COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04546A001900050009-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 14, 2014
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: August 5, 1948
• Content Type: LETTER

Declassified and Approved ForRelease2014/01/15 : CIA-RDP78-04546A001900050009-3
r , rcreign ben berlal No.888
1
3
CONFIDENTIAL
To
DEPARTMENT OF STATE'
WASHINGTON
COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
480553
August 5, 1948
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. 1The 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 collections, such as that of the InStitute
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 assistance 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 o- newspapers, or other pictorial
publications which contain reproducible photographic
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 to collect and
service such material, ma Y be encouraged to exercise
their own initiative and to take and 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 citka, 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 thesewell-covered cities there will be areas,
particularly
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pakicularly 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. Thotographs 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-oetc.
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 wire.
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, lee and cold-storage
plants, electric plants showing size of installa-.
tions, fuel storage, oil and gasoline storage
tanks,
6. Repair shops - foundries; machine shops;
electrical repair shops; general metal sloops,
7. City environs - terrain; vep;e'CELon :anoing
fields, etc -land use - catt,-Le crops,
etc,; approaches to the cityr,)u,a, 'etc,;
bridges in the city and leading toward the city.
C. Other suects
TrzAilvt,C,ion - river shapping, difficulties of
nav],lon, fueling f&.?-AJ:ties, load)qg and
unluc.d,.ngs portages;
road cuts, difficulties of 1:af.e,portation,
road consi7x,...e,oLoA?1, bridges fl,a 1eLr cc, etc.;
railroad right-of-way, bridges, rolling stock,
etc.
-2 Manufacturing
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2, 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 No,
Title
235 Non-Agricultural Commodity
and Industry Reports,
228 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 submitted in accordance with. these Foreign Service
Serials that one additional set of such photographs
also 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-RDP78-04546A001900050009-3