PROJECT WALNUT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01139A000200020028-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 28
• Publication Date: June 26, 1959
• Content Type: MF

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200020028-0
CoDfB-u-33/2
26 June 1959
U N I T E D S T A T E S I N T E L L I G E N C E B O A FtD
C0MMrrTEE ON rioCU aTATION
MEM0RJJDUN FOR* ]Deputy Director/Plans
SUBJECT a Project WALNUT
REFERENCES ae CODIB-D 26
b? Memorandum from Chairmens, Committee on
Documentation for Lepaty Director/P1*nsp
dated 26 March 1959
ca Memorandum from Deputy Director/Plans for
AD/CH dated 31 March 1959
1a Forwarded for your information, and such action ea you deem
advisables are the findings of the US3B C ttee on Documentation
regarding the compatibility implications of Project WALNUT (COGIB-Dc3.3/2$
dated 26 June l959) a
20 The Comaittee appreciates your cooperation in having made
possible this exploratory exercise which is the first attempt to
aecertan the prospective impact on the intelligence unity of
an automated information system,,
25X1
Paul Ao Borel
Chairman
x CTA Project Review Cc .ttee
7
C_ _.A1 F 1---p E 1f_ R`_I _a Y
Y
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200020028-0
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP80B0l 139A000200020028-0
CODIB D 33/2
26 June 1959
UNI T ED S T ,A T E S I N T E L L I G E N C E BOAR D
CORMSTTEE 011 DOCUMENTATION
The Coerepati.bility Itep].icati.one of ProJeot Walnut
!3a round
1n The USIB Committee on Documentation (COD)B) on 3 June 19598 con-
ducted a review of CIA's Project l.ALNUT,, a project sponsored by the Clan-
destine Services to develop a document retrieval syetemo 25X1
This review constituted the first exercise of its kind in the intelligence
community.
2. The basis for the review was a CODIB policy paper (CODIB D 26)
adopted on 5 Mar 1959 (COtIB-M-12)0 which stated that the Committee pro-
posed henceforth to examine the effects on other comceunity information
systems of certain categories of innovation in any given system. The
areas specified concerned carriers of information (sego documents),, their
editorial features,, and the indexing language employed in their control.
The purpose of such reviews was to be the identification of possible
sources of friction in the interaction of systenisa under the general head-
ing of compatibility. Questions of feasibility relating to the probable
success of a project in solving its own problems were excluded from the
Committee's formal consideration as generally beyond the scope of the
compatibility policy statement. Ubile the Corwdttee is prepared to
address itself to questions of feasibility, including coat considerations,
C -0 -N -F-1- D-E-T1-T -1-A?L
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP80B0l 139A000200020028-0
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200020028-0
CO-N-F-I t-E-N-T-I-A-L
CODIh-D33/2
26 June 1959
compatibility issues kAL1WT might raise with respect to their own
this is done only on request of the sponsoring agencye and would in airy
event have required much more time and effort than was possible to devote
in the present case. The conclusions of each Committee review were stated
to be advisory in character and to be aimed in particular towards the
publicising of systems development in the conmamityo
3- Representatives of the Clandestine Services and of the participat-
ing corporations I34' presented a one-day briefing on the system to some
eighty community representatives on 15 Tyr,, At the Committee's meeting of
3 June all CODlI) member agencies were called on in turn to testify on what
systems o
Cooperation
4. The contributions of the clandestine Services and IBM personnel
to the Committee were both competent and cooperatives Although VALNUT
Possesses many sensitive aspectep the Committee was able to proceed
essentially free of denials by the Clandestine Services of 'desired In-
formation. The Committee took strong exception to the decision of the
ICI Corporation not to divulge proprietary Information concerning the
WALNUT computer. No information was,, for examplles divulged regarding
% ALNUT' a binary codian& positions of information, number of letters in
identifying t*ge c
C-O44 4-I-D-B-N-T-I-A-L
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200020028-0
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