Part one of this report describes a serious political restraint on communication regarding government affairs: Executive Order 11652, which provides for the classification and declassification of national security information. Although this order was originally intended to guard against "unauthorized disclosure (which) could reasonably be expected to cause damage to the national security," the current system permits classification controls to be enforced for any purpose. Guidelines for congressional change of this system are described. Part two of the discussion examines the role of the Interagency Classification Review Committee (ICRC), an organization designed to monitor government classification activities. Although figures, as reported by the ICRC, indicate that classification is decreasing as a result of the committee's efforts, a survey of the ICRC's performance indicates that such is not the case. (KS)