TRANSFER OF AGENCY RECORDS TO NEW GSA RECORDS CENTER AT SUITLAND

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP73-00402R000100290063-4
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
6
Document Creation Date: 
December 19, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 18, 2006
Sequence Number: 
63
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
January 6, 1967
Content Type: 
MF
File: 
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PDF icon CIA-RDP73-00402R000100290063-4.pdf306.69 KB
Body: 
Approved For Release 2tlA-RDP73-00402R0001 MO I 34'2,0617 6 JAN i...7 MEMORANDUM FOR: The Deputy Director for Sup SUBJECT : Transfer of Agency Records to New GSA Records Center at Suitland 1. Paragraph 4 of this memo requests action by the DD/S. 2. Background: a. In January 1964 the Chief, Records Administration Staff sub- mitted to the Deputy Director for Support a projection estimating that the Agency Record Center would reach its capacity about April 1967. He was instructed to find means other than new construction to prolong the life of the present Records Center. He arranged with the General Services Administration to use about 60, 000 cubic feet of vault storage space in a new Federal Records Center under construction at Suitland, Maryland. The Office of Security established physical security stand- ards and GSA altered the building specifications accordingly. The Chief, Records Administration Staff also obtained agreement among Agencies of the Intelligence Community as well as organizational components within CIA that USIB produced documents could be stored in the Federal Records Center, but with the understanding that CIA would retain control over them. About 25, 000 cubic feet of records 25X1 have been identified for remova and storage at Suitland, and GSA has told us that we can plan our move any time between May and September 1967. b. In May 1966 we went forward to the Office of Planning, Program- ming and Budgeting with a request for an increase of three (3) ceiling positions in FY 1968 for the Agency Archives and Records Center to permit us to maintain custody and service requests for retrieval from records which we plan to move to Suitland. These positions were stricken by OPPB during the Agency review of our budget on the premise that reduction in records ould relieve the workload there and, therefore, it should be possible to service the same records at 25X1 Suitland without an increase in personnel. After our request for three positions was denied we considered several alternatives. F !-: z:t::"I e] . SECRET Approved For Release 20 IA-RDP73-00402R000100290063-4 a. New construction at our own Records Center at a cost of about $750, 000 is considered impractical at this time not only because we have not planned or budgeted for it and could not be prepared with architectural plans and specifications in time to give the immediate relief that is needed even if funds were available, but also because we would still need additional personnel to service the additional record capacity. b. We considered and discussed with GSA the possibility of having them service the materials we plan to store at Suitland and were informed that they would be unable to assume this responsibility because of the security and control procedures necessary to ensure that access would be limited to authorized customers. This decision by GSA made it unnecessary for us to seek Security and Community approval to relin- quish control. c. We considered the possibility of moving records other than those planned which would be less active and therefore require less effort to maintain and service. Inactive financial records, for example, which we are prevented by law from destroying until they have been audited by the General Accounting Office are considered too sensitive to release. The need for an exemption from this prohibition against destruction, or special legislation has been discussed several times in the past with the General Counsel and other interested parties in the Agency. The question will have to be raised again and pursued to some kind of a conclusion but it requires treatment separate from the purpose of this paper. We have raised with NPIC the question of storing some of their inactive photographic materials at Suitland, but the ques- tion of sensitivity again becomes a controlling criterion. Preliminary judgments are that even if agreement can be reached to store some of these materials at Suitland, it would still be necessary to ask make some alterations in the space to provide an added physical security protective barrier. These discussions are continuing, but sensitivity combined with the need to make funds available in FY 1967 or early FY 1968 to alter the space lead to the preliminary intuitive conclusion that this, too, will prove impractical at least in a time frame that can give us the relief we need when we need it. d. We have considered the possibility of deferring our occupancy of the Suitland facility until FY 1969 but GSA is unable to give us a commitment that the space can be held available beyond calendar year 1967. In fact, they urge that we begin our move not later than September 1967 and preferably earlier in order to assure possession. In any