Abstract
In enacting the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1966, Congress provided for broad disclosure of agency records. Although nine specific exemptions were included in the statute, they did not adequately address the Central Intelligence Agency's concern for security. Under the original FOIA, the CIA was required to search and assemble information which would otherwise remain compartmented, even though it was often clear that most or all of the information would fall within a statutory exception. The Central Intelligence Agency Information Act addresses many of the concerns of the CIA, as well as those held by public interest groups who support increased public access to intelligence information utilized by policymakers. This article examines the application of FOIA to national security information, and the circumstances which led to the enactment of the Central Intelligence Agency Act. It discusses major provisions of the Act and those aspects of legislative history which are likely to affect judicial interpretation of the Act.
Recommended Citation
Karen A. Winchester & James W. Zirkle,
Freedom of Information and the CIA Information Act,
21
U. Rich. L. Rev.
231
(1987).
Available at:
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/lawreview/vol21/iss2/3