COMPUTER SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD SECURITY COMMITTEE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05894563
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: January 31, 2020
• Case Number: F-2019-01084
• Publication Date: May 20, 1969

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IBSEC-CSS-M-10
20 May 1969
COMPUTER SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE
UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
SECURITY COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meeting
Held at CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
20 May 1969
1. The 10th meeting of the Computer Security Subcommittee of
the USIB Security Committee was held on 20 May 1969 between 1330 and
1540 hours in Room 4E-64, CIA Headquarters Building. In attendance
were:
(b)(3)
(b)(6)
Mr. Louis J. Martin, Army Alternate Member
Mr. Robert C. Allen, Navy Member
Lt. Col. Charles V. Burns, Air Force Member
(b)(3)
(b)(6)
Mr. Donald R. Roderick, FBI Member
Mr. Richard F. Kitterman, State Member
Mr. Raymond J. Brady, AEC Member
(b)(3)
(b)(6)
Mr. Robert B. Cameron, Navy
Mr. William S. Donaldson, Jr., Air Force
Mr. Jack T. Peacock, Air Force
Mr. Cleddie B. Lanier, State
Mr. Conrad Banner, FBI
Group 1
Excluded from automatic
downgrading and
declassification
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2. The security level of the meeting was announced as Top Secret
non-codeword.
3. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the 24 March 1969 meeting
were approved as written.
4. Disc Degaussing: The Chairman reported that subsequent to the
previous Subcommittee meeting he had been afforded a briefing by NSA
officials on its efforts in the degaussing problem area. This briefing also
provided an opportunity for discussing the problem of downgrading computer
storage media including computer disc packs. The Chairman pointed out that
NSA has engaged in a research effort involving the retentive qualities of
various media.
5. It was announced that a status report on these efforts will be
furnished the Subcommittee in the near future and hopefully will include a
direct briefing by NSA personnel of the Subcommittee on NSA efforts in
this area of concern.
6. In view of the NSA efforts, the Chairman decided to defer any
activity on the part of the ad;hoc task team appointed at the previous
meeting until the NSA report had been received and reviewed by Subcom-
mittee members.
7. During discussion at the instant meeting, the Air Force Technical
Consultant expressed his view that the NSA efforts in this regard had
principally been directed around thin-film memory techniques. Although
the Chairman reported that NSA expressed confidence in the recoverability
of data after overwriting procedures, the Air Force consultant expressed
his belief that such retrievability was highly improbable, if proper degaussing/
overwrite techniques were employed.
8. The Chairman requested the Air Force consultant to furnish the
Subcommittee with a report of his findings in this area. However, it was
determined that no actual research had been conducted by the Air Force
consultant and that a report of his activities was not currently available
for release to the Subcommittee.
9. Further discussion of this issue was deferred pending NSA briefing
of the Subcommittee.
10. Spring Joint Computer Conference: The Chairman reported that
he had attended the 1969 Spring Joint Computer Conference held in Boston
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between 14 and 16 May. He reported that in a number of technical sessions,
as well as during technical demonstrations or tours, individuals claimed
that their computer systems had security or private protection features.
However, in his judgment, such features did not appear too sophisticated,
and in many instances details of such protection techniques were not pro-
vided.
11. The Chairman also reported that during the conference he was
afforded a tour of the manufacturing facilities of BASF Systems, Incorporated
in Bedford, Massachusetts. This firm, a wholly owned subsidiary of a
German Corporation, manufactures computer tapes, audio tapes and computer
disc packs. The tour of the facility included brief descriptions of the various
processes involved in the manufacture of these items. Of significance to the
Subcommittee, a company representative quoted the following prices for
replacing damaged platters in a disc pack:
Type
Purchase Price Lease Cost
Platter Replacement
2314 $ 600.00 $17.00/month $35.00 per platter to a
maximum of $150.00
2311 $ 300.00 $12.00/month $25.00 per platter to a
maximum of $100.00
The company representative indicated that damaged platters are of no
practical use to the manufacturer and may be removed from the pack by
the customer. The pack (stripped if necessary) may be returned to the
company for refurbishment and replacement of discs at the costs noted
above.
12. Computer Professionals for Peace: The Chairman distributed
several pieces of literature concerning an organization identified as the
Computer Professionals for Peace. This organization conducted some
demonstration activity at the Computer Conference in Boston and its
literature, among other things, noted opposition to the Vietnam war, the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Program and other political items. Copies of the
literature were provided members for the information of the security
components of the organizations represented on the Subcommittee.
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13. Multilevel Operations: During the instant meeting, the Chair-
man placed on the agenda consideration of the problems involved in multi-
level computer operations. To introduce consideration of these problems,
he requested that members consider the following items for discussion at a
future meeting:
a. The acceptability of the concept of multilevel computer
operations, i. e. whether individual agencies would consider
operating in a multilevel environment if an acceptable degree
of computer security can be developed. This consideration
should be made under three types of circumstances: classified
and unclassified operations, proprietary and community 'opera-
tions, and hierarchically classified (collateral) and especially
compartmented operations.
b. Identification of key security protection features in
current community systems.
c. Determination of an acceptable degree of risk in the
above type multilevel operations, io e. how good the security
of a system must be to be adequate for such operations.
14. Other Business:
a. It was announced during the meeting that the panel
report of the Joint Command and Control and Intelligence
Collocation Study Group had been published in "working paper"
form on 30 April 1969.
b. It was also announced that the pilot course in
computer security under Defense Supply Agency sponsor-
ship is scheduled to begin on 11 July.
15. The next meeting of the Subcommittee was scheduled for 1330
hours on 10 June 1969. The Chairman indicated that this meeting will
probably be held at the code word level.
(b)(3)
(b)(6)
Chairman
Computer Security Subcommittee
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