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Dodd: Is it your position that these 19 names be made known to Congress?

Bolton: I have no objection.

Dodd: What importance of info that you needed to know names of indidivudals in addition to content of conversation.

Bolton: At hearings 15 mos. ago, I'd have all of this in public. If al lthese things were in the open, it wuold be easier to explain. I'm constrained now to discuss in public. Every day, twice or more a day, I guess packages of intel material and I did in my previous job, as do senior officials in state, defense and NSC.

I'm a consumer of intel and read as much as I can. I see the results of intercepts. And they're written in various ways. But it's the policy of NSA not to put in intercepts the names of Americans and entities.

Sometimes the intercepts say "named government official" and sometimes they say US rep to the UN - not hard to figure out who that is. BUt sometimes trying to udnerstand what it really means can be enhanced if you know the name of the American involved.

So on 10 occasions since 2003, following procedures set up for this purpose, I made a request of State Dept to receive namesof the minimized names and the INR pursuant to procedures passed it to NSA which agreed to provide the names to me.

This has been written upextensively by Sen. Roberts - Chair of the Committee.

I didn't say I want info on Mr. Smith. You're sitting at your desk and suddenly you come across a named American individual and want to know who that is and will it help me understand the intel better.