SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2007, Issue No. 61
June 13, 2007

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DNI ISSUES NEW POLICY ON INTELLIGENCE AWARDS

The U.S. intelligence community may acknowledge professional excellence by presenting employees or others with one of several monetary or honorary awards specified in a new Intelligence Community Directive.

"It is the policy of the DNI to recognize and honor all individuals and groups for distinguished service and/or exceptional contributions to the security of the U.S.; the development and execution of the U.S. National Intelligence Strategy and its various implementation plans; the integration and transformation of the IC, and/or the accomplishment of its mission;" and so forth.

Awards may range from certificates and "keepsakes" of no monetary value to large financial gifts. Amounts in excess of $25,000 must be approved by the President.

Covert personnel are not permitted to take possession of their awards.

Instead, "the IC element and/or the ODNI retain(s) the award when the individual is covert or a future covert assignment or affiliation is likely."

Intelligence Community Directive 655, entitled "National Intelligence Awards Program," was issued by Directive of National Intelligence Mike McConnell on May 23, 2007.

ATTORNEY IN FOGGO CASE SEEKS TO "OPT OUT" OF SECURITY CLEARANCE

A defense attorney in the prosecution of former CIA executive director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and contractor Brent Wilkes on bribery charges has refused to undergo a background investigation or submit to other procedures required in order to obtain a security clearance for access to classified information.

Defense counsel should not be required "to undergo any kind of a process by which my adversary in an adversarial system is going to determine whether or not I can represent my client," argued celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who represents Brent Wilkes.

Instead, he indicated, the government should simply provide the defense with all exculpatory material.

But it doesn't work that way, government attorneys said. In a June 8 pleading, they asked the court to require imposition of a security clearance, administered by a judicial branch official if necessary, or to take other steps to safeguard up to 15,000 pages of classified discovery materials.

The unusual dispute was first reported by Justin Rood in "Attorney Geragos Accused of Subtle Extortion," ABC News' The Blotter, June 11.

SELECTED CRS REPORTS

Notable new reports of the Congressional Research Service include the following.

"Iran: Ethnic and Religious Minorities," May 25, 2007:

"National Continuity Policy: A Brief Overview," June 8, 2007:

"'No Confidence' Votes and Other Forms of Congressional Censure of Public Officials," June 11, 2007:

"Veterans and Homelessness," May 31, 2007:

"Border Security: The San Diego Fence," updated May 23, 2007:

"Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections," updated June 1, 2007:

"U.S.-European Union Relations and the 2007 Summit," updated May 14, 2007:

"Russian Oil and Gas Challenges," updated May 16, 2007:

"Secret Sessions of the House and Senate," updated May 25, 2007:

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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