[Peace-discuss] Secrecy News -- 05/01/03

[Joseph T. Miller]

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2003, Issue No. 37
May 1, 2003


**	FISA SURVEILLANCE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH
**	NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASES


FISA SURVEILLANCE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH

It is not exactly a surprise, but it is now official:  Domestic U.S.
government surveillance of suspected foreign intelligence and terrorist
targets under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
reached an all-time high in 2002.

According to the latest FISA annual report from the Department of
Justice, "all 1228 applications presented to the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court in 2002 were approved."

The report, from Attorney General Ashcroft, notes that two applications
were initially denied in part but then later upheld on appeal to the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review.

In 2001, 934 applications were approved.

The text of the April 29 letter report, released today under the Freedom
of Information Act, is here:

     http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fisa/2002rept.html


NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASES

New releases from the Public Record Office of the United Kingdom include
"the Special Operations Executive (SOE) personnel file on Hardy Amies,
former dressmaker to the Queen, and correspondence between Prime
Minister Edward Heath and US President Richard Nixon on Vietnam."  See:

     http://www.pro.gov.uk/releases/april2003/list.htm


_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web:    www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email:  saftergood at fas.org
voice:  (202) 454-4691