DESTRUCTION OF CS CORRESPONDENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00402R000100040001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 2006
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 7, 1959
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release;2006/12115 ,=C;IA=RDP73-00402RQ0:0:1.OOd40001--9.
of individuals in this process, backs roixad required in evaluating paper,
the roved res to be used., ore rub shed.. These matters are covered
in I I attached.
1- In the fan of 1957 the Clandestine Services Records Car t tee,
2. The CS ieeords Cc i ttee. at a recent meeting, requested that
'i ~+. X33 Y FOR General Counsel
through . the Records Policy Wficer appointed by the DD/P., took drastic
steps to rid the CS of valueless accumulations of .paper. The authority
our rules, standards and procedures be reviewed by your office for con-.
- sistency with legal. provisions covering the disposal. of. records.
3. The Clandestine Services has two reasons to preserve ' selected
CS are described in I I Positive selection by competent person-,
nel del-.ermines which items are to be retained. Original, copies of field
correspondence constitutes. the great bulk of this collection. These
original copies ? are cal'? ed .!'Record copies, " which causes confusion. ',As
v e read the law, ?v Lrtually none' of this material is covered by the legal
definition of the term "Records" (Records Disposal Act of July 7, 1943).
The' word "operations" causes similar semantic trouble. . Clearly, the defi..
ninon of this. word. as used in pertinent Federal legislation,. and as used,
; ti. X-111. the- r. S1on of the .CSs
in the CS, is nat. the same,
l cems which need tobe retrievable to fulfill the mission of the
5. In additian, a sm quantity of papers document the _ 'work. of the
CS in the sense of the legal definition of "Records;" in that they need.
approval for It., budgeting for it, estabUshin g T/Os contracting for
quarter. s, for the records summarizing operational activity, seeking
documentation, nor iaa l.y' in distinct .contexts and collections:
To comply with Federal' law governing the preservation of.'
to be "preserved ... as evidence ' of the organization, functions, policies,
decisions, paocedutres, operations or other activities of the Government ...'r
ZA ter. als ?t nder . this heading normally. consist of papers written at head.,
services' of ;i.ndividu ls, etc. ;
 received from other agencies of the Government for which we have no records
zur air .A ecords. It would seem, therefore, that the records of individual
call or narrative natures throud correspondence a i:. orE'x`.t a and other
evaluation. Normally most of the significant evidence relative to the
opera;- on of an agency is relayed upwards through reports of a statists-
vigil transactions that make up its actual operations. These records not.
only have the greatest bulk, but also present the most serious problems of
internal ed .nist`ration j but rather those that record, the specific indi-.
inter alia: "The bulk of the recor+"s of most agencies are not *chose that
record its ? general management, the determination of its policies or its
paL-ghlet "Disposition of Vederel Records" issued by the General Services
Administration as rational Parchives Publication No. 50-3, 1949- It states
responsibility in the legal sense) pertaining to the CS. mission.
'~. In support. of this distinction between materials, we cite the
transactions are seldom basically. essential as evidence of policy, organi-
satien, function or procedurre."
ci. Disposition of CS materials which do come under the legal defini-
a'te :i3l.s of this type : in violation of the intent of i''edes~al law. The
your attention to the fact that there is no question of destroying
in Pu" U!Lc law 253 end. elsewhere. c? eaa'l y apply to them. We -wish to draw
except that the discretionary pc iers conferred upon the Director of. CIA
tiara of the term rRecords" is handled in compliance with Federal leer,
is asking you to s evietw) is tilt of the proper application of the Logs..
issue which has required. clarification, and which the Records Committee
term "Records" to.the bunk of our field correspon dice.
9.: As Secret any. of che Records Cc .ttee I am available to members
ice for consultation on this subject. Your. advice vi-11 be
of your of
Distribution:
2 -'OGC.
MU OGC file
1 - m o CSRC . file.
l - ? Chrono :
I'P~~
 Approved For Release 2006/12/15: CIA-RDP73-00402R000100040001-9
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