High court lets Kissinger keep phone transcripts

Henry Kissinger won a Supreme Court ruling Monday that says transcripts of his telephone conversations while he was secretary of state do not have to be turned over to a press group. Over two dissents, the court reversed an Appeals Court order that the transcripts had to be returned from the Library of Congress , where Mr. Kissinger deposited them when he left office.

The court also affirmed an order denying requests for transcripts produced while Mr. Kissinger was White House national security adviser under Richard Nixon. The court's action was a blow to the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and other groups seeking the transcripts, which they say provide "the most complete background on the development of American foreign policy."