FAST POUCH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78S05452A000100020036-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2001
• Sequence Number: 36
• Publication Date: June 14, 1956
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release2Q01/07/16 : CIA-RDP78SO5452A000100020036-6
Office Memorandum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO DDCO
FROM : Signal Center, OC
SUBJECT: Fast Pouch
DATE: 14 June 1956
1, The Signal Center feels that the reinstitution of the
monetary %"%A c1tGCV no
savings in cab-Le traffic to and from those three stations,
and little, if any, savings in number of personnel required to
handle such traffic. This is based on the following factors:
a. Cable transmission costs to the three stations is
borne in the form of reciprocity with the carrier services
involved, and there is no actual cash outlay for cables.
Furthermore, the communication facilities, such as trans-
mitters, receivers, and teletype gear are operating and
available for our use, whether we use them or not,
be Over one-half of the present cable traffic load to
25X1A6a and a goodly amount of the cable load, 25X1A6a
~al Projects type traffic,, usually of high reced
,
and probably would not be gent via Fast Pouch. The CT(C}nee
25X1 A6a personnel at - are on 24 hour a day duty, mainly
because of this high precedence traffic, and the number of
personnel could not be reduced because of coverage,
C. The Communications personnel complement i
25X1 A6
n has
a
been cut from four to three in the past few months and can
ill afford to be cut lower since one is a~operator 25X1A2g
who must b
th
e
ere for radio
coverage.
d. During the six months test of Fast Pouch procedure
25X1 A6a in 1955, the Signal Center experienced an increase
in workload; one o We reasons being the necessity to relay
Fast Pouch material electrically to its substations. In the
cryptographic process, this resulted in CT(C) 25X1A6a
personnel being required to prepare origzna tapes of cables
(which would have been automatically reproduced from incoming
Headquarters traffic if sent electrically first), plus the
inherent increase in Message Center procedure which is
required of overseas Signal Centers. Because of time dead-
lines of plane schedules, etc., it was often necessary to
divert an entire shift of CT(C) personnel to logging, envel-
oping, receipting and mailing functions for several hours
at a time, thus curtailing or delaying electrical functions
during that time.
Approved For Release 2001/07/16 : CIA-RDP78SO5452A000100020036-6
 Approved For Release01/07/16: CIA-RDP78SO5452A000100020036-6
e. Although the Headquarters Signal Center effected a
saving of possibly three CT(C)'s in the initial enciphering
and deciphering process in the Crypto Branches, a clerical
increase was necessary in the Traffic Control Section because
of the additional accounting and servicing processes required
to insure delivery and receipt of Fast Pouch cables.
2. Unknown factors in the Fast Pouch procedure are how much
normal pouch material is infused into Fast Pouch channels by cable
originators because of the speed of the system; and how much cable
traffic would normally have been an increase during any particular
period. During the last test, there was no policing unit to
determine whether material sent and received was actually Fast
Pouch material or normal pouch material. As a result, the traffic
group count figures during the test showed that although the
electrical transmission group count was lowered about 15%, the
increase of numbers of cables to those three stations was higher
than the totals of the preceding six months, thus increasing the
clerical responsibility and Message Center functions both at
Headquarters and overseas. How much of this increase was a
result of normal heavy business for those areas, and how much was
diverted from normal pouch channels is hard to establish.
3. Too much emphasis is being placed on the Fast Pouch
procedure because of the speed with which highly trained crypto-
graphic specialists can give to routine clerical jobs at the expense
of electrical communications functions for which they are basically
responsible. For lack of speed in the normal pouch channels, the
Fast Pouch system, as applied, solves many originators problems
at the expense of CT(C)ts. The present VIP pouch which goes two or
three times a week would serve the same purpose if a registry
system such as the Fast Pouch procedure could be instituted at that
level. If it is determined that a subject matter deserves cable
handling, then it appears that 24 hour delivery or less including
originator, authenticator and releasor action, plus cryptographic
processing, is necessary; not the above time plus another 24 to 148
hour delay in Fast Pouch delivery.
/CHI.DTP SIGNAL i+.NTER
ORIG: WBF/mmy
Approved For Release 2001/07/16 CIA-RDP78SO5452A000100020036-6