THE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION (ERDA) AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR RECORDING RESULTS OF ITS DECLASSIFICATION REVIEW

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP85B00236R000100050005-4
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
December 15, 2016
Document Release Date: 
April 21, 2004
Sequence Number: 
5
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
September 9, 1977
Content Type: 
MF
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP85B00236R000100050005-4.pdf165.83 KB
Body: 
Approved For gee $~ '~4`: CI ~~R~P8~5~B~236R~ 100050005-4 its o it 9 September 1977 MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Information Systems Analysis Staff STATINTL FROM: Chief, Agency Archives and Records Center SUBJECT: The Energy Research and Development Admin- istration (ERDA) Automated System for Recording Results of Its Declassification Review REFERENCE: My Memorandum Entitled "Meeting With Chief of the Energy Research and Development Admin- istration's Declassification Program," dated 26 August 1977 1. During our 25 August meeting with Mr. I.L. Cuchiara, Chief A's Declassification Branch, he suggested to STATINTL I land me a return visit to ERDA in order to learn now his agency uses an automated system to record the results of its declassification review. This system is under the pur- view of Ms. Ester L. "Jill" Fllman, Chief of their Special Projects Branch. STATINTL 2. Yesterday, I of our Office of Data Processing, and I visited Ms. Ellman in her office. She quickly revealed that she was the bright, down-to-earth, friendly and pragmatic person that Mr. Cuchiara had described. Although ERDA's review program has been in existence many years, it really got going, she noted, in 1971--about the same time she "came aboard." Their Director, Mr. Charles Marshall, was very PR-minded and supported a vigorous program. They decided to review "everything right up to the present." 3. It quickly became apparent that ERDA's predecessor organization, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), had no uniform document indexing system. Offices had developed their own systems. Some had devised no system and almost no one kept records of memoranda, etc. Eventually, the AEC "gave up" trying to keep a record of all. review actions and wound up tabulating only those on Technical Reports. ri~~~6 Ys :.'r THATI Approved For Release 2004/05/12 : CIA-RDP85B00236R000100050005-4 Approved For Rase 2004/05/12: CIA-RDP85B00236RON100050005-4 ~rva[ tii41i[It1iiL irrIti io" L `4 a i.' 4. The AEC's first effort at tabulating Technical Reports was completed on 31 December 1972, with the publication of the Supplement to Indexes of Limited-Distribution Reports: Changes of Classification printed from a typed compilation--t e first step in the three-stage evolution of the now automated publi- cation. It included such information as title, author, former classification, new classification, etc. Subsequently, a 3"x5" control card containing similar information was prepared on each Technical Report at the time of its publication as a document control measure. 5. The second stage of the Supplement's format took shape 31 December 1973, when it was photoprinted from xerox copies o,* the 3"xS" cards shingled on the face of the copier. It i cluded only those actions resulting in full declassification. 6. The final stage was adapted from AEC's Richland Field Office which punched data similar to that typed on the 3"x5" cards into a computer bank when the document came up for revATATINTL The Supplement of July-August 1974 was printed from such data. It included exempting as well as full declassification actions. The application was simple and readily understood 7. I asked Ms. Ellman "who in CIA was on dissemination for the Supplements?" She believes that, thus far, dissemination had been entirely in-house. Although the Supplements are UNCLASSIFIED--this is made possible by substituting "TITLE CLASSIFIED" for sensitive title entries--it apparently had not occured to ERDA that any other agency might have a use for the Supplements. That may indeed be the case inasmuch as few Technical Reports have gone outside their agency. I suggested, nevertheless, that much work might be spared both agencies if we could use the Supplements to declassify reports in our possession already declassified. She said the Master Index probably would be more useful and that she would discuss the possibility of our using it with Mr. Cuchiara. 8. AEC's need for better document control prompted their attempt to implement a data index system for all classified documents that they would create after December 1973,, in com- pliance with a provision of Executive Order 11652,9'which most agencies were "wise enough to ignore!" AEC prepared an Index Action Authorization Form AEC-790 (attached) and tried to apply it. The best of intentions, however, could not capture the identities of all documents being created. Nevertheless, a modified. attempt continues at ERDA. Some smaller agencies have implemented such indexes quite efficiently. The advantages for declassification reviews are undeniable. For larger agencies, ABMI IST AT'J' - IITI]Ti uez Approved For Release 2004/05/12 : CIA-RDP85B00236R000100050005-4 Approved For /1 1??,; CIA;~100050005-4 'iduitoar LjL VY