CS INFORMATION UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HISTORICAL STAFF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00764R000400030024-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2000
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: April 17, 1972
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2000(J 04 : CIA-RDP83-00764R00040003002 .
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MEMORANDUM FOR:, Deputy Director for Plans
SUBJECT : CS Information Under the Control of the
Historical Staff
ACTION : Recommendations for DDP's Action are Contained
in Paragraphs 4, 5 and 9
25X1A9a
25X}1 A9a
25X1A9a
26X1A9a
25X1A9a
s
25XIA9a
1. There is an extensive collection of CS material, in-
cluding sensitive operational data, currently held by the CIA
Historical Staff (HS) in Rosslyn. Since 1969, this information
has been outside CS'control with it use protected only by the
fortuitous presence of Mr. (Documents Officer, CIA/HS).
Mr. , currently assign to , is a longtime CS officer
who is eenly aware of the security risk of making available
sensitive CS materials (particularly relating to sources and
methods) to persons outside the CS. To date, he has avoided
releasing such CS information to unauthorized researchers
despite pressures from his supervisors'in HS. However, he will
retire in October 1972 and will be replaced. If the Chief,
CIA/HS the option, the protection to CS information which
Mr. has provided will cease with.his retirement.
.2.. This office instructed Mr. (CI/RMO)
a. The situation described in para 1 exists and
resulted from a series of events which began
in 1965 when Mr. was instructed by the
DDP to'establish a r6ference and file system
for CS records considered to be of historical
value. In 1967 the Executive Director contracted
7 M ~.x pi- Vu1CIll. vn
he met with (CS HistoricaliOfficer)
and
11 t for an inf and a tour of the HS
recor Is area. The pertinent points of his survey follow:
" i'-"'-' 25X1A5a1
Department,
consultant regarding a establishment of an
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Agency-wide historical program. His basic 25X1A5a1
recommendation was that it should he patterned
after the existinq CS Program. In 1969 Prof.
was employed under contract to head the Agency
Historical Program and Mr. transferred to 25X1A9a
the I1S as Documents Officer. r. was was sub-
sequently directed by Prof. to include 25X1A9a
references, in an integrated reference and file
25X1A5a1 system, to historical information held
the Directorates. Prof. - and Dr. 25X1A9a
(Deputy Chief of the Historical Staff) thus
25X1A5a1 established jurisdiction over Mr. files, 25X1A9a
under authority given them by the Executive
Director. Prof. ater granted access
, wncre the CS references are kept, now 25X1A9a
includes Mr. s counterparts from all the
other Directors es and is under immediate super-
25X1A9a vision of Dr.
Prof. maintains his 25X1A5a1
ME' i "in g
offis ,%athe Headquarters bu .
b. Mr. - files consist of approximately
110,000 5X8 index cards the majority of which
refer to CS information (samples attached as
Item W. Most cards contain detailed comments
concerning the content of the documents and their
location. The cards are separated into the following
four categories:
(1). Geographic Areas - with references
to operations run in various countries
of the world.
(2). Organizations - includes the structure
of predecessor organizations, CIA's
current structure, other elements of
the U.S. Governments, and Foreign
Intelligence services.
(3). Personalities - includes information
concerning individuals outside CIA
(perhaps with the exception of DCIs,
past and present) who have influenced
-'~ Agency policy.
(4)? Specific Subjects - these cards refer
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 .r r
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to specific subjects with which our
source material deals (e.g., Audio-
surveillance, Beacons, Consultants,
Doctrine, Exfiltration, Foundations,
CA matters, CI functions, Policy, PI
subjects, PM matters, Support to opera-
tions, etc.). 5
c. The documents to which the cards refer gwith the
exception of four safes held in Mr vault,
continue to be held in the responsible DDP component.
The documents held by Mr. consist of information
considered to be of historical value but not ones
25X1A9a which the parent component wishes to retain in its
own files. Mr. estimated that there are
2,500 documents in his holdings most of which are CS.
