IP: Bush administration DT/Clipper strategy

[Dave Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

From: Jim Gillogly <jim@rand.org>




For IP...
---------


This redacted and declassified high level memo outlining the linkage of
the Digital Wiretap bill and the Clipper initiative in the Bush
administration was recently obtained by EPIC (http://www.epic.org) as the
result of an FOIA request.


I tried to keep the original spacing and relative lengths of blacked-out
areas.


	Jim Gillogly
	7 Wedmath S.R. 1996, 05:04
___________________________________________________________________


                   UNCLASSIFIED stamped over TOP SECRET




                             THE WHITE HOUSE
                                WASHINGTON
                          January 17, 1991 [sic]


 MEMORANDUM FOR THE HONORABLE DICK CHENEY
		Secretary of Defense


		THE HONORABLE WILLIAM P. BARR
		Attorney General


		THE HONORABLE ROBERT M. GATES
		Director of Central Intelligence


 SUBJECT:       Legislative Strategy for Digital
		Telephony (S)


 On December 30, 1991, I sent to the President a memorandum
 seeking his approval for a legislative strategy for digital
 telephony.  The substance of that memorandum is attached.  On
 January 15, 1992, he approved the following course of action:


      -    Justice should go ahead now to seek a
	   legislative fix to the digital telephony
	   problem, and all parties should prepare to
	   follow through on the encryption problem in
	   about a year.  Success with digital telephony
	   will lock in one major objective; we will have
	   a beachhead we can exploit for the encryption
	   fix; and the encryption access options can be
	   developed more thoroughly in the meantime.  (TS)




			       <signed>
			       Brent Scowcroft


 Attachment


		<stamped> Declassified/Released on <handwritten> 6/28/96
			      under provisions of E.O. 12958
			  by J. Saunders, National Security Council






	UNCLASSIFIED stamped over       UNCLASSIFIED stamped over
	TOP SECRET                      TOP SECRET
	Declassifiy on:  OADR
___________________________________________________________________


	    [Attachment: XXXX replaces blacked-out portions]




	UNCLASSIFIED stamped over
	TOP SECRET                        <stamped>THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
					   <handwritten> 1-15-92


			THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON        <stamped>
			    December 29, 1991             31 DEC 30 P3:00


 ACTION


 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT


 FROM:          BRENT SCOWCROFT  <initials>


 SUBJECT:       Legislative strategy for Digital Telephony




 Purpose                                                    <handwritten>
								    EO
 To approve a legislative remedy to looming problems for law        12958
 enforcement XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX                   1.5
								    (C)


 Background


 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXxXXXXXXXXXXXXX


 Analog technology allows interception of a single communication    <written>
 through a tap on the target's line XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX     Same
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  Digital technology simultaneously
 intermingles thousands of pieces of information on the line
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXe
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


 The best solution to this problem is to obtain legislation which
 ensures the cooperation of the telephone commXXXXXXXX providing
 access to target communications XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  All         Same
 agencies agree with this legislative approach and that we should
 do it fairly soon.  Preliminary soundings on the Hill suggest
 there is a reasonable chance of success even though these kinds
 of issues raise "civil liberties" issues with the attendant
 political fireworks.  A timely legislative vehicle is the FCC
 Authorization Bill which has passed the House and awaits action
 in the Senate.  We expect the Senate to take it up in January.


 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX       <written>
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX <stamp> Partially Declassified/Released 6/28/96
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX             under provisions of <illegible>
				    by J. Saunders, National Security Council


   UNCLASSIFIED stamped over     UNCLASSIFIED stamped over cc: Vice President
   TOP SECRET                    TOP SECRET                Chief of Staff
   Declassifiy on:  OADR


___________________________________________________________________


	UNCLASSIFIED stamped over     2         <written>
	TOP SECRET                              Delibera...
						Materi...






 <written>
 Deliberative
 Material


 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  The Justice view is that we should
 carefully press ahead and try to obtain a solution now.  Justice
 contends that the costs of waiting (loss of access and the cost
 to recoup) are growing rapidly, and an attempt to fix it now is
 worth the political risks.


 RECOMMENDATION


 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXX Therefore, I recommend you give Justice the go-ahead
 to seek a fix to the digital telephony problem and direct all the
 parties to prepare to follow through on encryption in about a
 year.


	<checked>                     I prefer first to
	    /                         meet with senior
 Approve __V___   Disapprove ______   advisors to discuss ______


  <initials, underlined>
	GB






   UNCLASSIFIED stamped over     UNCLASSIFIED stamped over
   TOP SECRET                    TOP SECRET


___________________________________________________________________


Transcribed by:

-- 
	Jim Gillogly
	7 Wedmath S.R. 1996, 05:04