Another Non-Disclosure First - April 21, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 8

April 21, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 8:

Published: 04/21/2003

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Another Non-Disclosure First

In a decision that seems almost Kafkaesque, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has achieved new heights in secrecy with its refusal to release the CIA Headquarters Handbook on releasing information to the public. The policy handbook was requested in a Freedom of Information Act letter from a reporter. The CIA confirmed the existence of the manual but claimed that no portion of it, including the cover page, could be released. The CIA asserted that the handbook was being withheld under two separate FOIA exemptions: the agency claimed that the information pertains solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the Agency, the b(2) FOIA exemption; and the second justification given for withholding was based on the agency’s claims that the document describes intelligence sources and methods, the b(3) FOIA exemption.