Requests
From: Inman, B. R.
To: Siemer, G. C.
Document date: 01/05/1978
Document type: Memorandum

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Doc Ref ID: A4268763

DATE: 03/24/97

PAGE: 1

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : NSA

RECORD NUMBER : 144-10001-10134

RECORDS SERIES :

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR : NSA

FROM

INMAN

TO : STEMER, G.

TITLE :

REQUESTS

DATE: 01/05/78

PAGES : 4

SUBJECTS :

CUBA

DOCUMENT TYPE

CLASSIFICATION

MEMORANDUM, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

RESTRICTIONS

1B

CURRENT STATUS

DATE OF LAST REVIEW

: 08/12/93

OPENING CRITERIA

ORIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRED

COMMENTS

-CONTAINS SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION

ERI

IRI - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

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NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY

CENTRAL SECURITY SERVICE

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND 20755

Serial: N0015

5 January 1978

Co

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HONORABLE DEANNE SIEMER, GENERAL COUNSEL,

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

SUBJECT:

Pending Congressional. Requests

REFERENCES:

(a)

15 December 1977 letter from Senator George

McGovern to Secretary of Defense

(b)

Undated letter received on 20 December 1977

from Congressman Louis Stokes to Director, NSA

(c) 16 December 1977 letter from Mr. Ira Nordlicht

to the Honorable Deanne Siemer

how it is to be done.

NSA Charter legislation, now in draft form,

would obligate the Director to keep the Committees of the Congress,

having jurisdiction over the Agency, fully and currently informed

of the Agency's activities.

Provision of information to other

committees would be responsive to policy developed within the

community.

2..

We anticipate that requests for information, as illus-

trated by the three referenced letters, will continue to increase

and can present difficulties in maintaining good relations with

the Congress.

While this Agency has been fully responsive to

the needs of the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Appropriations

Committees, we have treated requests for information by other

committees on a purely case-by-case basis. Several times during

the past two years, Committees of the Congress which do not have

jurisdiction for intelligence oversight have approached NSA

directly for foreign signals intelligence information.

In each

case it has been our understanding that the SIGINT information

NSA has provided to the requesting committee is being used

as

background information in assisting that committee in formulating

U.S. policy matters. On these infrequent occasions, NSA has

responded directly to the requesting committee providing either

access to SIGINT product or briefings, as required.

Clarilled by DIRNSA/CHCSS (NSP./CSS:1 123•2)

Beca: los GDS, EO 11652, Cct 2

recessily Upda doulection by lbe Originalos

DOWNGRADE TO CONFIDENTIAL

HVCCO UPON REMOVAL OF INCL

SPRULE

MeT CAMER

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Dọc Ref ID: A4268763

Fe dame i

Serial: N0015

Regarding these three specific requests, inclosed for

your information is a summary of NSA's contacts with Senator

McGovern's Subcommittee; on International Operations.

As indi-

cated in the summary and as discussed previously with Mr. Andrews

of your staff, we have not shown nor discussed any material with

Senator McGovern's staff representative pending the drafting of

an approved memorandum of understanding by your office and the

execution of such an MOU between the Executive Branch

and the

Senator.

4.

In his letter received by NSA on 20-December, Representa-

tive Louis Stokes, Chairman of the House Select. Committee on

Assassinations, requested certain information from NSA relating

to the Cuban intelligence network during the period 1959 - 1964.

Chairman Stokes also certified that access to any NSA material

would be restricted to those staff

members with a TOP SECRET

security clearance; access to NSA material, of course, requires

indoctrination for SI as well. No response has been made to

Chairman Stokes'

correspondence pending resolution of how NSA

should deal with non-oversight committees.

Once that decision

is made, we recommend that any SIGINT information selected for

the select Committee on Assassinations be provided only by the

DoD or DCI as part of a larger submission of data and that the

SIGINT be properly sanitized.

5. Mr. Ira Noralicht's 16 December letter to you requested

information from NSA on the flow of oil to South Africa and

Rhodesia.

At the time. of his initial telephone call, Mr. Nordlicht

had a TOP SECRET clearance.

It is our understanding that he has

since been indoctrinated for SI/IK by DIA.

While

any SIGINT

pertinent to Mi. Nordlicht's request may contain unique informa-

tion, it must be emphasized that SIGINT alone may be incomplete

or misleading unless it is examined in the context of all-source

intelligence information. In this instance, after the execution

of a

suitable MOU, we recommend the requested information be

furnished by the DCI combining the SIGINT with other materials

available to him.

You may recall that earlier this year the

Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Economic Policy requested and was

provided information on Arab foreign investments and the lifting

and sale of Saudi

and Iranian oil.. This is the information which

was provided specifically to. Mr.

Jerome Levinson, then counsel

of the Subcommittee, and which subsequently formed the basis for

a 20 June 1977 letter from Senator Frank Church, Chairman of the

Subcommittee, to the Secretary of State citing

...a substantial

discrepancy between CIA and NSA estimates of Saudi crude oil

exports in the first quarter of 1977." This charge was repeated

2

SECRET

MANGLE MA CONNOT GRANNELS ONLE

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TOO SECRET o

Serial: N0015

by Mr. Levinson in an article by Seymour M. Hersh appearing

in the New York Times of December 25, 1977. Mr. Nordlicht

stated his present request is not related to the previous

inquiry.

6. The lack of an MOU or other agreed procedure for dealing

with requests for SIGINT from other than the three traditional

oversight committees mentioned above has severely hampered NSA's

ability to be responsive to the Congress.

He urgently recommend

that an agreed procedure be developed between the Executive and

Legislative Branches which would set forth the terms and condi-

tions on which sensitive cryptologic or other intelligence

information would

be provided to the non-oversight committees.

In the absence of such an agreement with both the Senate Foreign

Relations Committee and the House Select Committee on Assassina-

tions, we cannot respond to these queries.

that your office so advise Congressnan Stokes and Mr. Noralicht

and also determine a proper response to Senator McGovern

consistent with the President's instructions.

B.

R

INMAN

Vice Admiral, U. S. Navy

Director, NSA/Chief, CSS

Incl:

a/s

Copy Furnished:

Col. Stephen Harrick

OASD (LA)

TOP SCORET

COREANS

MANDEL VIA GOMANT SADINEES

3

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CC :

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D./ DIR

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Exec DDO

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34

M/R:

On 17 May 1977, the Director proposed in a memorandum

to the DCI that the DCI assume responsibility for acting as the

focal point for requests for intelligence information from any

Committee of the Congress which does not have direct oversight

This proposal included the recommendation

that the channel of communications for such requests should

be through a designated individual on the IC Staff and that

responses to the Congress should flow back through the same

person, providing the DCI, on behalf of the President, the oppor-

tunity

to review what intelligence information is made available

to the Congress.

The DCI has never responded to this memorandum.

b.

Instant memo recommends that an agreed procedure be

developed between the Executive and Legislative Branches which

to the note to the terms,

would set forth the terms and conditions on which sensitive

cryptologic or other intelligence information would be provided

to the non-oversight committees.

assume action on R/S 5507 and provides background information

on two Congressional requests (references a and c) for SIGINT

information. now pending in OSD.

c. Deadline on R/s 5507 response to Ms. Siemer extended

to 4 January per Col. Steve Harrick, ATSD (LA); and MI. BOb

Andrews, OSD (GC) •

d.

Mr. Yeates, Exec DDO, and MI. Brady, GC, concur.

Classification reviewed by Mr. Michael Levin, D4.

JULIA WETZEL, U2, 31615, 4 Jan 78, bj

LAO

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