David Skaggs: “Mr. Chairman, debate concluded a few minutes ago on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers]…”

“Mr. Chairman, debate concluded a few minutes ago on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers] about the question of declassification of the aggregate amount of intelligence expenditures. I wanted nonetheless to address that question briefly at this time. The debate on this, I think, is easily misconstrued and, therefore, misunderstood. It seems to me always appropriate to start with first principles, which, in a democracy, ought to be that the maximum amount of information about the activities of our Government be made available to our citizens. Now, there are necessarily exceptions to that principle for national security information, for State secrets, but the general principle again ought to be to make as much information about the operations of a democratically elected, representative government as possible available, so that citizens may make informed judgments in the process of self-government. It has been alleged that somehow vital national security interests are going to be compromised if this aggregate intelligence expenditure is declassified. I think that is a proposition that is virtually impossible to support rationally.”