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mission depends on the timely and efficient flow of information on terrorism and terrorist threats. One of our objectives therefore is to enhance the sharing of threat and other counterterrorism intelligence between our government and the many other governments around the world that are contributing to the global war on terrorism. We monitor and analyze information, but are not directly involved in the mechanisms and infrastructure through which data is shared within and between agencies. So, I may have to refer to my colleagues here from other bureaus, such as Intelligence and Research and Consular Affairs, on any detailed questions.

INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS

I would like to emphasize that we at the Department of State are working aggressively with our fellow agencies and international partners to detect, deter, and disrupt terrorist activities around the world. And when terrorist attacks occur, we work cooperatively with intelligence and law enforcement agencies to track down and seek the arrest, extradition or prosecution of the perpetrators.

A key aspect of thee activities is intelligence sharing. For example, since the attacks of September 11, the Department has worked hard to step up U.S. government and international efforts to cut off the funds that terrorist organizations such as al-Qa'ida need to survive. This requires substantial sharing of information and intelligence with many countries.

Again, I would reiterate that as an institution our mission depends on effective and timely sharing. Consequently, we are very supportive of efforts to improve the processes involved and it is the Department's policy to support and seek expansion of our intelligence sharing capacity.

SHARING INFORMATION

Taking up the questions you raised in your letter of invitation, I would note that in addition to the daily telephone and in-person contacts with our colleagues in other agencies, there are several processes and procedures in place at the State Department to receive terrorism-related information from the intelligence community and law enforcement organizations.

The State Department and its overseas posts are integrated into both classified and unclassified electronic communications networks used by other federal agencies, and the State Department both receives and transmits information on terrorism directly through these channels. Additionally, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) receives terrorism-related sensitive classified intelligence reports from other intelligence community components through dedicated communications, including INTELINK, a web-based communications medium. This data-sharing follows the policies and procedures established by the Director of Central Intelligence for the handling of classified intelligence material.

In 1987, the State Department established the TIPOFF program for the purpose of using biographic information drawn from intelligence products for watchlisting purposes. In 1993, we

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established the Visas Viper program as a dedicated telegraphic channel for reporting information on known and suspected terrorists directly to the TIPOFF staff. The Viper channel is used both by our posts overseas and by intelligence agency headquarters in Washington, and can accommodate multiple addresses to facilitate information-sharing among users.

In addition to receiving information through the Viper channel, TIPOFF draws from all sources the information it uses to watchlist terrorists. Independently from TIPOFF, the Bureau of Consular Affairs also received basic biographic data directly from the FBI criminal databases - some of which might include information about terrorists - and feeds that information into the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS). All consular officers adjudicating visa applications overseas run checks against that system before issuing a visa.

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security receives information from a variety of sources. Domestically, DS receives information from other federal and local law enforcement agencies directly at the headquarters level and through field offices. Overseas, information is acquired from host governments or other USG sources at our Missions abroad. Data arrives via correspondence, reports, reliable sources, and even untested "walk-ins." The process by which the information is received is often diverse. Once received, DS may forward its information for inclusion in TIPOFF or the CLASS system.

INTERAGENCY GROUPS

Since ramping up our counterterrorism activities over the last year, State Department personnel have participated in -- and continue to participate in -- a number of interagency organizations and task forces. Consular Affairs is represented at the FBI's Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, the Secret Service's Document Security Alliance Group, and the interagency Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons Coordination Center. The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) represents the Department on the Interagency Intelligence Committee on Terrorism and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism also participate in selected committee activities. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is a member of the FBI's 19 regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the National Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Alien Smuggling Task Force.

Individual employees of the Department have also been integrated into a number of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, including INTERPOL, the Director of Central Intelligence's Interagency Intelligence Committee on Terrorism and the DCI's Counterterrorism Center, the FBI's Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, the Data Management Improvement Act Task Force, and the Office of Homeland Security.

Employees from the Bureau of Consular Affairs participate in several groups working to upgrade border security through improved identification and travel documentation. These include the Federal Smart Card Working Group, the GSA Smart Card and Biometrics Group, the Interagency Working Group on Birth Certificate Standardization, and the INS/Entry/Exit Working Group.

Moreover, the State Department's Visa Office participates in frequent meetings and teleconferences with INS, FBI, CIA, the Social Security Administration, and other agencies to share lookout information and visa data.

State also chairs the Data Share Working Group of the Border Agency Partnership, and Visas Viper committees composed of the many agencies represented at our posts abroad work to coordinate the reporting of terrorism information to Washington and its entry into the TIPOFF system. In addition, my office hosts liaison officers from CIA's Counterterrorism Center and FBI's International Terrorist Operations Section.

These partnerships have been very effective in pursuing the United States's counterterrorism goals, and the sharing of information as its relates to these activities generally has been excellent, though there remains room for improvement. State Department personnel participating in these groups and task forces generally enjoy broad access to terrorism-related information. We offer the same access to CIA and FBI personnel in the State Department.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Terrorism-related information, especially that used for watchlisting terrorists, is shared within and outside the State Department through a variety of electronic media, in hardcopy, and by oral briefings. For example, the Department's TIPOFF watchlist program receives information electronically and feeds it directly into the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS), which is checked by consular officers worldwide as a mandatory step in the visa adjudication process. Under the terms of a 1991 MOU approved by the intelligence and law enforcement communities, that information is also entered into the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS) for use by U.S. Immigration and Customs officers at ports-of-entry. In August 2002, the entire TIPOFF database, including full biographic records on nearly 95,000 terrorist names, photos, fingerprints, and online source documentation, was made available on CT-LINK to authorized users from five intelligence community and law enforcement agencies. That information is now instantly available to those users for analytical and law enforcement purposes.

