time to
control its own telephone
monitoring practices, the COM
mittee added.
Some agencies, including the
Selective Service System which
replied that it permitted no
telephone monitoring, occa- !
sionally used tralsmitter cut
offsSWitches which can provide /
a special listening in circuit.
the committee explained. There :
has been no comprehensive
survey df those devices which |
can be installed at an extra
charge Of Is cents q month, but /
most.of them are in the Health. /
Education and Welfare De- |
partment, the committee said |
Agencies Permitting Monitors
Agencies listed as permitting
some form of telephone moni-
toring were the Agriculture De-
partment, Atomic Energy Com
mission, Civil Aeronautics
Board, Civil Service Commits
sion. Commerce Department,
Defense Department, Develop
ment Loan Fund, District Gov
ernment, Federal Aviation
Agency, Federal Communica-
tionS Commission.
Also. Federal Deposit Insur-
ance Corp. Federal Home Loan
Bank Board, Federal Mediation
and Cancellation Service, Fed
eral Power Commission. Fed
eral Reserve System, Federal
Trade Commission, General Il
Services Administration HEW
Department, Housing and Home
Finance Agency, Interior De-
partment, Interstate Commerce
Commission, Justice Depart
ment, Labor Department.
Also, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, Ma
tional Labor Relations Board,
National Science Foundation,
Securities and Exchange Com
mission, Small Business Ad-
ministration, State Department,
Subversive Activities Control
Board, Treasury Department.
United States Information
Agency, and Veterans Admins
tration.
The District Commissioners
informed Mr.. Moss the District
Government had no specific
policy on the subject but that
monitoring was done by the fire
department and D. c. General
Hospital.
The reply added that off
cials of the District shall have
individual discretion as to
whether they will permit sec
retaries to listen and record
names, dates, summaries or