Statement on Signing the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1982

I am pleased today to sign into Law H.R. 3454, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1982. This act represents a significant first step toward achieving revitalization of our nation's intelligence community. The President of the United States must have timely, accurate, and insightful foreign intelligence in order to make sound national defense and foreign policy decisions. This act helps to assure that we will have the necessary intelligence information to make these difficult decisions.

The Congress has with this act authorized appropriations sufficient to assure that we continue to have the world's best and most professional intelligence service. The Congress has also provided new administrative authorities to the heads of the nation's three major intelligence agencies to assure that they can perform their missions more effectively. I hope that the spirit of cooperation between the legislative and executive branches which resulted in this act will continue as we move to rebuild our nation's intelligence capabilities.

I would also note my hope that I will soon be able to sign the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which has passed the House and is awaiting floor action in the Senate. I strongly support enactment of this measure, preferably in the form in which it was passed by the House of Representatives; we must act now to protect our intelligence personnel, who serve our nation under what are often difficult and dangerous circumstances.