The law, the Classified Information Procedures Act of 1980, allows the Attorney General to bar disclosure; his decisions are not subject to legal appeals.

He also said he thought efforts might be made to repeal Regulation FD, for fair disclosure, the rule that bars selective disclosure of material information.

The Treasury Department declined to comment on the case, citing a Federal law that bars disclosure of information about foreign investment cases unless the companies involved have already publicly discussed the case.

Such a document would bar disclosure of the classified information and could result in the dismissal of the case.

He praised Arthur Levitt, who recently stepped down as S.E.C. chairman, particularly for Regulation FD, which bars selective disclosure of material corporate information.

Many topics under discussion are covered by a confidentiality agreement that bars disclosure.

But they have found it hard to quantify the problem because orders obtained under the law come with a judicial directive that bars disclosure of the order to the news media or the public.

Alan called the motor vehicles people with the license number and they said rules barred disclosure of the owner's identity.

However the question in the present case was whether the duty of confidence which the defendant no doubt owed to the plaintiff extended so far as to bar disclosure of the report to the hospital or the Home Office.