CIA RECORDS CENTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70-00211R000500190016-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2006
• Sequence Number: 16
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2006/ VIVO A-RDP70-00211 R000500190016-8
UK Max furnishes the findings revealed
by the immediate study together with supporting
details*
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Findings
an zaticna ch a n titers functions of a mansierlal staff
An enterprise is operational in character if the functions and .etivities
thereof entail the performance of repeated routines and rendition of simple
services to accomplish its mission. The functions and activities of the
Records Center entail the performance of repeated routines and renditions
of services such as accessioning, storage, servicing, processing, and disposal
ecords. Thus the Records Center is obviously operational in character.
The Records Center should not be placed organizationally in ~`iS if its
mission and specific objectives differ from those of .IS. The mission of the
Records Center is to provide a systematic control of records through specific
objectives such as (1) effecting retirement of records pursuant to approved
disposition schedules. (2) prompt destruction of records as authorized, i.e.
when they are no longer useful or when the retention thereof is not required
by law or other considerations and (3) the economical storage of records that
must be retained.
The mission of I is (or would seem to be) to coordinate the use of men.,
money, materials,, methods, and machines to facilitate plannings, organizing,
directing and controlling the operational, intelligence and support activities
and the progress of CIA on an economical basis in the accomplishment of its
overall mission. The mission more fully described is to provide security
for the United States of America via produced intelligence and estimates
through specific objectives such as the cultural, industrial, economical,,
geographical, biographical, psychological, political, and military aspects
of potential enemies. The conclusion is obvious and needs no amplification
for it is commonly accepted. that the mission of the Records Center is merely
a minor part of the whole mission of CIA and it is the latter which occupies
the primary interest of MIS.
2. Positive advantages will accrue in placing the Records Center under the
in placing technica l , nris iotiar
The premise obtains in the first assertion if it can be shown that
facilities exist and are available for general administration of support re-
quirements such as personnel, communications, fiscal, medical, iogstics, and
security aspects together with space facilities and reproduction and machine
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records services. But all of these exist and are available. Further, the
a concurred in the project study to place the Records Center under
e a iniatrative jurisdiction,
In addition thereto, the location of the Records Center at_Iwill en-
able the merger of the Vital Materials Repository with the Records Center,
thus effecting an overall savings comparable to the salaries of the Reposi-
tory or Records Center.personnel who could be assigned to other duties.
Finally,, the placement of the Records Center atiI will also enable
H to absorb the Records Management Staff without the burden of justifying
the retention of an operating element thereof. This would tend to solve the
overall problem of jurisdiction.
Note; The ftr of records material between headquarters
offices an should pose no special problem as mail fo
is picked up at the central mail room in cue Building once. a.
day Monday through Friday. Also, a special trip is made once
and sometimes twice a week under armed guard for the conveyance
of Vital materials. Additional trips could be made as necessary
for the expeditious transfer of records material.
with respect. to cor{i:iunications p an internal method through the
Agency switchboard is now available. Expansion of this facility
will depend upon. he volume increase of telephone traffic per-
taining to records.
The promise holds in the second assertion if it can be proved that there
exists a direct relationship between the activities of records analysts and
the work of the Records Center. The relationship is close. The analyst
collaborates with the area records officer in operating activities by inven-
torying and appraising records and by preparing control and disposition
.schedules. Thus, he must know if the records scheduled for retirement are
flowing to the Records Center in accordance with approved disposition schedules.
Further, he must know the volume of the records, which fluctuates with dis-
posal action, the amount. of shelving space available in the Center,, the types
of filing systems used in operating activities and the existence of any un-
usual circumstances pertaining to the records. Be must be prepared to assist
and guide Records Center personnel when problems arise, e.g., interfiling
records of a single series when different filing systems have been employed.
In actual practice, the relationship is so close that it tends to provide
on-the-job training of clerks in the Records Center to become records
analysts. The conclusion is obvious.
Precedent for the exercise of technical jurisdiction over records act-
tivities under separate administrative jurisdiction exist in the 'tepartments
of the . riny,tavy,, Interior and also in CIA e. g. Vital Materials Repository.
