NCJ Number
97739
Date Published
1984
Length
196 pages
Annotation
This transcript is of a hearing held to consider H.R. 4620, the Federal Telecommunications Privacy Act of 1984, which prohibits Federal officials from listening in on or recording telephone conversations without the consent of all parties involved.
Abstract
Charles Wick, Director of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), explains his practice of recording telephone calls and defends that practice as being related to legitimate USIA concerns. Frank J. Carr, Assistant Administrator, Office of Information Resources Management for the General Services Administration (GSA), discusses GSA regulations for recording conversations of government employees on the Federal Telecommunications System and other telephone systems. Carr explains that H.R. 4620 largely embodies GSA's present regulations; he adds that his agency does not believe that codification of existing GSA rules governing the nonconsensual monitoring of telephone conversations is necessary. Robert E. Rich, Deputy Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), notes that NSA's concerns about H.R. 4620 relate to the ways in which NSA functions would be adversely affected by the bill. He discusses two principal NSA missions that are affected by the legislation -- the signals intelligence mission and the communications security mission. Dennis Hays, President of the American Foreign Service Association, presents testimony in support of the bill and defends the public's right to expect ethical behavior on the part of its elected and appointed officials. Appendixes include a GSA letter and report, lists of State laws prohibiting tape recording of telephone conversations, and the USIA 1983 speakers list.