232. Memorandum for the Record0
The Director and Mr. Pforzheimer appeared before Sub-Committee No. 3 of the House Armed Services Committee in connection with H.R. 5871. Present were Mr. Paul W. Shafer of Michigan, Mr. Lyndon Johnson of Texas, Mr. Leroy Johnson of California, Mr. Franck R. Havenner of California, and Mr. J. R. Blandford, counsel to the Sub-Committee. The hearing was in Executive Session with a reporter present except during those times when the discussion was off the record.
A point of discussion arose as to whether debate on the floor would not force out certain classified information regarding the matters for which this legislation seeks to provide and the suggestion was offered by Representative Lyndon Johnson substantially in the following terms:
“Notwithstanding any provisions of existing law the President, after approval of the Comptroller General, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget and the Chief of Staff to the President, is hereby authorized to exempt CIA from such advertising, purchasing, accounting, disbursing, contract or other provisions of present law which requirements of security may dictate.”
(After discussion with Mr. Webb, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, the Sub-Committee was informed that this proposed language was too broad and would protect nobody if enforced.)
The question of authority for the Director to issue visas up to fifty people per annum was considered, and the Sub-Committee ruled that it was too controversial to include in the present measure and that after the passage of H.R. 5871 it should be offered as a new bill.
After further discussions on the provisions of the bill, the Sub-Committee unanimously approved H.R. 5871 with certain textual changes suggested by the Director.
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency Records, Job 90–00610R, Box 1, Folder 7. No classification marking.↩