Reagan-Bush Use of Servicemen’s List Criticized

The Defense Department ignored its regulations when it provided 1.4 million servicemen’s names and addresses to the Reagan-Bush Campaign Committee in 1984, according to a General Accounting Office report due to be released today.

The campaign committee obtained 20 computer tapes of addresses by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. It used them to mail political literature on behalf of Republican candidates for the Senate, the GAO said.

The GAO does not say that the names should have been withheld, but that the normal process for evaluating the FOIA request was not followed. In one case, a document was backdated to expedite release of the information, the report said.

In addition, although Pentagon officials checked with the White House general counsel, they did not refer the request to the military services, which had “the greatest proprietary interest in the data,” the report said.

Clouded Court Case

Military officials had expressed misgivings in the past about releasing such lists, because of concern about invasions of privacy and security risks. At the time of the Reagan-Bush request, the Navy was arguing in U.S. District Court here that it should not have to release a similar list to the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co.

The court ruled last year that the Navy could not withhold the list from the insurance company, even if it would be used for “unwanted solicitation,” the report said. Among other reasons for rejecting the Navy argument, the court noted that the Pentagon had “provided similar information to the Reagan-Bush Campaign Committee,” the GAO said.

“The committee’s request was processed without any apparent consideration by the DOD (Department of Defense) officials involved of the effect release of the data would have on this case,” the GAO added.

The GAO report was requested by Rep. Jack Brooks (D-Tex.), chairman of the Goverment Operations Committee. Brooks intends to forward the results to the defense inspector general for further investigation, an aide said.