EVALUATION OF WALNUT SYSTEM

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02059784
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 18
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: June 24, 2021
• Case Number: F-2019-00185

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National Security Agency -
Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
Attn: Mr. Turner S. McLaurin,
MPRO
19 February 1959
Mr. Walter Jessel
REHDINT.141anICE40
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington 25, D. C.
Inclosed is my evaluation report of the WALNUT information retrieval
system. In the absence of a prescribed format for the report,, I elected
to write it in narrative form, loosely organized into sections Which
coincide with the major subject areas of the system. I have also taken
the liberty to include a few operational suggestions along with the
technical comments; these are based on personal association with complex
electronic processing systems for many years.
It is my hope that your purposes in asking me to review this system
are reasonably well served by this report.- I would be gratified to
receive an invitation to view the system in operation when it is installed,
and also to be informed of your operational experiences With it at a later
date.
Respectfully,
J44-0-$44W
T m" S. McLAURIN
Deputy Chief, Office of Machine Processing
Production
Mel;
ais
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Evaluation of Project WALNUT
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Introduction.
This report is the result of an independent assessment of the WALNUT
project by an individual outside the sponsoring Agency. The fact-gathering
phase of this study consisted of:
a. Three days devoted to reviewing rather' voluminous documenta-
tion such as system study and development progress reports,
b. Conversations with various people intimately associated with
the project, and
c. Three days spent reviewing the status of work in progress at
the IBM Research Laboratories in San Jose, California.
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19 February 1959
MEMORANDUM FOR: AEXO/DDP
SUBJECT: Report on WALNUT Equipment Development
1. The undersigned visited the IBM laboratories at San Jose on
4-6 _February to inspect the progress of equipment development and
system planning for the WALNUT project. .
2. It is my opinion that the d.evepnent of the
has passed its most critical phase. The problems remaining (b)(3)
to be solved appeared to be relatively simple and should not be an
obstacle to successful completion. The machine should more than meet
the minimum specifications. The is also well along in basic (b)(3)
development. The engineers estiMated that it should be possible to
complete one model about the same time that the
lis completed. (b)(3)
. 3. It is recommended that the development of the Document Storage
Machine be continued with a view to earliest possible procurement of
operational equipment.
4. Because of the desirability of getting the whole WALNUT system
into early operation, it is also recommended that a nodule of the
be obtained as early as possible and that it be used both as (b)(3)
the index and as the auxiliary index.
5. In order to get a better understanding of the benefit to be
realized from automatic insurance against garble and of the effect of
so doing on the volume of material to be examined and in order to ,
assess the most efficient initial loading of the it is recommend(b)(3)
that there be undertaken an immediate testing
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Attachments:
Comments on:
A. E. HIGALEK
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a UNIT
ROUTING AND RECORD SHthi
SECRET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
FROM:
AEXO/DDP
2119 Curie Hall
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
. Paul Borel
1053 - M
15.
.FORM USE PREVIOUS
1 DEC 56 1 6 EDITIONS 0
DATE
RECEIVED FORWARDED
NO
DATE
27 1F9E"
5,
OFFICER'S
INITIALS
(b)(3)
I
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
Lk,
INTERNAL
SECRET CONFIDENTIAL USE ONLY UNCLASSIFIED
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