COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04546A001900050008-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 14, 2014
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: August 5, 1948
• Content Type: LETTER

Declassified and Approved For Release 2014/01/15: CIA-RDP78-04546A001900050008-4
Foreign Serv0, *Serial No.888
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
? WASHINGTON
'CONFIDENTIAL August 5, 1948
COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
To
American Diplomatic and Consular Officers.
Sirs:
The Central Intelligence Agency has undertaken to main-
tain and develop, as a commom service to the departments
and agencies of the Government, a comprehensive collection
of photographs and pictorial material (exclusive of
, aerial photographs)on foreign areas. The nucleus of
the Central Intelligence Agency collection is the
collection developed during the war years by the Office
of Strategic bervices, with which have been. combined
other smaller obllebtions, such as. that of the Inetitute
of Inter-American Affairs.
In order to be of maximum effective use to Govern-
ment agencies, it is essential that this collection
be built up by the continuous receipt of photographs
of foreign areas from all available sources. To this
end the services and assist,nce of Foreign Service
posts are desired,
You are requested to forward to the Department
representative photographs covering the subjects listed
below, as they may become available. The pictorial
coverage desired may be found in travel folders,
magazines, periodicals, newspapers, or other pictorial
publications which contain reproducible photograohic
material, as well as photographs taken by private
individuals. It is hoped that Foreign Service
officers, aware of the value of pictorial material and
of the existence of a central organization tp collect and
service such material, may be encouraged to exercise
their own initiative and to take ..nd forward photographs.
as opportunity is afforded.
The following list indicates in general terms the
subjects on which photographic coverage is desired. As
a general rule, photographs of installations and build-
ings taken prior to 1945 are not desired, although.
pictures of terrain prior to 1945 are useful and should
be forwarded. Typical tourist views of cit to, principal
squares, scenic views,etc>, need not be forwarded,
since they will have already been published in magazines
and newspapers and included in the collection. However,
even in thesgwell-covered cities there will be areas,
particularly
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particularly the industrial district, on which pictures
would be welcome, It is desirable that as much
information as possible be given for each picture
forwarded, including the location, the date, time of day,
and'an identification of the objects in the picture.
A. ?hotographs of foreign persons of significance or
potential significance to the American. Government,
including military, political, industrial, scientific,
engineering personalities, labor leaders and journal-
ists. (It is not necessary to duplicate photographs
forwarded with Biographic Data Report Form, FSS No.
405, since such photographs are made available in
Washington to the Photographic Division of CIA.)
B. Cities and their environs:
? 1. Streets and buildings - general street scenes,
showing width, paving, condition of streets, and
types of buildings; general scenes showing
size and types of buildings, general construc-
tion, roofs; important buildings, hotels,
? public buildings, schools, public squares and
market places yetc.
2, Transportation,
(a) Railroads - terminals, ?switchyards, freight
? yards, roundhouses and repair shops.
Pictures of engines and other rolling
stock.
(b) City transit system - streetcar lines,
busses, etc,
(c) Air transport facilities - any airfields
in existence, showing equipment, facilities,
types of planes in use; land around air-
fields usable for extending field,
3, Communications - radio stations; telephone
exchanges; poles and wires.
4. Harbor facilities and shipping - Port facilities:
or pictures showing channels, types of boats in
use, size of anchorage, docks, cranes, ware-
houses, sheds, ship repair facilities, dry
docks, etc. Open roadsteads, lighters, small
craft,
5, Utilities - water supply pipelines, aqueducts,
reservoirs, water towers, ice and cold-storage
plants, electric plants showing size of installa-
tions, fuel storage, oil and gasoline storage
tanks,
60 Repair shops - foundries; machine shops;
electrical repair shops; general metal shops,
?7. City environs - terrain; vegetation; landing
fields, etc land use - cattle grazing, crops,
etc?; approaches to the cityroad, river, etc.;
bridges in the city and leading toward the city.
C. Other subjects:
1, Transportation - river shipping, difficulties of
navigation, fueling facilities, loading and
unloading, portages; roads, road surfaces,
road cuts, difficulties of motor transportation,
road construction,. bridges and ferries, etc.;
railroad right-of-way, bridges, rolling stock,
etc.
2. Manufacturing
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24, Manufacturing and extraction plants - sawmills,
quarries, mines, fisheries, etc.
There are instructions already outstanding to
Foreign Service posts which, inter alia, request the
submission of photographs as exhibits or enclosures
to reports on certain subjects. Among these
instructions are the following:
Foreign Service Serial No4,
Title
235 Non-Agricultural Commodity
and Industry Reports.
288 Electric Power Facilities
332 Telecommunications
Reporting
598 Petroleum Reporting
738 Agricultural Reports
794 Reporting on Civil
Aviation
It is desired that , whenever photographs which fall
within the categories listed under A, B, and C, above,,
are submitt'ed in accordmice with these Foreign Service
Serials that one additional set of such photographs
4so be forwarded, marked for the-Photographic
Division, CIA,
Very truly yours,
? For. the Secretary of State:
W. PARK ARMSTRONG JR
Declassified and Approved For Release 2014/01/15: CIA-RDP78-04546A001900050008-4