Harvard Opposes Restrictions Of Scientific Information Flow

As Congress moves to rollback Reagan Administration restrictions on the flow of scientific information, the University appears to have stepped up efforts to oppose the limits, which it says threaten freedom of academic inquiry and opinion.

Vice President for Government and Community Affairs John Shattuck has given two recent speeches, one in Washington and one in California, blasting Reagan's information policies, and the Harvard Gazette yesterday printed an article addressing the issue.

The University is also expected to release a report in the next month written by Shattuck that will sharply criticise Administration limits on scientific information.

Meanwhile the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology will decide next week whether to prohibit the National Security Agency (NSA) from controlling certain kinds of scientific information, a House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity said yesterday.

"There is definitely a renewed interest on the part of the Congress and the press in part because of Iran-Contra and in part because of the Poindexter memorandum," Shattuck said yesterday.

Responding to suggestions made by the Tower Commission that the National Security Council (NSC) become less concerned with secrecy, newly appointed NSC head Frank Carlucci rescinded a directive of former NSC head Rear Adm. John Poindexter, who resigned over revelations of the Iran-Contra affair.

The Poindexter directive was motivated by concern that access to commerically and academically developed scientific information might provide the Soviets with knowledge harmful to this country's nationalsecurity. It would have strictly controlled accessto all information stored electronically in thecountry.

The House bill, entitled the "Computer SecurityAct of 1987,' would prohibit NSA and the DefenseDepartment from exerting control over electronicinformation.

Instead, Congress would transfer jurisdictionover such information to the civilian NationalBureau of Standards, a division of the CommerceDepartment, which has regulated computer databasessince 1965.

In the last six years, the ReaganAdministration has expanded controls on thepublication of scientific research, broadened theclassification of information, and limited theexchange of knowledge with scholars overseas.

These policies culminated in the 1983 NationalSecurity Decision Directive 145, which charged theSecretary of Defense to develop means to controlall electronic information.

A March report by the National Academy ofSciences said that the restrictions cost thenation 188,000 jobs and $9 billion a year becausethey restrict foreign scientists from working inthe United States and force foreign buyers to lookelsewhere for products.

Higher education officials rejectAdministration claims that controls on scientificinformation are needed to prevent Soviet agentsfrom gaining information vital to this country'snational security.

"Look how the internal restrictions oninformation flow has hindered scientific researchin the Soviet Union," President of the AmericanPhysical Society Robert L. Park said last week."If we develop policies along their lines, theywon't need to steal our information any more.