RESEARCH FUNCTIONS OF GERMAN MILITARY DOCUMENT SECTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00662R000100070025-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 29, 1998
• Sequence Number: 25
• Content Type: REPORT

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RESEARCH FUNCTIONS OF GER `AN MILITARY DOC[M;.wT SECTION
1. Mission
The mission of the German Military Document Section is as follows:
a. Organize, maintain and keep accessible an active archive of
captured German military documents.
b. Receive and process incoming document shipments.
c. Screen for intelligence all captured German documents received,
and prepare and disseminate an intelligence index listing items of intelligence
interest.
d. Dispose of non-military records by lending them on a permanent
basis to governmental agencies of primary interest.
e. Make available to the appropriate technical services of the
War Department documents of a technical nature.
2. Research Functions
To execute and implement the above mission, the following research
activities are conducted by G14DS:
a. Screens for intelligence and determines priority for setting up
in the archival sub-section document shipments which:
(1)
Contain research material for use in special projects
conducted by Special Document Section.
(2) Contain material to be intelligence indexed.
b. Advises the archival sub-section in the disposition of captured
records which:
(1)
Are of no military value and are to be deposited on permanent
loan with other governmental agencies (Library of Congress,
National Archives, State Department, Department of
Commerce, etc.)
(2) Are of primary technical value and are to be exploited by
the technical services of the War Department.
(The above activities include the appropriate disposition of phonograph
records, books, motion picture films, still. pictures, slides,'etc.)
c. Conducts research on captured German documents in order to produce
a card index of items of intelligence value. The exploitation sub-section
also prepared the cards for the "offset" process and arranges them for dissemina-
tion to the following agencies:
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(1) Intelligence Documents File Branch, Intelligence Division,
VDGS.
(2) Air Information Division, A-2, USAAF.
(3) Central Intelligence Group
(4)
(5) 25X1 X7
(6)
(7) Reading Panel, Intelligence Division, TNDGS (12 sets for
dissemination within Intelligence Division and
Technical Services.)
d. Call documents of particular interest to the attention of
permanent liaison groups with GMMDS; namely:
(1) Historical Division, U.S. Army
(2) FBI
(3) War Crimes Commission
e. Determines the security classification of captured German documents
as orally directed by the Chief, In Control Branch, Security Group,
Intelligence Division, b'DGS. This activity includes upgrading and downgrading
of captured German documents. In this. connection, overall classification of
the document collection is "confidential".
f. Conducts searches of the collection for availability of documents
on broad subject requests as opposed to requests for specific documents.
g. It is to be noted that Gh4DS does not translate documents for
using agencies, but lends the original captured documents (or microfilms)
for exploitation.
3. Completed 4dork in GIT- S
a. Aside from the archival phase which includes setting up the
collection in usable order, the intelligence index (see par. 2c) is completed
in part as follows:
(1) 52,200 folders of captured documents have been examined and
indexed for the intelligence contained therein.
(2) 6,200 different items of intelligence value have been carded.
and the information disseminated.
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b. Approximately five (5) percent of a collection of 700 reels of
microfilms have been reviewed and. properly intelligence indexed..
4. Work Remaining
a. 21,000 folders of unreviewed captured documents remain to be
examined and properly indexed in the manner outlined in par. 2c.
b. Additional shipments arrive from the theater at an average
rate of ten (10) to fifteen (15) tons per month. These, as well as several
major collections in the warehouse, remain to be screened - approximately
500 packing cases of documents.
c. Of the collection of approximately 700 reels of microfilms of
documents photographed elsewhere, fifty (50) percent remain to be viewed
to determine subject matter and ninety-five (95) percent require examination
for the purpose of the intelligence index.
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FUNCTIONS OF SPi;CIAL DOCU?0ENTT SECTION
1. Mission
The mission of the Special Document Section is as follows:
a. Extract from captured documents factual information pertaining
to the USSR.
b. Prepare project studies under the guidance of the Chief, Eurasian
Branch, Intelligence Group, Intelligence Division, VDGS, and prepare additional
studies initiated by Special Document Section as approved by the Chief,
Intelligence Group.
c. Prepare full translations of selected captured German and Russian
documents.
d. Disseminate completed projects and translations through the
Chief, Exploitation Branch, Intelligence Group, Intelligence Division, WDGS.
2. Intelligence Functions
a. In accomplishing the above mission, activities of Special Document
Section were initially centered around five (5) major research projects based
on captured documents pertaining to the USSR; namely:
(1) Atomic Energy and Allied industries
(2) Machine Tool Industry in the USSR
(3) Soviet Railway Transport
(4) Naval and Maritime Shipbuilding in the USSR
(5) Communications in the USSR (telephone, telegraph, cable, radio,
mail, television, radar, courier services)
b. In addition, the Intelligence Division, WDGS directed the
establishment of an "Industrial Card File Project". The preparation of this
file of Soviet industrial plants is based on captured documents available in
the German Military Document Section, Washington Document Center and other
document agencies. This file contains in fragmentary form all information
available on Soviet industrial installations including personnel, working
methods, equipment, output, type of production, etc. When the card file is
completed, competent analysts will examine the inforgation plant by plant and,
after evaluating and collating it, will produce a current basic plant list
which will be adaptable for use on International Business Machines.
c. In conjunction with the project outlined in paragraph 2b above,
a newspaper evaluation sub-section has been established for the purpose of
extracting, translating and disseminating pertinent data from Russian periodicals
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and newspapers.
d. The production of a handbook on the USSR was initiated in January
1947. This project is based on top-level captured German documents as an
overall picture of Russian industry and has been given an arbitrary deadline
of l May 1947.
3. Status of SDS Projects
a. Atomic Energy: During October 1946 it was found that all presently
available information pertaining to atomic energy had been exhausted and the
intelligence derived properly disseminated.
b. Machine Tools: Information collected on this subject matter is
being included in the Industrial Card File Project (see par. 3f).
c. Railway Capacities: This project will provide detailed information
on Russian railway lines, their capacity, technical data, etc. This includes
a general survey of waterways in Russia. The project is long-range and
incomplete.
d. Shipbuilding: At the time of the establishment of the Industrial
Card File Project (see par 2b) all available information on shipbuilding in
the USSR had been exploited. All future information will be included in the
card file.
e. Telecommunications: In December 1946 itbecame apparent that the
documents on hand pertaining to telecommunications had been exploited fully.
The telecommunications project was then merged with the railroad study (see
tar. 3c).
f. Industrial Card File Project: Data utilized for this project are
based on pre-war Russian material,-captured German documents and current Russian
newspapers and periodicals. All available top-level captured German documents
have been exploited and work has begun on low-level German documents and Russian
material. This project is perpetuating and long-range.
g. Newspaper Evaluation: Press reading will continue indefinitely
in conjunction with activities pertaining to the Industrial Card File Project
(see par 3f).
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