Statement by Assistant
to the President for Press Relations Fitzwater on Covert Action Procedural
Reforms
The
President today met with Senator David L. Boren and Senator William Cohen,
chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Select Senate Committee on
Intelligence (SSCI), to indicate his agreement to new procedures concerning the
approval, review, and notification to Congress of covert action programs.
The
principles outlined in the President's letter to the chairman and vice chairman of the SSCI were developed over a period of
intensive and fruitful consultations between the White House and the SSCI. They
evidence a desire for close cooperation between the President and Congress with
respect to these very sensitive and important programs. The President responded
to a letter to national security adviser Frank Carlucci from Senators Boren and
Cohen on behalf of the SSCI. The measure of agreement reflected in the
President's letter demonstrates the vital importance he attaches to cooperation
between the Congress and the executive branch in the intelligence area. On this
there is agreement. The new procedures we are putting in place will strengthen
that cooperation, and facilitate the work of the committee in fulfilling its
important responsibilities.