DOWNGRADING OF COCOM DOCUMENTS - PROGRESS REPORT NO. 1

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00328A000100490080-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 12, 2000
• Sequence Number: 80
• Publication Date: January 28, 1955
• Content Type: MF

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"W *400
28 January 1955
MORANDUf FOR:
Qh/C/RR
{
Q{a 25X1A9a
Downgrading of COC014 Documents - Progress Report No. 1
of turf COCCI /CHINO documents has been undertaken in
ion in connection with the proposed downgrading of such
_~_. wsuiuva~vitoa? ML!. 5UVU cocumenta In numbered
series now carry a Secret classification. TOPOL 812 of 10 December
indicated that Washington would provide within 90 days a list of COC
COX documents for which Secret classification should be
retained. There follows a progress report on this survey and suggested
additional work to be undertaken by CIA in this matter.
Su
_
CG
. .. _ ~,.
r
OC CH _OXI hoc. nos
1) A numerical card index of all /Ct OK/CHINCC!fi documents
available to this Division has been established and an effort
made to assemble all. missing documents in a central D/;/RR file.
2) Selection of Tentative Criteria - The following criteria
entatively selected for purposes of this survey: (1) such
documents are considered to incorporate intelligence of Secret
cation if they include information on., Soviet bloc demand/
supply position in .;specific goods and services; strategic signify,-
can" Of specific 4ods or services as applicable to Soviet needs;
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illegal or unreported trade in
with the Soviet bloc; intelligence sources and methods,
application, particularly with respect to specific problems in th+
export control field; and, gaps in intelligence on the Soviet bloc.
luch documents are considered to incorporate intelligence of
er than Confidential classification when they are concerned
or principally with : commodity definitions and quota
determinations; general expressions of PC attitudes on various
problem and review of control systems; statistics on trade
pecific commodities which provide only information on qt
e and unit measurements; and? procedural and administrative matters,
entification and Desc 'iption of Documents - Ten categories
COC CHINCOM documents were identified and described (See
Appendix A )s with the following findings t
The following categories of documents have been
tentatively determined not to contain intelligence of secret
classification as defined above:: CAS Statistics; COt
Secretariat Papers (Documents); CCCO1 indexes (D 3eriea); CHINCCH
cs and, C IINCOM Secretariat papers.
b) Two categories of documents - Consultative Group Papers
and CHINCOM.Sub-C Series - are considered as incorporating
intelligence of both Secret and Confidential Classification,
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categories of documents - COCK Documents,
CHINO Documents, and COMM Sub-C Series - have been
* of estimating additional work required in
total number of such documents available. On the
basis of this 10 percent samplin
than
i employment o
plete the survey.
clerk, will be required to
4) Executive Order 10501 and NATO documents have been ern
to determine the relevancy of classification definitions therein to
the downgrading proposal (refs Paris POLTO 1385, 22 January 1955).
The CIA Classification Control Officer has been consulted on this
point and on the advisability of creating a CIA Panel to consider
this project.
5) Conversations have been held with representatives of FOA,
OIR and EDS), Defense (OWL, and Commerce to determine the
n of these agencies in this proposal and to obtain information
on availability of documents. `ithin CIA,, this matter has been
discussed informally with OCD, the CIA Library, FI, and SO.
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e analyst (Gs.-12 or above), in addition
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C clnsions
the basis of this preliminary su
concur in an across-the-board downgrading of the documents
in question. '-Ance this downgrading project has as its ultimate purpose
n# y, greater speed transmission and greater ease and convenience
e and handling..." (TOPOL 812), it is further concluded that this
purpose would be served and intelligence sources and methods protected
by a system such as follows : Documents issued prior to a cat-off date
to be established wow be re-classified either Secret or Confidential
by categories on the basis of content. Henceforth, only certain kinds
of information would be included in Secret and Confidential categori
si:s of criteria to be established by COCC.
C. R . _o
It is recommended that a panel consisting of the CIA
,ion Control Officer, and the Assistant Classification Control
of RR,, OCf), F1 and 90 be created to work with a DIE representa-
the results of this survey, establish Agency responsibility
determining the classification of documents involved, and make
appropriate reecomrese lotions to F'OAf AC, the Department of State and the
Paris.
ON "ID E IAL
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:fated matters,
2, Cl Dc uz s -- Record of discussions on a variety of
er
ects such as statistics, enforcement, exceptions, IC/DV, ships
alld
i~pp ng, annd~trade;agreements; negotiations on the strategic
by the Ch
ff
a
- -- --
~ w COCC( to the Consultative Group.
tti eti s aeries - Information in ata+.i :stL
ries
rovid
is
.
__
p
es item nu$fb r and
des+~riptioTl des I~in. Lion Of exports, and weight and value of commodities.
' eg Docuxtenta - These
e
pap
rs are
prepared to bring outstanding and unresolved problems to the attention
to the "unfortunate state of affairs in the matter of statistical
reporting, It
COCOsr
6. ` ab-C eries - This series transmits t
o
and Interpretation, (Note: reports of technical working
found in this and in the COCOM Document Series a
d
n
concern
c categories of controlled items,)
0K ,1)Qc t, - Included in this series are records
sub
t
jec
s are consideration of the several China lists (and
48 policy and exchange-of information,
M I,,
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LAL
A.
S. ggjVZg 34-tatle!Jig v, e- i Il - Provides statistic
Information on the value of licenses issued each month by PC autho
covering export of controlled commodities to China, North Korea, Hong
Kong and Macao.
9. CHINCW Secretariat Pa - This series aurizes, for
the bene t of de. egates, earlier papers and discussions on particular
-a: tiles . It provides lists of document numbers pertaining to
discussions on specified controlled item.
Seri - The several technical working groups
of CHI? C ran-it findings on specific commodities
instruments, iron and .:steel products) in this series.
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