25X1A9a
d. Mr. also holds in a separate safe materials
;he believes too sensitive to be integrated into
,--' his central system. He makes this information
available to authorized CS officers only, generally
to those from the component responsible for the
information. Examples of the type of information
being discussed here are cards containing information
regarding large CA operations and a listing of
COSs assigned to stations worldwide since the
opening of the stations.
e. When a researcher com5sltoathe Historical Staff
for information, Mr. discusses with him the
history being written etermine the type of
information needed. Mr. - then checks his 25X1A9a
25X1A9a index cards personally and selects the pertinent
cards. Mr. also makes a judgment concerning
the release of sensitive information. He bases
his decision on the nature of the information,
the component of the researcher and the intended use
of the information. He then furnishes the researcher
with copies of the selected cards. These cards lead
to documents in the H.S and through9uax 1Ate Agency.
f. Pressures have been exerted on Mr. to reduce,
if not eliminate, the compartments ion of informa-
tion in the HS. These pressures result primarily
from the facts that many histories of components
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outside the CS include details of their support
to CS operations; writers of histories naturally
try to collect all background details, including
operational, they feel may be relative to their
histories; and some Historical Officers (such
as the Chief, CIA/HS) have had limited experience
25X1A9a working with and/or protecting operational infor-
mation. Mr. has been able to resist these
25X1A9a pressures coming from outside the HS. The situation
25X1A5a1 becomes difficult, however when Mr. ~ is directeed
by Prof. - or Dr (Mr. - immediatez5X1A9a
25X1A9a supervisors who are re le for preparing his
fitness reports) to furnish sensitive information
to individuals who Mr. believes from his 25X1A9a
experience should not hav such access.
g. While recognizing the possibility of a reduction in
the quality and efficiency of his records system,
25X1A9a Mr. unilaterally has taken two positive
steps to protect sensitive CS information. (1)
He has tried to make meaningful index cards which
incorporate a minimum amount of sensitive information
and (2) when he has access to sensitive CS documents
for carding purposes, he insists that all copies
of the documents be returned to the component
responsible so that he will not have it to release.
25X1A9a
3. The CI Staff appreciates and commends Mr.
valuable contribution but believes there should be orma
rather than ad hoc controls on the release of CS material of
historical value. Mr. has informed us that Chief, ITS
has already indicated he wants a replacement for Mr. 25X1A9a
who would be younger and more "malleable" and who wou e
more responsive to the chain of command in the HS. The CI
Staff believes strongly that to asst n a new CS Staff Officer
in the HS chain of command (as Mr.WW has been) would place
him in an untenable position. 25X1A9a
4. To protect the CS information discussed above, the
CI Staff recommends the following action be taken:
a. Transfer the jurisdiction of the CS materials
maintained in the Rosslyn complex out of the
HS chain of command, and assign a CS Documents
Officer responsible to the EA/DDP or the
Chairman, CS Historical Board.
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.b. Remove the index references to CS materials
from the central ITS index and maintain them
as a CS historical index. (A relatively simple
chore since the reference cards have been
color coded and are readily separable by
Directorates. It is estimated that it would
require a knowledgeable clerk two days to
pull the CS cards from the index. The CS
documents held by the ITS. have never been
integrated with other material and are main-
tained separately in two safes).
5. If these recommendations cannot be effected, we
then suggest that all CS holdings be removed from the ITS
area and placed under the control of IS/DIP or the CS Historical
Board.
6. The survey surfaced a separate but related problem
involving CS information included in histories written by other
Directorates, particularly DDS. Attached as Item #2 is a list
of such histories. Histories written in CS components are
produced in duplicate - one copy being held in the office of
the EA/DDP and the other in the component of origin. It has
been the practice in the CS that the only copy made available
to an interested party is the component copy. This permits
that component to exercise control. The histories written in
other Directorates are produced in multiple copies some of
which are maintained outside the component of origin. For
example, copies are held in the HS file area, with only two
exceptions noted (the DDS history on "Cover Procurement",
and the DDI history on "The Six Day Suez War"). We are aware
that'many, particularly DDS histories, include sensitive details
concerning the CS operations the DDS supported. The CI/RMO
noted copies of these finished histories, and observed at a
brief glance that an Office of Communications history of the
European area contained sections coverin the types of equipment
used, its location, crypts, liaison with, the people
involved, and the Berlin tunnel operation. we believe such
information, involving sources and methods, falls within the
protection responsibility of the DDP, notwithstanding the fact
that it did not necessarily come from information developed
in the CS. To ensure control of information concerning CS
operations included in histories of other Directorates, the
CI Staff recommends that the CS obtain the following commitments
from the other Directorates:
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a. That they limit the number of copies of such
histories, and register with the CS the disposi-
tion and/or location of each copy.
b. That they make available such histories for
review by the CS to establish agreed access
restrictions.
c. That, to assure adherence to agreed access
restrictions, they authorize the CS to review
the logs of readers of such histories.
7. This Staff will be happy to work with anyone you
designate to produce a document formalizing your recommendations
on this subject.
25X1A9a
Deputy Chief
Counter Intelligence Staff
Attachments: a/s
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