ADP CONTINGENCY BACKUP FOR CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00390R000300440005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 2, 2001
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: December 29, 1970
• Content Type: MF

Approved For FWase 2001/ %{ I~-RDP74-003908000300440005-2
29 December 1970
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Support Services Staff
SUBJECT ADP Contingency Backup for CIA
REFERENCE : Memo from Mr. Mto Chairman IPB, dated
.8 December 19(0, same subject.
1. Two Computer Centers are using the Vital Records Program
to protect tapes:
(a) RID/DDP -- At present RID has 63 tapes in the Vital
Records collection at the Agency Archives Records Center. In
the RID "Vital Records Schedule," Items #21a thru #21p and. Item
#25 are specifically related, to the protection of their vital
magnetic tapes. This schedule was written and. approved. in 1960
and. the first deposit received. in 1961. From 1965 thru 1967 tapes
regularly moved. in and out between RID and. the Records Center. In
1967 we received 172 different deposits of from 1 to 20 Tapes.
In 1967 the RID established. a tape storage facility at Headquarters
"remote" from their ta
lib
pe
rary. From that time on their-deposit
activity declined.: 1968 -- 7 deposits; 1969 -- 14 deposits;
and. 1970 -- one deposit.
(b) OCS/DDS&T -- At present the Office of Computer
Services has three reels of magnetic tape in the Vital
Records depository. These were received on 11 March 1965.
In September 1968 the OCS asked for temporary Vital Records
storage for 1,640 reels of old. RCA tapes. (These were removed.
and, destroyed, in April 1970).
(c) NPIC and. CRS/DDI -- These two components have never
sent any tapes to the Center for storage. CRS has sent several
million punch cards for storage as vital ADP records. Recently,
these cards were returned. to CRS and. converted. to tapes, but
neither card. nor tapes have been redeposited. CRS has, in the
past few weeks, inquired. about depositing some AEGIS tapes.
We are assisting in developing a schedule for that material.
(d) OS/DDS -- The Office of Security is the only other
office that has a few vital records on duplicate tapes in our
storage.
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2. The above indicates that there will be some Computer
Centers that will challenge the major contention of the referenced,
paper with regard, to tape protection contingency plans. But, I
do not agree with the Computer Center practice of storing backup
tapes in headquarters because I feel the secondary tape'libraries
are not sufficiently "remote" and. are as vulnerable as the main
library. Also, the tapes can be retrieved. from the~ ital
Records Collection in an emergency one~hour or routine alf a day.
I feel a routine procedure can channel a duplicate tape to storage
and the same courier can return with the preceed.ing tape which was
just obsoleted, by the new deposit. 'The use of scarce headquarters
space for backup storage should, be critically re-examined by an
objective third patty. I cannot accept the paper's recommendation
2b on page 9 for each center to maintain an alternate backup storage,
site.
3. Further, I believe that the referenced. paper has not
sufficiently identified. the scope of the tape problem for IPC
to take adequate action. Our inventory of July 1970 (attached)
show's 27,385 tapes on hand. in 15 components. The subject paper
mentioned 4 centers (OCS, CRS, RID, and NPIC) which have a total of
19,881 tapes. They also mention ONL and. Office of Communications
which have 5,320 more. However they omit nine other offices that
have 2,181E tapes, (OCI, OER, OBGI, OSR, FMSAC, ORD, OSI, OSP, and.
O/LOG).' The two special computers as well as the nine unmentioned.
components have vital tapes just as the four main centers do. Size
alone is not a measure of critical and, continuing need.. Unfortunately,
the Operating Officials are not sufficiently conversant with the
importance of software and. data base tapes to initiate adequate
protective steps and. the computer officials continue to insist that the
offices not the analysts are responsible to identify and, protect the
important tapes.
4. The subject paper does not estimate the size of the Vital
Tape backup problem which they are asking IPC to consider. I have
used. the rule of thumb the Federal Government uses. National Archives
and. Records Consultants find. that less than 2% of Office record.s
are "Vital" for continuing operations. (The Agency has 200,000 cu. ft.
of active records in the offices with another 60,000 cu. ft. as inactive
records. We have 5,146 cu. ft. in Vital Record.s as of October 1970).
We can use a similar yardstick on the total of 27,385 tapes which are
equal to 3,912 cubic feet (at 7 tapes per foot). At a generous 5%, some
1,369 tapes or 196' cu. ft. probably could. be identified. as d.eserving
preservation as Vital Records. The Agency would. consider the 5% volume
of 196 cu. ft. to be a very small deposit. (If we used. the 2% rule
this drops to 78 cu. ft. for 547 tapes). The routine twice a day
courier system could probably satisfy the normal traffic for that amount.
25X1A
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The possibility deserves study before more Headquarters space and
a second vital records program is established for duplicate tapes
storage.
5. It seems to me that the problem posed in the referent paper
is not one of tapes and, equipment, but rather one of emergency planning,
Such planning should. include paper records, microfilms, maps, photos,
and, all other agency required information facilities, and personnel.
The problem of backup equipment deserves more attention than the
reference gave it. The planning should be graduated to cope with
c-atastrophies of graduated magnitudes of seriousness and disruption.
Our concept should. be based on relative rather than absolute security.
But, exploiting the convenience of an extra adjacent room for tape
storage can not be considered.-thorough or adequate emergency planning.
6. As the CIA Records Officer I feel our Program Position
should continue to be as follows:
(a) The Agency has an established Program in
for the routine identification and safe storage of its a
Records regardless of the media on which the information is
inscribed. That program is being used. by some for tape backup
and should, be used more fully.
(b) The Operating Offices, Systems Anal sts, and. Computer
Centers have an official requirement in to protect vital
information and be prepared, for "all" t ergencies.
(c) Like Government and Industry the Agency Records Program
considers tapes to be records and. plans for and handles them
accordingly. This includes disposal schedules and official
authority for final disposal when approved by the CIA Records
Officer in accordance with U. S. Archivist rules.
(d) The problem of emergency backup computer tape storage
is and. should continue to be an intrinsic part of the Agency
Emergency Planning and Vital Records Preservation Program. The
Agencywide Program covers all types of emergencies (from nuclear
and home-made bombs down to fires, floods, and, riots) to whatever
degree the Agency policy, funds, and. facilities may authorize.
7. I believe the IPC should. urge the Centers and Offices to
identify, schedule, and protect its vital tapes thru the existing
Vital Records Program and. facilities. The IPC should. not create
a new procedure, program, and facility to store Vital tapes in
Headquarters.
Attachment:
1970 Tape Inventory
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TOTAL TAPES IN HEADQUARTERS
1 July 1970
Number of
Computer
Tapes
Directorate
Total
Tapes
DDS - 0/Commo
1,400
O/Logistics
19
,
1,419
DDI - Central Reference Service
2,117
Office of Current Intelligence
458
Office of Economic Research
300
NPIC
2,501
OBGI
110
OSR
230
5,716
DDS&T - FMSAC
100
0/Computer Services
11,013
0/ELINT
3,920
0/Research & Development
889
0/SI
52
O/SP
26
16,000
0
0
4,250
4,250
27,385
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