================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 20 ISSN 1069-7799 March 24,1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (77 lines) GOVERNMENT SECRECY REPORT RELEASED _________________________________________________________________ GOVERNMENT SECRECY REPORT RELEASED The bipartisan Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy presented its report on March 4 to the President and Congress. The Commission, chaired by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), sharply criticized existing practices that keep too much information confidential but often fail to protect secrets critical to national security. According to the summary of findings and recommendations: Greater openness permits more public understanding of the Government's actions and also makes it more possible for the Government to respond to criticism and justify those actions. It makes free exchange of scientific information possible and encourages discoveries that foster economic growth. In addition, by allowing for a fuller understanding of the past, it provides opportunities to learn lessons from what has gone before--making it easier to resolve issues concerning the Government's past actions and helping prepare for the future. The Commission's report was unanimous. It contains recommendations for actions by the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch, with the object of protecting and reducing secrecy "in an era when open sources make a plenitude of information available as never before in history." To improve the functioning of the secrecy system and the implementation of established rules, the Commission recommended a statute that sets forth the principles for what may be declared secret. The Commission was created under Title IX of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (P.L. 103-236). Their investigation was the first authorized by statute to examine government secrecy in 40 years, and only the second ever. The Commission will cease to exist at the end of this month. "The Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy" can be found at http://www.access.gpo.gov/int/. The report will be distributed to Federal Depository Libraries that have requested it. It is also for sale by GPO, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 (ISBN 0-16-054119-0). Until this Friday, March 28, copies of the report may be obtained from the Commission office by sending an e-mail to seccom@ix.netcom.com or by faxing your request to (202) 776-8773. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Anne A.Heanue All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================