## Page 1

АЛЛАС

'104-10326-1004

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

SECRET

(MHFNO: 96-5536596

SENSIND:/

PAGE:

(SECRET

(FRP:

(STAFE

EA/ LGL,

EADORECORD,

CONE: "EA/PAMSI/A

INFO: C/ORMS,

GMDSX,

ODPD,

FILE,

C/EA, EA/XO. (3/P)

96 5536596

LASO

DC/EA,

LIMITO,

I PAGE

001)

TOT: 272220Z

96

DIRECTOR 96096]

SECRET

STAFE

(272220Z DIRECTOR 960961)

TO :

IMMEDIATE CANBERRA

FROM:] (LIMIT EA/PAMSI/A INFO EA/GL, CHIEF/EA, DC/EA

SLUGS:

WNINTEL

SUBJECT:

AUSTRALIAN DEMARCHE TO USG REGARDING US LEGISLATION ON

DECLASSIFICATION

REF:

NONE

TEXT:

ACTION REQUIRED: PLEASE FAX BY COB 2 OCT)A COPY OF THE

(1995 AUSTRALIAN DEMARCHE) TO THE USG REGARDING LEGISLATION ON THE

DECLASSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WOULD APPRECIATE L

STATION'S RECOLLECTION OF LIAISON'S REACIION TO THE US LEGISLATION

AS WELL.

THE<JOHN>F. <KENNEDY>REVIEW BOARD< (JEK>BOARD) ESTABLISHED

*BY THE PRESIDENT TO DECLASSIFY ALL DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE< JOHN>

*F. ‹KENNEDY ASSASSINATION>HAS COME ACROSS TWO AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTS

(AND FOUR CIA DOCUMENTS) WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO DECLASSIFY WHICH

REVEAL THE EXISTENCE OF AN AGENCY-AUSTRALIAN LIAISON RELATIONSHIP

THE REVIEW BOARD HAS BROAD AUTHORITY TO DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS

*RELATED TO THE<JEK>COLLECTION REGARDLESS OF THEIR COUNTRY OE

ORIGIN OR THE SENSITIVITY OF THE SUBSTANCE. IT HAS COME TO OUR I

ATTENTION THAT. THE BOARD HAS REVIEWED THE TWO AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTS

AND THE FOUR CIA DOCUMENTS AND DEEMED THEM APPROPRIATE FOR

RELEASE... GIVEN THE OBVIOUS SENSITIVITY OF OUR LIAISON

RELATIONSHIP WITH AUSTRALIANS, OGC IN COORDINATION WITH EA/LL AND

EA/PAMSI] IS PREPARING A MEMO TO THE BOARD REQUESTING THEY NOT

RELEASE THE EIRST TWO DOCUMENTS BECAUSE THE DOCUMENTS ARE THE

PROPERTY OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. INSTEAD WE ARE WILLING TO

PROVIDE SUMMARIES OF THESE DOCUMENTS OMITTING ANY MENTION OF THEIR

[AUSTRALIAN) ORIGIN OR OF THE EXISTENCE OFJA RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN)

OUR TWO SERVICES: THE AGENCY DOCUMENTS WHICH MAKE REFERENCE TO

OUR LIAISON RELATIONSHIP WOULD BE REDACTED TO TAKE OUT ALIJ

(REFERENCES TO AUSTRALIA.J

IN OUR EFFORT TO PRESENT A SOLID CASE TO THE<JEK>BOARD,

THE_MEMO INCLUDES A STRONG ARGUMENT THAT EVEN APPROACHING THE

AUSTRALIANS ON THE ISSUE OF DECLASSIFICATION OF AN AUSTRALIAN

DOCUMENT WILL STRAIN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. OUR ARGUMENT

SECRET

---

## Page 2

13-00000

SECRET

MHENO: 96-5536596

SENSIND:

WILL ENUMERATE THE THE UNFAVORABLE REACTION THE (AUSTRALIANS) HAVE

HAD TO RECENT DISCLOSURES AND AGENCY REQUESTS FOR PERMISSION TO

DISCLOSE INFORMATION PASSED TO US BY THE AUSTRALIAN, SERVICES.

EXAMPLES WE. INTEND TO CITE INCLUDE THE DUTY TO WARN ISSUE WHERE

THESAUSTRALIANS WERE ADAMANT ABOUT NOT GIVING PERMISSION TO

DISCLOSE THEIR INFORMATION BECAUSE OF SOURCE PROTECTION ISSUES,

THE (ASIS! CONCERN ABOUT THE BOOK PUBLISHED BY A FORMER AGENCY

EMPLOYEE THAT ALLUDES TO A LIAISON RELATIONSHIP WITH THE

(AUSTRALIANS, THE RECENT (DEMARCHE EXPRESSING CONCERN THAT A FORMER

AGENCY OFFICER ALLEGEDLY DISCLOSED CLASSIFIED AUSTRALIAN.

