MK II SECURE ROOM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03645A000200110001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: REPORT

FORM
12-76
ARCHIVES/RECORDS CENTER
SERVICE REQUEST
FROM: ARCHIVES/RECORDS CENTER
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USE
PREVIOUS
EDITION,
TO: CTS/ O
2 2 So~Lath 1,02
INSTRUCTIONS: REQUESTER - 1. COMPLETE REQUEST. 2.
RETAIN LAST COPY FOR SUSPENSE. 3. SEND REST OF SET
_'TO RECORDS CENTER. 4. UPON RECEIPT OF MATERIAL
DESTROY SUSPENSE COPY, SIGN AND RETURN ORIGINAL
TO RECORDS CENTER. IF APPLICABLE.
DATE
rX NUMBER
:'~-0260T 22
NOTIFIED
INFORMATION
ILLEGIB
ILLEGIB
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CONu LiD ~~~
MK II SECURE ROOM
Absolute room security is an extremely difficult thing to achieve.
The conventional method-of "-sweeping" areas to make them secure has many
disadvantages. It requires considerable time and equipment. If done
properly, almost complete dismanteling of the area under search isre-
quired. Even if this is done and the area declared "clean", no one has,
any assurance as to how long it will remain so. Other approaches have
been tried, such as inter-communication systems masked by white noise,
etc. All of these systems are generally uncomfortable to wear, fatigu-
ing, and so annoying that it is impossible to get people to use them.
This is the security system as most people know it. Areas are superfi-
cially "swept" and declared "clean" as far as the sweeping equipment
could tell, and these areas are used for daily conferences and high level
conferences.
In an attempt to provide maximum countermeasure means against
surreptitiously placed surveillance devices operating on acoustic, elec-
tromagnetic, visual, infra- or ultra-visual principles, a special secure
room was designed for conferences and communications work based on the
room-within-a-room concept. The object of the room is to provide a se-
cure area as nearly as possible like a room in a home or office in which
up to twelve adults can work in comfort for several hours (read, write,
converse, walk about,. etc.). The term "comfort" implies good light,
fresh air, comfortable temperature, adequate room, pleasing appearance,
comfortable acoustics, absence of unnecessary outside distractions, and,
insofar as possible, the psychological comforts of familiar types of~~s cE~
surroundings to avoid any "shut-in" feeling. STAT
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The engineering features of the room were dictated primarily by
security considerations to make the room as secure from tampering as
practicable. Also considered were the anticipated conditions under
which the roam would be shipped to location and erected and, subse-
quently, periodically inspected. Prior to designing this room, exper-
ience had been gained through the building of a predecessor room based
in part on National Bureau of Standards sound transmission tests, and'
which incorporated many of the Mark II room features described below.
The room may be erected in any space where there is sufficient
wall-to-wall clearance to permit-a man to pass freely. This is not
only necessary for erection but is also desirable for periodic inspec-
tion of the room's outer surface. By supporting the room on lucite
pillars at points along its periphery, all six surfaces are made access-
ible for inspection. The roam is structurally adequate to permit Jack-
ing the room up to remove any pillar for close inspection or replacement.
Each pillar in turn rests on a vibration isolator having a natural fre-
quency lower than that induced by any communications equipment, which
may be used in the room. Keeping the number of contact points between
the secure room and the floor of the parent room at a minimum not only
facilitates inspection but also makes leveling the room easier when
installed on an uneven floor. Consideration was given to make the room
as modular as possible within the limitation of its multi wall design
to reduce erection time and to'enable disassembly and reassembly at
another location.
The basic room structure consists of three separate walls. The
innermost of these walls is "floated" from the other two on soft rubber
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isolation strips to obtain better than as Law sound transmission loss
through the wall. Floor and ceiling construction is similar to that
for the vertical calla except that extra structural bracing is included
to permit the room to be supported entirely from its periphery. The
middle wall serves as both the main structural component and the RF
shield. It is fabricated of .030" aluminum sheet mounted over an alum-
inum framework. Because it is of sheet stock as opposed to conventional
screening, it provides a beneficial "extra" inasmuch as it also serves
as an acoustic wall. Its solid construction provides RF suppression
in excess of that provided by double copper screening at all points of
the RF spectrum. The outer wall serves primarily as a barrier to exter-
nal penetration. It consists of 20 gage (.032") aluminum panels which
are secured to the framework from inside the room and which cannot be
removed from the outside short of actually cutting the panels. This
wall provides a relatively smooth outer skin which is comparitively easy
to inspect for tampering. Specially formulated paints can be. applied
to the outside to further increase the difficulty of concealing evidence
of tampering.
The inner wall is decoupled from the BF shield by soft rubber
strips. Either 20 gage (.036") steel or 16 gage (.051") aluminum can
be used, depending on which is more important, maximum sound transmis-
sion loss or minimum weight. The. inner surface of this wall can be
either painted or covered with decorative vinyl, which ever is more ap-
propriate for the intended usage of the roan.
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Power is introduced into the room through dual line filters, ac-
cess to which must be made through a double-locked panel. Interior
lighting is provided by three ceiling fixtures, each of which uses four
60-watt incandescent light bulbs. Jacks are located on the power line
inside the room to permit attaching meter prods to check for any suspi-
cious power consumption which might indicate the presence of power line
operated surveillance gear. Conditioned air enters the room through
a special panel which is interchangeable with other wall panels to per-
mit its location anywhere in the room. Duct silencers are located within
this panel to maintain the acoustic performance. Fresh air is introduced
into the room from a diffuser at the top of the panel and is returned
to the outside at the base of the panel. The air conditioning unit can
be located just outside the roomp or, if space does not permit, it may
be located in a room adjacent to the parent room. When located next to
the secure room, the air conditioner is placed on a dolly and the duct
connections to the room are of a quick-disconnect type to permit rapid
and easy inspection of the ducts and waveguide area. The room is cur-
rently equipped with two doors, one being primarily an acoustic door,
the other a continuation of the RF shield. Work is proceeding on devel-
opment of a door seal which may eventually permit incorporating both of
these features in a single door.
Furnishings and decoration, inside the roam will depend on its in-
tended usage. For the room furnished to Bell Laboratories for evaluation,
the steel walls have been surfaced with simulated wood grain vinyl, the
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aluminum ceiling panels are covered with acoustic tile and a rug has
been provided for the floor. Along one wall of the room there is a
combination chap board and projection screen. These are concealed
behind a decorative drapery when not in use. The room is furnished
with a conference table, chairs, bookcase, and battery powered clock.
Overall dimensions of this room are 3.118P by l4'3" by about 8'l1" high.
it weighs approximately 6,000 pounds exclusive of interior furnishings.
\i'L \L J,
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