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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: November 2000

October 2000

• New "Leak" Statute Diminishes Congressional Oversight by Steven Aftergood, letter to the editor, Washington Post, October 31. The new leak statute "represents a wholesale transfer of power to the executive branch, which would enjoy sole discretion over what to classify and whom to prosecute."
• Espionage Investigation Leads to Calls for Greater Security by Paul Shukovsky, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 30. "The Aleksey Yeremin espionage investigation is spurring calls for greater protection of U.S. stealth technology and other defense secrets."
• Schumer Urges Veto of "Leak" Statute, letter to the White House, October 27. This legislation "will have profound effects on the ability of an informed citizenry to keep our government honest."
• Senators Leahy, Grassley, and Schumer Urge Deferral of "Leak" Statute, letter to the Appropriations Committee, October 27. "A delay in the effective date ... would provide an opportunity for the Judiciary Committee to consider more fully the implications of this law and to have a richer and more public national debate."
• Hyde and Conyers Reiterate Opposition to the "Leak" Statute, letter to the House Appropriations Committee, October 25. "We are asking you to include language in the Appropriations Bill that would delay the effective date of this provision."
• OAS Issues Declaration on Protecting Freedom of Expression, State Department notice, October 24. The human rights body of the Organization of American States (OAS) has approved a declaration that says the "consolidation and development of democracy depends on the very existence of freedom of expression."
• Secretary Richardson Commissions Study to Strengthen Science and Security, DOE press release, October 20. The study, to be performed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, will be completed in April 2002.
• Critics Blast Cybercrime Bill by James Gordon Meek, APBNews.com, October 20. "A U.S. Senate bill would encourage companies to share sensitive information with the government about cyber-security breaches, but civil libertarians say the measure would weaken an important public disclosure law."
• Rep. Wilson Denies Bill Promotes Secrecy by John J. Lumpkin, Albuquerque Journal, October 18. "The measure has been criticized by open government and press groups as potentially stifling to public knowledge of the government's activities."
• FBI to Begin Debriefing Wen Ho Lee, Associated Press, October 17. "The Federation of American Scientists questioned why the government waited so long to talk to Lee if his answers were so valuable prosecutors were willing to drop most of the case."
• Secretary Richardson Accepts Recommendations for Improving Security at Nuclear Weapons Laboratories, DOE press release, October 17. DOE has authorized the NNSA to immediately restructure contracts with the University of California to address security and management issues.
• Sen. Domenici Criticizes Polygraph Provisions of Defense Authorization Bill, press release, October 12. "I am dismayed that the conferees took it upon themselves to adopt additional provisions on polygraphs. I find it astounding...."
• Defense Bill Would Exemption Foreign Government Information from Disclosure by Keith Costa, Inside the Pentagon, October 12. "Creating a new exemption to the FOIA, as proposed by DOD, would 'tend to erode' the law, opponents said."
• Moynihan and Wyden Release Report on Government Secrecy, press release, October 11. "To highlight the far-reaching implications of secrecy in international and domestic policy making, Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Ron Wyden today released a joint-report on government secrecy.."
• Federal Panel Declassifies Historically Valuable Documents, press release, October 11. "The Panel reversed agency classification decisions and declassified information in the majority of the appeals it considered for the fourth straight year."
• Tenet On A Mission To 'Serve Everyone' by Barbara Slavin, USA Today, October 11. "Even Tenet's many admirers say he has a long way to go to right an agency beset by problems that include major intelligence failures, trouble in setting post-Cold War priorities and a bureaucratic structure that puts most intelligence operations under the Pentagon."
• NRDC Sues Energy Department Over NIF FACA Violations, October 11. "This case challenges the DOE's ongoing violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act with respect to ...the National Ignition Facility."
• House Judiciary Chairman Hyde Protests Adoption of Leak Statute, letter to House Intelligence Committee, October 10. "We are particularly concerned that there have been no public hearings and no public debate on this measure."
• Approval expected of Shelby proposal to punish leakers by Sean Reilly, Mobile (AL) Register, October 10. "Despite vehement objections from civil libertarians and press organizations, Congress appears poised to approve legislation that would make disclosure of classified information a felony punishable by up to three years in prison."
• Letter to Congress on Intelligence and Treaty Obligations, letter from civil liberties organizations, October 11. "There can be no excuse for giving intelligence agencies a license to ignore the law."
• Pentagon Press Briefing on Missing Deutch Diskettes, daily press briefing, October 10. "He has not volunteered the information on floppies, and he has declined to answer questions from us on their whereabouts."
• Energy Department Announces Steps to Combat Racial Profiling, DOE press release, October 9. "We have made progress addressing concerns of racial profiling but more needs to be done," said Secretary Richardson.
• President Extends Groom Lake Exemption, Federal Register, October 5. "I find that it is in the paramount interest of the United States to exempt the United States Air Force's operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada ... from any applicable requirement for the disclosure ... of classified information.
• Secretary Richardson Comments on the Wen Ho Lee Case, Security, National Press Club, October 4. "I was, I think months ago, criticized for doing too little on security; and today, if you read reports, I've done too much. So I think I'm right in the middle."
• Defense Secretary Cohen Comments on "Leaks" of Classified Information, from a speech on October 2. "I think it's really quite discouraging when you see that kind of information being released and openly given to members of the media."
• CIA Announces Declassification of 5 Million Pages, by Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters, October 2. "Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists said it was a positive sign that CIA was declassifying a larger amount of material, but was cautious about the value of it."
• CIA Releases 5 Million Pages of Declassified Intelligence Documents, CIA press release, October 2. "This is the largest release of formerly classified CIA documents ever," said Director of Central Intelligence George J. Tenet.

Older News: September 2000

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