INFORMATION JAN ALLEGATION THE DDCI ASSURED THE AUSTRALIANS WOULD

CBE, THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED), AND THE DEMARCHE) IN (1995/BY THE

(AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT OUR U.S.

DECLASSIFICATION LEGISLATION AND WHETHER THE LEGISLATION PROVIDES

ADEQUATE GUARANTEES ABOUT NOT DISCLOSING INFORMATION PASSED TO US

BY FOREIGN SERVICES WITHOUT EXPRESS AUTHORIZATION. FROM SUCH

FOREIGN SERVICES• WE WILL ALSO MAKE REFERENCE TO A RECENT

APPROACH BY THE AUSTRALIANSJ ASKING FOR OUR OKAY IN THEIR

DECLASSIFYING SOME OF OUR DOCUMENTS, AND OUR STRONGLY-WORDED

RESPONSE DENYING PERMISSION AND ARGUING THAT SUCH DISCLOSURE WOULD

BE A BREACH OF TRUST.

*

IN ORDER TO BOLSTER OUR POSITION WITH THE<JFK>BOARD.

REQUEST STATION OBTAIN A HARD COPY OF THE (AUSTRALIAN DEMARCHE) ON

THE DECLASSIFICATION LEGISLATION THAT CAN BE ATTACHED TO THE MEMO.

WE BELIEVE THAT SUCH HARD COPY EVIDENCE FROM THE AUSTRALIANS) WILL

BOLSTER OUR ARGUMENT SIGNIFICANTLY.

WE ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE

ACTUAL TEXT OF THIS (DEMARCHE) IN HOS.

THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT WE DO NOT WANT EVEN TO

APPROACH THE AUSTRALIANS ABOUT DECLASSIFYING. THE AFOREMENTIONED

DOCUMENTS. WE HOPE OUR MEMO CONVINCES THE BOARD THAI, IN LIEU OF

RELEASING THE DOCUMENTS, SUMMARIES THAT OMIT ALL REFERENCE

(AUSTRALIA) WILL SUFFICE.

FYI: OUR FALLBACK POSITION IF THE BOARD TURNS DOWN THE

CONCEPT OF SUMMARIES, IS TO MAKE CLEAR THAT WE CANNOT RELEASE THE

AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENT, EVEN IN REDACTED FORM, WITHOUT LAUSTRALIAN

PERMISSION; FURTHER,

THAT IF WE SEEK AND ARE DENIED PERMISSION AND

THE BOARD NONETHELESS PROCEEDS WITH THE DECLASSIFICATION, IT WILL

HAVE A TREMENDOUS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE

(AUSTRALIAN SERVICES IN SUM, OUR GOING-IN POSITION IS WE WANT TO

AVOID RAISING THE SPECTER WITH THE (AUSSIES) THAT THE AGENCY MAY

HAVE TROUBLE PROTECTING THEIR SECRETS.

IF THE BOARD TURNS DOWN

OUR INITIAL PROPOSAL AND INSISTS WE SEEK AUSTRALIAN PERMISSION TO

DECLASSIFY, WE WILL DO SO:

IN SUCH AN EVENT, OUR_ LEGAL PEOPLE

BELIEVE A STRONGLY-WORDED DOCUMENT FROM THELAUSTRALIANS REFUSING

PERMISSION

WOULD PROBABLY PERSUADE THE BOARD NOT TO RELEASE THE

(AUSTRALIAN) DOCUMENT.

WE WILL KEEP YOU ADVISED ON HOW THIS. IS

PROGRESSING AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FURTHER GRIST FOR THE MILL AS

WE CRAFT OUR MEMO TO THE BOARD AS WELL AS THE TEXT OF THE

AUSTRALIAN DEMARCHE ON DECLASSIFICATION LEGISLATION.

7.5 FILE:

005-002-004.

715410, CL REASON: 1.5 (0)

DECLION: - X1, -DRV FROM:

HUM 2-- -844J

(CABLETYPE: GECO STAFF 1.0.2.J

REINO: DORELS01005250515

ORIG:

EA/PAMSI/A (HERGENR, 39998) ; ( COORD: EA/LGL(PATTERSON) ;

REL: C/EA/ PAMSI (HOPTIAK).

SECRET

PAGE:

2

---

## Page 3

13-00000

MHENO: 96-5536596

END OF MESSAGE

SECRET

(SENSIND:

PAGE:

3

SECRET

SECRET

---