The State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) manages web pages available to other members of the intelligence community on two web sites - one classified at the SECRET level, and one at the TOP SECRET level. Every day, INR loads intelligence reports known as "INR Assessments" and other finished intelligence publications onto those sites. Most assessments are published on INTELINK within 24 hours of production and approval. All INR products on counterterrorism loaded onto the TOP SECRET site appear on a dedicated page called "September 11 and Aftermath - The War on Terrorism." INR does not maintain a similar page on the SECRET web site because of resource constraints. INR web pages on both systems are indexed by date, country of interest, and product series for user convenience.

The State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is an innovator in the use of information technology to facilitate information sharing and uses advanced information technology to

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make visa lookout information, including terrorist lookouts, available to consular officers around the world on a real-time basis. The Consular Lookout and Support Statement (CLASS) uses sophisticated search algorithms to match lookout information to individual visa applicants. CLASS check is mandatory, and the system will not print a visa until the consular officer has checked and resolved "hits" of the applicant's bio-data against the lookout system data. CLASS records doubled after 9/11. Consistent with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act, more than 7 million names of persons with FBI criminal and other name-retrievable records were added to CLASS by August 2002, augmenting 5.8 million name records from State, INS, DEA, and intelligence sources.

In addition to the watchlist information contained in CLASS, the State Department greatly expanded the types of non-lookout data shared with INS following 9/11. Much of the bio-data and photos concerning individual visa cases are replicated in CA's Consolidated Consular Database (CCD) and are shared with INS. The CCD contains records of the past five years' nonimmigrant visa issuances and denials, most including photos. CCD is accessible at all consular posts and is updated from around the world every five minutes. Records of all immigrant visa and nonimmigrant visa issuances have been av to INS online since January 2002, and can be accessed at most ports of entry. U.S. passport application and issuance information is captured in our Passport Files Miniaturization (PFM) system. Scanned images of passport applications are also included in a separate database connected to this system.

The Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs is working with other agencies to establish better means to share data, as well as working to establish a connection to the Open Source Information System (OSIS), an unclassified network widely used by a large number of government agencies. In connection with this latter effort, we are cooperating with other law enforcement and intelligence agencies on the best ways to use the planned connection to provide direct access to data from the CCD. In addition, we have begun to scan visa applications in order to make images of these documents electronically retrievable. We are modifying our software to add over two dozen data fields to the NIV processing system so that this data may be more easily shared with the intelligence and law enforcement communities.

The extent to which counterterrorism information is shared by or with us is, generally speaking, predicated on those missions and the methods vary by jurisdiction. Task forces, such as the regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces or ad hoc task forces, may participate. DS, through its Protective Intelligence and its Protective Liaison Divisions, works with state and local law enforcement on a variety of threats against those we protect. DS participates in a variety of local law enforcement forums - each designed to enhance communication and networking. The critical component in achieving success is that both federal and local law enforcement have a user-friendly, real-time method for communicating threats and responses to terrorist-related incidents.

In addition to DS, other parts of the Department are involved in efforts to share information with local and state law enforcement authorities. The INR TIPOFF program currently does not share information directly with state and local law enforcement agencies due to restrictions on disclosure of

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sensitive intelligence information to persons not authorized to receive it. However, an agreement was written after 9/11 that permits TIPOFF to periodically export certain declassified biographic data elements from its database under strictly-controlled conditions to the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force.

Under procedures established by the DCI, classified background information may be provided to authorized FTTTF personnel for law enforcement purposes. The Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force has the ability to share certain declassified biographic data with authorized state and local law enforcement officers by means of the FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Forces.

The INR TIPOFF initiative is another example of the Department's efforts to responsibly maximize information sharing. Discussions with the FBI are under way which will permit a portion of the TIPOFF database to be placed in the National Crime Information Center's Violent Gangs and Terrorist Organizations file. Local law enforcement has access to that database.

OVERSEAS ACTIVITIES

Overseas, the Department also facilitates information sharing with foreign law enforcement authorities. Regional security officers, the Department's law enforcement officers at overseas Missions, are responsible for initiating and maintaining an open line of communication with host country law enforcement on a variety of security issues, including terrorism. Of course, the security environment and other factors dictate what method and level of information sharing is appropriate. For example, the Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Program may help educate foreign counterparts on the benefits and methodology of information sharing.

The information shared is based on a variety of sources, both USG and others. Its substance may have direct impact on the safety of our employees and Americans overseas. As importantly, it may impact our security at home. What remains critical in the process is that the sharing of the information cannot be considered the end use. Rather, it must be quickly and accurately vetted and applied to have any value.

LEGAL QUESTIONS

In general, the Department of State is more a recipient than a producer of information relevant to terrorist suspects. Department of State-generated information is typically derived from diplomatic sources and thus is not subject to the constraints on dissemination of law enforcement or intelligence information. In the past, the Department has not encountered significant legal barriers to sharing its own information related to terrorist suspects with other agencies. The Department of State did, however, encounter legal barriers that precluded receiving information from other agencies. The USA PATRIOT Act made significant improvements in this area.

Executive Order 12958 (concerning classified national security information), the Privacy Act,