CIA ARCHIVES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00163R000100020003-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 23, 2002
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: February 18, 1970
• Content Type: MF

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1-14M0MMU? 'OR: Executive Director-Comptrollsar
SOBJECT CIA Archives
1. This rmercora.ndrau contains a recommendation for approval;
such recommendation is contained in paragraph 11.
2. Records of Federal A oucies are the property of the United
States Government and their unauthorized destruction is a criminal
act. Authorization to destroy records must be obtained from the Con-
gress with the recomsimen,dation of the Archivist of the United States.
The authorization is obtained by submitting to the Archivist lists
which identify general categories 'of record material we seek approval
to destroy. The Agency Records Officer serves as the channel and
Security reviews the requests. The Archivist has waived his authority
to review individual documents which we request authority to destroy.
:3. The Archivist also has authority to determine what docu-
ments must be preserved permanently ap part of the Archives of the
United States. Ile does not exercise this authority, however, until
Agencies transfer records to his custody for permanent rotsntion or
request disposal authority. We have not needed to seek special die-
peensation from this authority. Our scheduled records disposals and
requested authorizations do not conflict with the National Archives
requirements. In the case of Presidential Libraries we arranged to
identify, segregate, and retain sensitive documents appropriate for
eventual transfer to each of the Presidential Libraries. Eventually
each Presidential Library becomes an appendage of the Archives of the
United States under the administrative and operational control of the
Archivist.
4. We have an obligation to provide a system for the protec-
tion and preservation of our valuable documents and it 16 equally as
intense as our obligation to provide our own audit of the use of fed-
oral funds. We should be equally attentive to the discharge of both
oLligatioas. Our efforts to conduct a purge of Agency records holdings
during the past 18 months has brought into focus the need to provide
greater protection for our permanent records. This fact was intensified
last year when we were required to give special attention and make a
special effort to identify documents appropriate for inclusion in the
Lyndon B. Johnson Library. Recent inquiries from the British and
American military officials and citizens about the OSS Archives have
harpeaed the recognition of need to insure that we have a program
which will stand the test of outside inquiry or investigation in the
event. that should ever occur.
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;). The Nancy has neither an arc.nives program nor policy` at
this time. 1ibout ten or twelve years ago wide Agency Records Admin-
istration Officer and the Chief of the l:ecords Center on their otawn
initiative began s electiua for an archival collection-one record copy
of each Agency publ.i.catiou. Later arraaaget~ienLs were made with a few
Offices to so regate some case files and documents from the inactive
'-..cords. This screening continues to be done as time is available in
addition to other duties at the Records Center. Only this minor typed
of document selection is possible without benefit of Agency policy
judgments.
4;a:idaxzce and without the authority to make the necessary Since the inactive office records from which other archival materials
will have to be selected are considered to be the, property of the
cocapuneats which have made the deposits the Records Center personnel
are severely limited in their efforts to extend even this makeshift
rsrch:ival prograus. This is especially apparent when components or pro-
jects; are disestablished or reorganized and the dis;positioxa of valuable
policy and accomplisbsaexat docwnentatioiz is left to inexperienced junior
officers. senior officers about to retire are similarly without
archival concern and Records officers are not consulted or able to
intrude.
6. At the beginning of February 1970 we had 12,749 cubic foot
of material already serve ;sated as Archival and Presidential Library
material. These are the one record copy of each Agency publication.
Very few office records or policy papers are in that collection. Out-
side the Archives collection there are 4,255 cubic feet of OSS material
and 3.0,362 cubic feet of inactive office records scheduled for permanent
retention which require screening and appraisal to select for transfer
to the Archives collection those documents which are truly archival.
Ther6 are another 1,796 cubic feet. of OSS materials retained in the dead..
quartai:s Building to serve the day-to-day operations of DDP/RID. Thus
far we know of some 16,416 cubic feet of material scheduled for permanent
retention which must be screened and appraised in addition to the 12,749
cubic feat already screened and set aside as archival. This is a total
of 29,165 cubic feet of materials which must be considered as the inital
part of the Agency Archives.
