Library Groups Voice Opposition
to “Official Secrets Act”
The American Library Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the Association of Research Libraries wrote Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) August 31 to voice their opposition to a provision in the intelligence authorization bill currently before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The measure, which opponents call the country’s first official secrets act, would criminalize the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by federal employees. Identical legislation was passed by Congress last year only to be vetoed by President Clinton; Sen. Graham, the committee chair, supported that bill.
The letter calls the leaks proposal overly broad and fears it “would diminish the public’s right-to-know and raise First Amendment implications by discouraging dissent and disclosure of governmental misconduct.” The library groups requested a postponement of a scheduled September 5 hearing on the provision and called for a public debate on the measure; the previous bill was approved with little debate and no public hearings, and opponents claim the bill’s backers plan the same approach this year. They also asked that the measure be proposed as a stand-alone bill rather than a provision attached to a larger bill.
Posted September 3, 2001.
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