MEMO from a NASA employee detailing how to dodge the US鈥檚 Freedom of
Information Act came to light last week and drew a stinging rebuke from
Congressman Howard Wolpe, an influential member of the House subcommittee
on science, space and technology. Richard Truly, the head of the agency,
immediately repudiated the sentiments in the memo.
The Freedom of Information Act ensures that the public has access to
all government documents, except those in certain narrow categories, in
particular those important to national security.
Wolpe鈥檚 staff uncovered the memo, written in 1989, when they were reviewing
the controversial SP-100 nuclear reactor programme. NASA is developing the
SP-100 to power spacecrait in collaboration with the Department of Defense
nnd the Department of Energy. In 1989 NASA and its partners held a series
of meetings to discuss the programme. One of their first actions was to
draw up a memo entitled 鈥榮uggestions for anticipating requests under the
Freedom of Information Act鈥�.
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The memo advises employees to rewrite and destroy documents so that
they 鈥榤inimise the adverse impact鈥� of disclosure. It provides further advice
on how to make documents less meaningful and how to present them a that
their true significance is hidden.
In a letter to Truly, Wolpe asks if the memo means that NASA has systematic
procedures in place to 鈥榣imit and obfuscate negative and controversial information
about its programmes and activities鈥�. Immediately on receipt of the letter,
Truly sent instructions to senior stall鈥� insisting that they comply with
the Freedom of Information Act. Nevertheless, he ad other NASA officials
face grillings at forthcoming congressional hearings.
