Source:
Associated PressSpy Chief to Restrict Intel EstimatesFriday October 26, 2007 10:46 PM
By PAMELA HESS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - National Intelligence Director Mike
McConnell has reversed the recent practice of declassifying
and releasing summaries of national intelligence estimates,
a top intelligence official said Friday.
Knowing their words may be scrutinized outside the U.S.
government chills analysts' willingness to provide
unvarnished opinions and information, said David Shedd,
a deputy to McConnell.
He told congressional aides and reporters that McConnell
recently issued a directive making it more difficult to
declassify the key judgments of national intelligence
estimates, which are forward-looking analyses prepared for
the White House and Congress that represent the
consensus of the nation's 16 spy agencies on a single
issue. The analysis comes from various sources including
the CIA, the military and intelligence agencies inside
federal departments.
Referring to the public release of the reports, Shedd said
during a Capitol Hill briefing: “It affects the quality of
what's written.”
-snip-Read more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7027602,00.html
EDIT: Updated AP story new title
Original story:
Intel Estimates to Be More Restricted