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'Acti
girds Center should be retained with the Records I ana?,:ement E taff
until. the construction cif the peer anent center
The Records Center should be retained with the Records Management Rta
under the circumstances cited if it can be demonstrated that there is
no other logical place to assign it organizationally on the basis of func-
tional relationship. obviously, no functional relationship exists in the
DD/P complex, nor in the P-p/T complex with the possible exception of OCD
where the relationship is limited to supplemental distribution; something
which is actually apart from the Records Center also, for it is merely
assigned there for convenience. In the PD/A complex no definite relation-
ship exists in any single component -ith the possible exception of Logistics
where the relationship could be construed on the basis of a "service". An
assignment to that office, however, is not advisable because the Records
Center is a small domestic activity contrasting with the broad world-wide
scope of activities directed by Logistics. Thus# the Center, still an in-
fant, might not receive a full measure of interest and care to promote its
welfare. Further, the separation of the center from its parent organization,
nemelyy, the Records Management Staff, before the overall records program has
matured fully might give rise to confusion, misunderstandings and jurisdic-
tional questions between records analysts and administrative officials.
Under these circumstances, the Center should be retained on a temporary basis
with they Records management Staff in MIS and be assigned to the disposition
phase of the program.
determined to place the Records Center under theadrninistra-
functions res onaibilit operations.. du li- 25X1
satin a ui ment and thr osi tion slots S ? kertai xain to supplemental
_ _ a a ? _ a____2-~2 ~.L__.- ... 1:4J1 i'6 wr. ,aM k. es l'a+.v~
When it is determined to place the Records Center under the administra-
tive jurisdiction of 0 the functions, responsibility, operations, dupli- 25x1
eating equipment and three position slots (GS-5) pertaining to supplemental
distribution should be transferred to the jurisdiction of OCD as specified
if proof can be shown that (1) a functional relationship exists, (2) physical
facilities exist for limited storage of basic intelligence reports, (3)
technical facilities exist for the fast reproduction of information reports,.
4) adequate security requirements exist, (5) the proposed transfer will re-
move a duplication of effort (6) the proposed transfer will simplify opera-
tions, and (7) savings in space and filing equipment can be effected.
A discussion with representatives of OCt reveals that each of these
either exist or obtain,, respectively, as follows:
Functional Relationsh - LTA/CD has always exercised control as a clearing
house over dissemination and approves distribution of published reports to
TAG and non-i?C agencies.
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Physical Facilities - OCP now maintains a limited supply of basic intelligence
reports including current and some earlier editions. This supply is housed
on 126 three-foot shelves and comprises from 350 to 400 linear feet of ma-
terial. Five copies of each NIS are included. Thus, it would be merely neces-
sary to replenish the stock on hand from the reserve supply in the Records
Center to meet . gency needs. This phase of the proposed transfer can be ac-
complished without additional space,, equipment, or personnel.
Technical Facilities - An expls.natiotl of the microfilm system installed. in
OC is provided in "_'ab .h of this Annex.
security ROSE ir ents - In person requests from offioiels of other ai;eneies
A finished intelligence reports and information reports require clear-
anee and approval of LD/CD.. Display of the Agency badge is recuired for In
person requests made by CIA employees. A CIA address is required on all re-
quests by mail. Follow-up contact is made on a 60 to 90 days' basis for all
real on loan.
Duplication of Effort - OCTD now maintains a staff of four employees at the
on a loan basis. Records Center maintains a staff of five employees to ser-
shed intelligence reports and information reports on a transfer
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basis. The reports used in each operation are identical In substance and
appearance;. Thus, there exists two identical services in CIA whereas one
would suffice.
Simplified Operations - Reproduction of information reports in the Records
Center is complex in that it entails the use of three duplicating methods,
i.e., Ozalid, photocopying, and ditto. Thus, standardization is lacking.
The procedure used in the Records Center also entails the maintenance of 152
file cabinets in which to house the respective master copies and a limited
supply of CTA reports to facilitate servicing, requests for distribution.
Upon conversion to the microfilm system (Tab T,) the masters of informa-
tion reports issued between 1946 and 1954 will not grow any larger in volume.
These masters comprise 60 cubic feet of multilith, 200 cubic feet of Ozalid?
8 cubic feet of ditto, and 2 cubic feet of paper, aggregating a total of 270
cubic feet. A, fair estimate indicates that a period of one year will be re-
quired to compare and. consolidate the collections on a piece by piece basis,
convert the masters to the microfilm system,, and to dispose of the hard copy
collection and filing equipment as tht consolidation progre sE:s. This would
establish a uniform reproduction method$ simple in operation.
Savings - The proposed transfer of functions and responsibilities will result
in eav- nga in equipment and space and a potential savings in personnel and
increased efficiency.
