SECRECY NEWS – BRADLEY MANNING TAKES RESPONSIBILITY

At an open hearing on February 28, Pfc. Bradley Manning said that he was
responsible for providing U.S. government documents to the WikiLeaks
website, including a large collection of U.S. State Department cables, a
video of a brutal U.S. Army helicopter attack in Baghdad, and other
records.

"The decisions that I made to send documents and information to the WLO
[WikiLeaks Organization] and website were my own decisions, and I take full
responsibility for my actions," he told the military court.

The Army belatedly released a redacted copy of Pfc. Manning's statement
yesterday. (An unofficial version had been privately transcribed by Alexa
O'Brien soon after the hearing.)

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/manning/022813-statement.pdf

The Freedom of the Press Foundation obtained an audio recording of the
statement, which it released online.

        https://pressfreedomfoundation.org/blog

Manning eloquently expressed his motivations for the unauthorized
disclosures, including the need to expose corruption and deception in the
conduct of diplomacy and military operations. He described the efforts he
made to weigh the possible damage that might result from disclosure, and
the judgment he made that release of the records was the appropriate step.

But he did not acknowledge that any other individuals had been placed at
risk by his actions, nor did he take responsibility for any consequences
they might suffer. Taliban leaders said in 2010 that they were scrutinizing
the Afghanistan war records published by WikiLeaks and that they would
"punish" persons listed in the records who were found to have cooperated
with the U.S. military.

FOIA IN THE 113TH CONGRESS, AND MORE FROM CRS

The latest products from the Congressional Research Service include these
items.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Background and Policy Options for the
113th Congress, March 8, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/R41933.pdf

What's the Difference? -- Comparing U.S. and Chinese Trade Data, February
25, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS22640.pdf

Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, March 8,
2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30588.pdf

Hugo Chávez's Death: Implications for Venezuela and U.S. Relations, March
8, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42989.pdf

"Sense of" Resolutions and Provisions, March 11, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-825.pdf

U.S. Immigration Policy: Chart Book of Key Trends, March 7, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R42988.pdf

INTELLIGENCE SHARING IMPROVES WITH ALLIES, LAGS WITH CONGRESS

The Commander of U.S. Central Command said last week that he is
"encouraged" by the willingness of U.S. intelligence agencies to share
information with military allies, which is becoming "a standard practice
rather than the exception."  At the same time, the chair of the Senate
Intelligence Committee complained that her committee has not been receiving
the intelligence information that it requires to perform its oversight
function.

"As I travel throughout the AOR [area of responsibility] and see the
promise of new initiatives and the risk posed by numerous challenges, I
receive requests from military leaders across the region to increase
intelligence sharing between our militaries," said Gen. James N. Mattis,
CENTCOM Commander, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee
on March 5.

"In order to demonstrate our commitment, I requested the Intelligence
Community to begin drafting releasable products for our most trusted
partners in the Levant, on the Arabian Peninsula, in the Central Asian
States, and in South Asia as a standard practice rather than the
exception," Gen. Mattis said.

"I am encouraged by the personal attention the Office of the Director of
National Intelligence is giving these matters. Director Clapper's strong
emphasis and encouragement for the intelligence community to produce
intelligence in a manner that eases our ability to responsibly share
information with our military counterparts creates a stronger, more focused
front against our common enemies and builds our partner nations'
confidence.  We are grateful for the nimble manner in which our
intelligence community has strengthened our efforts to checkmate more of
our enemy's designs," Gen. Mattis testified.

    http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2013_hr/030513mattis.pdf

But in a notable contrast, congressional leaders say they have not gotten
similar cooperation from the intelligence community, and they have less
reason for encouragement.

"There is a very strong feeling on both sides of the aisle that the
[intelligence] committee is not receiving the information it needs to
conduct all oversight matters in the manner in which we should," said Sen.
Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, during the
Senate confirmation of John O. Brennan to be CIA Director on March 7

    http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2013_cr/brennan.html

"There is the matter of Office of Legal Counsel opinions concerning the
targeted killing of Americans.  The committee needs to understand the legal
underpinning of not only this program but of all clandestine programs, of
all covert actions, so we may ensure the actions of the intelligence
community operate according to law," Sen. Feinstein said. "Absent these
opinions, we cannot conduct oversight that is as robust as it needs to be."

With respect to the opinions on targeted killing, at least, the committee
was finally able to reach an accommodation with the Administration while
the confirmation process was pending, which included "staff access and
without restrictions on note taking," she said.

"I want to thank the administration. I think increasingly they understand
this problem of the need for us to access more information. It is not a
diminishing one, it is a growing one, and it is spreading through this
House-- and I suspect the other House as well," Sen. Feinstein said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he
"reluctantly opposed" the confirmation of Mr. Brennan because "the
administration has stonewalled me and the Judiciary Committee for too long
on a reasonable request to review the legal justification for the use of
drones in the targeted killing of American citizens."

_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
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email:  saftergood@fas.org
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twitter: @saftergood