COLLATERAL TOP SECRET CONTROL PROGRAM (AIUO)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00963R000200100016-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2001
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: September 8, 1978
• Content Type: MF

CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/01/14: CIA-RD B00963B000200100016
DDIA
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MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
VIA: Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
Deputy Director for Administration
FROM: Robert W. Gambino
Director of Security
SUBJECT: Collateral Top Secret Control Program (AIUO)
REFERENCE: Memorandum from Vincent Heyman entitled,
"Review of CIA Operations Center File
and Document Procedures and Controls,"
dated 29 August 1978
1. (C) Action ReQuested: None. This memorandum
is for your in o riatfon o y. It responds to your
request made in the margin note on the reference,
wherein you asked for a report in answer to Mr. Vincent
Heyman's allegation that there are more than 16,000 Top
Secret documents which cannot be located. The allegation
cited a monograph containing information believed based
on the results of a 1968/1969 inventory by the DDO of
their Top Secret document holdings and is substantially
correct. However, it is the reflection of the unmanageable
document control system of the period.
2. (C) Bac ground: On 1 March 1973, the responsibility
for the Agency Top 1ecret Document Control Program was trans-
ferred from the Central Reference Service/DDI to the Office
of Security. This action was taken as a result of an audit
by the IG Staff in an effort to improve the management of
the program by uniting the program control with the
enforcement responsibility. The manual system of
decentralized accountability had proven ineffective and
did not provide a reliable record of the documents in the
system.
OS 8 2476
E2 IMPDET
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CONFIDEN 1IAL
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In 1975 the Office of Security developed and
initiated a centralized Top Secret Control Automated
Data System-(TSCADS). In order to implement the TSCADS
program, the existing 130,000 posting records dated to
the beginning of the Agency were accepted as an initial
data base. It was reasoned that the data base would be
burdened with inaccuracies until a physical inventory
could be made of the holdings; however, this permitted
immediate implementation of effective control over new
Top Secret documents received or created within CIA.
3. (C) Current Status: In 1977 the first
Agency-wide annual #nventory of Top Secret document
holdings was initiated. It was anticipated that this
inventory would be concluded by January 1978 and that
the inventory would indicate the data base inaccuracies
due to loss, destruction, downgrading, and clerical
errors, etc. This completion date has now been
extended to January 1979 to permit the Agency components
to search archives and stored records. At the present
time 39 of the 53 Top Secret Control Officers have
completed the inventory. The reports indicate the
documents unaccounted for represent about 71 of the
base and it is believed this percentage will remain
stable through the rest of the inventory.
4. (C) Initiative. At the completion of the
Agency-wide inventory, the TSCADS data base will reflect
an accurate and proven record of the Top Secret holdings.
Unaccounted records will be transferred to an inactive
file. Resolution of this inactive file will be aggressively
pursued and documents that have been destroyed, downgraded,
or transferred out of CIA as well as duplicate records will
be deleted from the data base. Finally, a far-reaching
review Is planned to reduce the total Top Secret holdings
using the criteria of the Executive Order 12065 to assure
proper classification of the documents and the need for
multiple copies in the system.
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/01/14: CIA-RDP86B00963R000200100016-7
 CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/01/14: CIA-RDP86B00963R000200100016-7
5. (AIUO) Conclusion: The problems of locating
Top Secret documents, thr management and accountability
have been recognized by the Office of Security. Initiative
has been taken to successfully conduct an aggressive and
innovative program to provide large-volume document control
through an automated, centralized program capable of meeting
Agency needs in the foreseeable future.
25X1A
Robert W. Gambino
Distribution:
Orig - Addressee
1 DDCI
2 - DDAVV
1 - ER
CONFIDE 1 -L
Approved For Release 2002/01/14: CIA-RDP86B00963R000200100016-7