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ui ment - Representatives of "BCD confirm that approximately 1103 filing
cab nets housing CIA information reports can be emptied and returned to stock
.upon conversion of the information report masters to the microfilm system.
The Chief of the Records Center confirms that approximately 152 cabinets now
used to house distribution material could be returned to stock upon conver-
sion of infomation report masters to the microfilm system.
While a numerical count of the -masters is not available, some idea of
the potential savings in filing space ray be apparent from the knowledge that
one 8-drawer safe ww.ll. house approximately I5n,000 machine records aperture
cards for microfilm fratmes (TL:B L) .
cd by the cat inets comprises approximately 1500 sgzjare
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the space requirements for CU reports in the present Records Center will pro-
bably be necessary until the physical move to the new Center takes place,
i.e* , if less than a year. `chile the microfilming of the collection will
begin as soon as possible, that pertaining to ozalid will be deferred to lest
to avoid impairment of current operations. T f the microfilnin?E is not cow-
pleated at the time of the ph aical mole of the Center it ray be necessary to
transfer at least pert of the ozalid masters, not exceeding 25 ca1:inets, to
the CIA Library pending completion of the camera operations,
d Increased '`efficien - In a tranafsr of functions and, res.pon-
l
an
Personne
si of this type w?h ch entails additional work for a limited period such
as the consolidation of files and an integration process into a new operating,
procedure, a definite saving, in personnel may not appear immediately.
is, however, a potential savings in personnel and increased efficiency that
should be apparent at the time the integration process is completed.
Current plans in OCL provide for the continued development of the micro-
film . pro ject and, along with that, the gradual transfer of T/O positions from
the CIA Library files to such project. Ultimately, a tangible sevings An per-
sonnel should be realized not only in the CIA Library esfbut, also, fithrough
the increased efficiency that will result by {1) adoption
project, (2) transfer of certain T /O positions from the CI/ Library files to
such project, (3) Training and conversion of the position incumbents to the
new type of work required by the project, and (4) the consolidation of the
two information report files and integration thereof into the overall operatin
system. Thus, it would seem more practicable to construe savings in the
light of increased efficiency at present and defer evaluation of the actual
savings in personnel for a period. of one year at wbich time measurement can
be made through a survey of Tbb requirements.
Under these circumstances, justification for the proposed transfer of
functions and operations is apparent.
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Ono -1 -the function and responsibility 2 per 'o n xes :en-
_~ ,~?_ ~l -vu- ue -rransr-erreu to the Reproduction F art
Primhand Rep oduct on ;?iviaiOn Logistics Office on or t~e#'e~ a co~rx ,letion
of ths?~sical move. ....
The function and responsibility of performing essential operatin routines
pertaining to initial distribution of regulator g;
y and miscellaneous issuances
should be transferred to the Reproduction plant as specified if proof can be
shown on the basis Of functional relationship that adequate or better facili-
ties therefor exist and similar routines are now 'being accomplished. That
adequate or better facilities exist i, evident from the reouirerrments of the
Dissemination cction of the Slant, stated. as followss
"Administrative requirements entail the distribution of reproduced
material to operating activities of interest. Operating responsibilities
include enveloping, wrapping, sealing, tying or otherwise preparing re-
produced material inclusive of addressograph routines and effecting dis-
tribution of such material to the requisitioning office."
Reference to "addressographr~ lends force to comprehension of the term "butter"
facilities. That similar routines are now being accomplished is true by vir-
tue of every issue of finished intelligence reports prepared for distribution
according to diss ination lists furnished to the Plant by LD/C1 a.n?d also by
'FBIS reports, The conclusion is obvious.
Discussion of this proposed transfer with the Chief, ;'rinting; and i,,epro-
duction iivision confirms that he is willing to furnish sets of pre-addressed
envelopes prepared on a.ddxessograph equipment but is not willing to accept
responsibility for perfoz sting esr'ential operating routines with the present
T/0 of the ;iseemination Section. Eased on experience in the records Center,
a minimum of two and a maximum of four e'uployees have been required to pre-
pare regulatory issuances for distribution, i.e. depending on the size, and
urgency thereof.
If this proposed transfer is approved, the nurnlaer of copies for initial
distribution to respective addressees should be standardized. T hen, coding
for the number of copies to each addressee can be added to the addressograph
plates whenever expedient to facilitate sorting, counting and inserting in
,he pre-ac3dress6+ . envelopes.
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