case, SECRET SECRET the 1964 prediction that the Agency Records Center would be full by April 1967 is proving to be quite accurate. The Records Center capacity is 106, 000 cubic feet and the volume of records now stored is 91, 011 cubic feet. Storage criteria for Federal Records consider that records centers are full when they reach 90% of capacity. At the present rate of growth we can expect to reach 90% of our capacity by April 1967 as predicted. e. We have reconsidered the feasibility of proceeding with the transfer of records as planned and having them serviced in their new location by our present personnel. We concluded that this is not 25X1 practical because the distanc prevents realistic commuting and because the transfer of 25, 000 cubic feet of records does not result in a corresponding transfer in workload. The Records Center is now responsible for four principal functions: (1) Operating the Archives for CIA and predecessors; (2) Operating the Records Center for inactive records; (3) Operating the CIA Vital Records Repository; and (4) Providing storage and supplemental distribution for Finished Intelligence Publications, including maps. f. Production standards for records center operations are based upon the number of "actions" one person can perform in one year. An action is the receipt of one cubic foot of records, the destruction of one cubic foot of records, or a reference furnished. The average number of actions for six Records Centers about which we have information is 5335 per man year with no more than 5% classified records. The CIA records center production is about 10, 500 actions per man year with 100% of the records classified and many of these requiring special control and storage procedures superimposed upon the normal require- ments governing the handling and storage of classified documents. g. The current volume of 91, 011 cubic feet of records is composed of 19, 345 cubic feet of Finished Intelligence Publications and maps; 59, 128 cubic feet of inactive records; 9,085 cubic feet of Vital Records; and 3, 453 cubic feet of Archives materials. We plan to move about 19, 000 cubic feet of Finished Intelligence Publications and Maps, and Approved For Release 2006/12/19: CIA-RDP73-00 -Approved For Release 200 IF-RDP73-00402R000100290063-4 about 6, 000 cubic feet of inactive records. The Vital Records and Archives materials will remai J__ While about 98% 25X by volume of the Finished Intelligence u lications will be moved, this represents only about 80% by publication (i. e. OBI/NIS; NPIC/PR; ORR/EIC; etc). The 20% by publication that will remain have all categories of special clearance requirements, including codeword sensitivity indicators. The procedures for receiving, controlling, servicing, and destroying this 20% require about as many man hours as do the 80% which are to be moved. It seems clear, therefore, that the transfer of records does not result in a corresponding transfer of workload, On the other hand, beginning with commencement of the move all Finished Intelligence Publications classified Secret and below will be delivered directly to the Federal Records Center at Suitland. The net growth per month of these materials this fiscal year has been about 120 cubic feet. These must be received, locator cards prepared, other processing completed and they mus be shelved. At the same time, materials being move in a phased 25X1 move over a period of about nine (9) mont s to a year, will have to be received processed in and shelved. Meanwhile, the net growth at 25X1 will continue at the rate of about 500 - 600 b cu ic feet er p month of inactive records; 75 - 100 cubic feet of Vital Records; and 75 - 100 cubic feet of Archives. In addition, of course, the increasing emphasis being placed upon the writing of the Agency history repre- sents a significant increase in the workload placed upon the Archives and Records Center. g. As a matter of additional interest, the Agency records center has not had an increase in staffing complement since its original move 5X1 n April 1955. At that time our records holdings amounted to about 19, 000 cubic feet and the staffing complement included 18 positions. We now have 91, 000 cubic feet of records and 15 positions. This reduction in the number of positions results from the transfer of two courier positions to the Mail and Courier section of the Office of Logistics in 1963. A consolidation of functions permitted the further reduction of one position. Realignment of other functions; procedural innovations; creation of and adherence to records handling criteria; the installation of improved equipment and several other management improvement actions have made it possible to handle an increase of nearly 500% in volume of records with a net decrease of one position in the staffing complement. -4- w- e C k E T @x?Iad~d , SEdasiassGls?,iraA 7 A~pro~red For Release 20 4. Recommendation: We see no alternative but to reaffirm our earlier request for three (3) staff positions and funds to support them and recommend that the Records Center ceiling be increased accordingly. SE RET Chief, Support Services Staff Approved For Release 2006/12/19: CIA-RDP73-00402R000100290063-4 Q Approved For Release 2006/12/19: CIA-RDP73-00402R000100290063-4