7. Archives are historical and legal documents which must be
kept permanently. They are different from inactive office records
scheduled for a temporary period of retention in a storage area outside
the office. Archive records are historically and scholastically signifi-
cant while inactive records are operationally and administratively useful.
Archives are the permanent documentation of the Agency whiinachaper_
records are temporary extensions of I'Leadquarters file space.
manent and temporary records are seat to the Records Center for a scheduled
period of time until the operating needs of the originating office are
lens. Eventually the permanent records should be transferred to the Archives
and the temporary files destroyed. Screening and appraisal of today's
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intermixed inactive records for selection of archival material should
be conducted by, or under the supervision of, qualified professional
Archivists. It should not be left to office administrators and opera-
tional personnel primarily concerned with today's probleems. Even the
Agency iistorisans, Records Officers, and Records Center Personnel have
only a current interest in Agency records. Everyone appreciates the
value of primary source documentation but the interpretation requires
Archivists because others do not recognize the value beyond their own
immediate or probable needs. The basic premise of permanent archival
retention is in conflict with the basic preraise of records disposition.
The objective of one is to retain and the objective of the other is to
dispose. A definition of archives and description of an Archivist are
attached at Tab A.
b. 1 xporience has s aowan that the screening process results in
the retention of about two-thirds of the material the Archives accos-
sious and screens. The remainder is destroyed as duplicates or non.-
arcaival. The longer we delay the accessioning and screening process
the more difficult it will become because the volume of inac-five re-
cords transferred to the Records Center scheduled for permanent reten-
tion continues to grow. Experience gained during the purge suggests
that it requires about three to five man-hours to review one cubic foot
of records. We already have enough material to keep several people fully
occupied for many years. We must have are authoritative archival program
opuratin,Z under clear policy guidance staffed by competent professional
Archivists. The sooner we acquire Archives experiences with out perraa-
nan records the faster we can revise and refine our records retention
uchedules and filing systems to tighten requirements nearer to the
records creators and original custodians to eliminate duplication .and
reduce the volume in the offices and Inactive storage centers.
9. I realize, or course, that under the current stringent
personnel restrictions it will be extremely difficult to find the
means by which resources can be allocated to this important program.
If it were possible to staff such a function appropriately we should
have a Senior and Deputy Archivist, plus one professional Archivist
to represent each Directorate as well as the Office of the Director
and clerical personnel to support them. In short, we should have a
minimum of seven professional Archivists and positions for three
clericalss.
10. Eventually, we should have a storage facility separate from
t ho Records Center to house the Agency archives. Archives require a
higher quality of storage space than other record materials do, more
like a library than a warehouse, with air conditioning, heat, and hu-
midity controls. They should have contiguous space suitable for use by
historians and scholars seeking to exploit them. Long-term buildin&
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plans for the Agency should include provision for archival stozag,e.
"eanwhile, the collection Can continue to be:- accommodated in sogr -
'-'ate d s'paee at the Records Center but the Records
aniagamerit persorunel should be relieved of the re ponsibility for
their administration. To release the Records Center storage space
it may be a reasonable alternative to consider installing the arciaival
facility at but, because of the growing reference activity
i'ii this collection (4,360 set-vices and 14,000 reproductions provi.de4
last year), it would not be reasonable to move the archives there
until we are in a position to house and staff it adequately.
(a) '!'.teat you approve the e tablistumient of an
Archives Program is the Agency and that responsibil-
ity for that program be assigned to the Chief,
historical Staff.
(b) That the Chief, Historical Staff and the
Chief, Support Cervices Staff work together to develop
policy and procedural atate.xtouts to govern the Archives
Pro-ram and its continuing interrelationship with the
Ageacy Records Administration i'rogram.
(c) That the Agency reprogram its resources over
the shortest possible period of time to provide for the
creation of a suitable ataffin ; complement to support
the archives program.
(d) That the long-term bul.idin plans for the
Agency include specific provision for archival storage.
R. L. Bannerman
Deputy Director
for Support
CONCURRENCE:
idoward It. bhrraann Date
Chip, (historical Staff
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