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JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

NSA

144-10001-10205

DATE: -2/09/9

PAGE:

AGENCY

RECORD NUMBER

RECORDS SERIES :

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINAROM

: NSA.

DIRNSA

DOD GC

TITLE

PENDING CONGRESSIONAL REQUESTS

PAGES : 01/05/78

SUBJECTS

INFORMATION ACQUIRED BY NSA RELATING TO CUBAN INTELLIGENCE

DOCUMENT TYPE

CLASSIFICATION

MEMORANDUM

RESTRICTIONS

1B

CURRENT STATUS

DATE OF LAST REVIEW

X

: 07/01/97

PENING CRITERI

RIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRE

COMMENTS

CONTAINS

SENSITIVE eMpARTMeNTed INFoRMATIoN

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

Released on 08-12-2022 under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Act of 1992

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Ret in

126RE

NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY

CENTRAL SECURITY SERVICE

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND 20755

Serial: N0015

5 January 1978

OF PRES.

OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS

Order 14176, DECLASS.

MLK,

Released pursuant to Executive

DR.

AND THE REV.

RFK,

SEN.

JFK,

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

1.

Referenced letters iterating requests for information

from the National Security Agency present two common issues:.

namely, whether signals intelligence information is to be pro-

vided

to Congressional Committees which exercise no traditional

oversight over intelligence matters; and, if it is to be provided,

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/CHICSS (NSA/CSSM 123-2)

Exempt troa GDS, EO 11652, Cct 2

Declassily Uppa Notilication by the Originalos

DOWNGRADE TO CONFIDENTIAL

HVCCO UPON REMOVAL OF INCL

17511

2ẢO DAN 3

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3.

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

access to NSA material, of course, requires

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 Nordlicht'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/TK by DIA.

While any SIGINT

pertinent to Mr. 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

Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,

SEN. REK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.

MARBLE VIA GOMET

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A

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

that an agreed procedure be developed between the Executive and

eat ty to be responsive to the conte

We urgently reconmend

Legislative Branches which would set forth the terms and conci-

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. We also recommend

that your office so advise Congressman 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)

Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,

SEN. REK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.

OP SCORC

dirandaint

VA COMAN SEEDLE ONCE

3

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SUMMARY OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

OF SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE

DISCUSSIONS WITH NSA

MAY - NOV 1977

On 6 May 1977, Senator George McGovern, Chairman

of the Sub-

committee on International Operations, Senate Foreign Relations

sent a letter to isA Iniorming the Ageney of the Sub-

ne act an ite geno agents at to te nations 2)

the U.s. and foreign-sponsored surveillance, harassment or intimi-

dation of private persons, and (2) efforts by/foreign interests to

influence official U.s. Government policy.

we understand that a

similar letter was sent to the Secretary on /15 June.

Since that time, Mr. Michael Glennon, Legal Counsel for the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visited NSA on 15 June to

explain in more detail the scope of the Committee's investigation

of item (1) above: (a) whether intelligence agencies of foreign

nations are engaging in harassment,

intimidation and surveillance

of foreign nationals here in the

U.s.i/ (b) against whom these

activities are directed; (c) who is performing these activitles

on behalf of the intelligence agencies; (d) how often it occurs

and what form it takes; (e) where these activities are conducted;

and (f) to what extent U.S. intelligence and law enforcement

agencies may be "cooperating" with or "acquiesing" in this activity.

This information will, according to Mr. Glennon, help the Committee

evaluate the extent to which intelligence agencies of foreign

nations can conclude that their activities are condoned. He

stated that it was his intention to talk also with the FBI, DIA,

and CIA, and we understand he has done so.

NSA made no substantive contribution during this visit since

Mr. Glennon did not hold an SI clearance.

On 14 September 1977, Mr. Glennon requested by secure tele-

phone that NSA brief him on information NSA may have about the

harassment, intimidation and surveillance of foreign nationals

in the u.s. by organizations such as SAVAK (Iran), DINA (Chile)

and comparable organizations of the Soviet Union and the Philip-

pines.

In response we searched our product records for the

period 10 Nov 76. I Nov 77 to determine whether NSA had any

information pertaining: to, this request.

We found several reports

dealing directly with foreign operations in the U.s. fi.e., SAVAK

arranging for the search of à house in Houston, Texas, and

SAVAK

reports on demonstrations planned during the Shah's visit to the

U.S.), and two Chilean (DINA) items relating

to the assassination

Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,

SEN. REK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.

Clesslied by DEDiSArEROES (NSAYCSON: 122-2!

Exempt los GDS, ES 11652. Cct 2

323

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in Washington of a former Chilean ambassador. There were no

reflections of

such activities by the soviet Union or the

Philippines.

Mr. Glennon did not ask for information on efforts by foreign

interests to influence U.S. Government policy at this time and

no search was made for SIGINT on this aspect of the Subcommittee's

investigation.

The Director, NSA, reviewed these reports on 17 November

and said they were not to be shown to or discussed with Mr. Glennon

until the memorandum of understanding between the Executive branch

and Senator McGovern on behalf of the Subcommittee on International

Operations is executed. Mr. Glennon was so advised in late

November and again in early. December.

Although the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has been

conducting a similar investigation since January 1977, they have

focused primarily on KCIA activities.

None of the product records

pertaining to Mr. Glennon's request have been provided the SSCI.

Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF

RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JEK,

SEN. REK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.

2

TOP SECRET

SandRaozone bora toninese cases

RINGS ONLY.

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CC :

DIR

D/ DIR

DDO

Exec DDO

ADLA

Ul

U2

V

G

EX REG

L221

NCRDEF

M/R:

a .

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

responsibilities. This proposal included the recommendation

that the channel of communications for such requests should

be through a designated indiviaual 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

would set forth the terms and conditions on which sensitive

cryptologic or other intelligence information would be providea

to the non-oversight committees. It also recommends OSD GC

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 Mr. BOb

Andrews, OSD (GÇ) •

d.

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

Classification reviewed by Mr. Michael Levin, D4.

lai

switzil

JULIA

WETZEL, U2, 3161s, 4

Jan 78, bj

i ;

LAO

Released pursuant to Executive Order 14176, DECLASS. OF RECORDS CONC. THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRES. JFK,

SEN. REK, AND THE REV. DR. MLK, JR.

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