BACKLOG OF FOIA/PA REQUESTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00142R000200060005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: January 13, 1978
• Content Type: MF

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13 JAN 1978
DD/A Registry
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MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Deputy Director for Administration
THROUGH : Assistant for Informatiori3 3 1978
FROM
"Re, n ormation and Privacy Staff
SUBJECT Backlog of FOIA/PA Requests
1. The requirements of FOIA, Privacy Act and related
activities did not level off in 1977 as expected, but con-
tinued to grow. There was a 39% increase in requests with
only a 6% increase in additional manpower provided by the
Agency. Even though the Agency expended 192,800 man-hours
(109 man-years) in 1977 to meet the responsibility of these
legislative requirements, the backlog of requests grew to
2,269 and the appeals backlog closed the year at 260. This
mountain of unanswered requests consists of a very wide
base of many longstanding and very complicated cases in-
volving hundreds of documents. This has been building
steadily for 15 months and will require a considerable
effort to reduce. It may be worth noting that the breakout
of manpower commitment during 1977 by the various Agency
components:
DC I
20.7%
DDA
36.8%
DDO
32.4%
NFAC
4.3%
DDSIT
4.7%
STATINTL
The principal manpower demands fall upon three major units
of the Agency, the FOIA Division of the Office of Gen al
Counsel, the of
DDO and the ion an rivacy a of The
attachment reflects the on-duty, authorized and estimated
staffing requirements necessary to reverse the backlog
trend. Following is a review of the situation in each one
of these units.
(1) The DDO unit is the weakest link in the
process, with present manpower allocations of only
two-thirds of the estimated requirement to do the
job, The situation is compounded by the planned
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DDO staff reductions for FY79 and the shift to
part-time help. A transition to a part-time
operating unit, even if successful, will take
time to implement and could contribute to an
increased backlog.
(2) The FOIA and Privacy appeals backlog
in 0GC is approaching a manageable level. If,
however, additional resources are allocated
to DDO to expedite appeal processing, 0GC
estimates that three or four additional
personnel would be required to cope with the
increased workload.
(3) Although the Information and Privacy
Staff does not have an authorized ceiling large
enough to complete its task, it has been per-
mitted to exceed its authorization. A complement
of 22 staff and three part-time employees is
sufficient to permit satisfactory operation.
Additional personnel now could speed up the IPS
processing by one week. However, in view of the
current Agency processing time of three to six
months, this would not provide much advantage.
IPS believes it has the capability to complete
an additional 20% more cases with our present
staffing if it had the input from the DDO.
2. The manpower shortages of DDO,continue to
be the major bottleneck. Therefore, any concerted effort
to stem the tide of unanswered requests should start with
DDO. DDO,is continuing to review its procedures and
to modify its processing system; however, any significant
speedup must result from the assignment of more manpower
if the Agency is to continue its careful screening of
Agency operational documents prior to answering requests
from the public.
Attachment
STATINTL
STATINTL
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 DD/A Registry
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6 'AN '078
I y -0/g2/
MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
FROM Michael J. Malanick
Acting Deputy Director for Administration
SUBJECT Backlog of FOIA/PA Requests
The attached memorandum from the Information and
Privacy Staff is a response to your notes of 20 and
22 December 1977, regarding the growing backlog of
FOIA requests. Looking at the chart, I am particularly
concerned with the planned 70% reduction of DDO staff
personnel projected for FY79. It would appear that
any improvement in our situation must first start with
adequate staffing within the DDO. You may wish to
discuss this subject at an early date with Mr. McMahon.
/s//0J
Michael J. Malanick
IPS/
:cam:1/12/78
Distribution:
2 - ADDA Ch=ono,
IPS Chrono
I ER
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16 December 1977
MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Deputy Director for Administration
STATINTL FROM
Chie Information and Privacy Staff
SUBJECT IPS Weekly Report (9-16 December)
1.
The Week in Review
9-1.5 Dec
1977 Weekly Average
a.
New cases logged
134
92.9
b.
Cases closed
63
70.6
c.
New appeals logged
11
3.6
d.
Appeals closed
7
2.7
e.
Manpower (man-weeks)
96.9
90.9
2. Spotlighted Requests
a. The general counsel of the National Urban League,
Inc., Don M. Thomas, requested access to all infor-
mation. held by the Agency pertaining to that organization.
b. Joseph John Trento, a reporter with the News-
Journal Company, Wilmington, Del., submitted requests
for any records pertaining to ITT activities in Chile
which the Agency may have prepared for and exchanged
with the White House between 1961 and 1977, and for all
records concerning CIA-ITT relationships during the
period 1969 through 1977.
c. Requests for records on CIA's contacts with
colleges and universities continue to be received.
Among the latest were requests concerning the Univer-
sity of North Carolina, Syracuse University, Penn State
University, and Montana State University. One requester,
Gary P. Thomas of the Griffin-Larrabee News Bureau,
asked for records on no less than 49 colleges, with a
hint that he planned to supplement this list later.
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K1 T1VE'A INTERNAL
3. Spotlighted Responses
a. Sid Davis, NBC News, was provided copies of
those documents concerning CIA's attempts to prevent
the publication of articles on the Glomar Explorer
which have been released thus far. He received a total
of 113 documents (203 pages). The documents were
initially released in connection STATINTL
FOIA suit against the
b. A final response, consisting of 20 items, was
sent to Vance Tiede, a graduate student at Georgetown
University. The records pertained to Dr. Bruno Kleist,
a German national who, during World War II, attempted
to contact USSR officials in Stockholm for the purpose
of exploring the possibility of separate peace negotiations.
Two interim replies were -previously mailed to Mr. Tiede.
,-4, Analysis
a. On 13 December, 12 research analysts from the
FBI's FOI/PA Section visited CIA Headquarters to meet
with the intelligence assistants of IPS. During the
course of the meeting, which began at 1000 hours and
concluded with lunch at 1330 hours, many matters of
mutual interest were discussed, e.g., referrals,
appeals, exemptions, classification determinations, and
the difference between centralized systems (FBI) and
decentralized systems (CIA). The FBI analysts gained
an appreciation of our difficult search problems and
the resultant delays in referral responses. FBI
representatives stated their desire to reciprocate.
Our visitors appeared to be both impressed with and
enthusiastic about our facility.
b. The request backlog now stands at approximately
2,350 cases. At the rate that requests are now coning
D
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in (277 during the last two weeks), and with our
capability to answer them limited to only about 70
per week, it will not be long before the backlog
reaches 3,000. It takes the Agency an average of two
months to answer requests where no records are found;
four to six months to respond to requests involving
records; and approxim-ately nine months to close out
appeals. Many agencies, notably the Department of
Defense and its components, manage to answer requests
within the statutory deadline of 10 working days. Even
the FBI, which once was notoriously slow in responding,
has now managed to reduce its backlog to 2,000 cases
and expects soon to be able to answer nearly all re
quests within one month. IPS is receiving a growing
number of complaints, telephonically and. by letter,
from--requesters;-who are angry over the lack of a,. timely
response--to their requests. The Information Review
Committee'--was briefed on this situation on 15 December.
It was pointed out that, in view of the daily complaints
received from the public, it seems that FOIA could be
turning-into a public relations problem for the Agenc
rather than serving as a means to`impr'ove the AgencySiATINTL
public image.
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