DEAR MR. CUMMING,

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP68-00069A000100160038-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: February 27, 1959
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved Foielease 2000/08/25: CIA-RDP6.0069A000100160038-0
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Mr. Hugh S. Cumming, Jr.
Director, Bureau of Intelligence
and Research
Department of State
Washington 25, D.CQ
Dear Mr. Cumadng,
PROCIB -D-10
27 February 1959
As Chairman of the USIB Committee on Procurement of
Foreign PUblications, I have been requested OA several occasions
to advise libraries on the problem of negotiating =change of
publications with certain foreign countries with wham the United
States does not have diplomatic relations. My replies to these
requests have been invariably that U.S. Government libraries are
precluded from such negotiations without the express approval of
the State Department.
The countries under consideraUon are Communist
China, Bast Germany, Buigaria, North Korea, North Viet Nam nd
the Mongolian People's Republic. The Library of Congress has
had, for exampl , oral permission from the Ditpartment of State
to continue existing exchanges with East Germany and Bulgaria.
are also exist variations in the interpretation as to what
body, whether government, quasi-official or private, can be the
recipient of the exchanges abroad.
Duri the course of the 24 February 1959 meeting of
our Committee, we bad a thorough discussion of the whole problm,
and I was instructed to write you, revesting ae official ruling
on the snbject. Among others, the following facts were mentioned:
a) exchange is an important source of procurement for U.S. (kovern-
ment libraries (the Library of Conjree helm over 17,000 exchanges
world wid ; the Department of Agroculturs Library receives about
70% of its publications via exchange) anti b) libraries are not
receiving important publications from these aountriuo in amen
fields, for example, as botany, irrigation, soils, etc. Moot of
these publications are not availeSle through ay source other than
exchange.
It
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Able to us. The better collection these libraries have, the
batter our intelligence. As a ease in point, we have invited
as members of our Conmdttee in recognition of their substantial
role in procurement, representatives from the three national
libraries: the Library of Cowes', National Library of Medicine
end the Department of Agriculture Library.
We realise that exchanges with foreign countries with
wbom the United States does not have diplomatie relations have
many implicatione or policy beyond our purview. We mould,
therefore, appreciate a statement of policy from the Department
of State on the matter of exchanging publications with each of the
six countries mentioned above.
Sincerely yours,
/8/
25X1A9a
Chairman, Committee on Proeurement
of
Foreign Publications
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Approved For Release 2000/08/25 : CIA-RDP68-00069A000100160038-0