CURTAILMENT OF CIA SUPPORT TO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS INDEXES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01139A000200110033-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: July 13, 2005
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: May 15, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

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C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
CODIB-D-84
15 May 1861
UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
COMMITTEE ON DOCUMENTATION
Curtailment of CIA Support to Library
ofof Congress Inds
1. Attached Is the CIA plan for cutting back its support of the Library of
Congress Monthly Index of Russian Accessions (MIRA) and East European
Accessions Index (EEAI)e Considering it desirable to keep the USIB informed
of curtailment of or changes in.major information processing projects, the
attached will be transmitted to the USIB for information after CODIB has
acted.
20 This proposal will be considered at the next CODIB meeting.
Paul r
Chairman
Attachment
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-Y A-L
25X1
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C-O- N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A -L
CODIB-D-84
15 May 1961
UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
COMMITTEE ON DOCUMENTATION
Curtailment of CIA Support to
Library of Congress Accessions Indexes
1. The Library of Congress Monthly Index of Russian Accessions (MIRA),
issued since 1948, is a comprehensive record of post-World War II Soviet
publications in all fields of knowledge received by the Library of Congress and
some 200 other major libraries of the U.S. The East European Accessions Index
(EEAI), published by the Library of Congress since 1952, lists post-World War II
receipts by it and over 100 major libraries of the U.S. from East European
countries. See attached descriptive brochure for each Index.
2, CIA took over the sole financial support of the MIRA in 1952 because of
the importance to intelligence of maintaining this publication at the time. One
of the by-products of the support was the biographic cards which form a basic
part of the Biographic Register files in CIA, identifying authors of articles as
to place and type of research. CIA began support of the EEAI in Fiscal Year
1959. Although some financial support also was provided for the preparation
of the Indexes In Fiscal Years 1960 and 1961 by NSF9 AEC, and NASA, CIA
no longer can justify major support under present conditions.
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I A-L
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C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I A-L
CODIB-D-84
15 May 1961
3. The purpose of this paper is to alert the intelligence community to pro-
posed curtailment action by CIA, and to furnish background information that may
be useful in determining a course for future action.
4. The cost to CIA for the first year of support to the MIRA (1952) was $8?, 845,
increasing to $402, 100 in FY 61; additionally $15, 000 from NSF, $10, 000 from AEC,
and $25, 000 from NASA was required in FY 61 to support the project. TAB A
reflects the growth in coverage of the MIRA.
5. Costs for CIA support to the EEAI were $254,154 in FY 59, rising to
$282, 600 for FY 61, plus $51, 000 from the National Science Foundation. TAB B
reflects the growth of the EEAI.
6. Comments on the utility and essentiality of both publications to the work
of CODIB members were requested. In summary, MIRA is considered
valuable by AEC, Army (willing to consider some funding), Navy, NSA, and
parts of Air Force and CIA. There is strong preference for a continuation
of a modified MIRA over EEAI. With regard to the EEAI, AEC values it,
Air Force, Army, Navy, NSA and CIA have marginal interest in its
continuation. The State Department would not be hurt were both publications
discontinued. DOD, FBI and JCS are not primary users of the publications.
The National Science Foundation sponsored a survey of the use made of the
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C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
CODIB-D-84
16 May 1961
two Indexes by 120 organisations within a 300 mile radius of Washington which
butressed their original decision not to support EEAI, and has caused them to
reconsider support of MIRA.
7. Intelligence needs for the two Indexes have changed. As the primary
users have become more sophisticated, they have depended to an increasing
extent on original source material. There is some library demand for con-
tinuation of the EEAI, but research use Is negligible. The MIRA should be
adapted to meet changing requirements. For example, the biographic cards
have grown in importance from a by-product of the publications to the most
valuable part of the projects for CIA and it plans to continue support of
this aspect.
8o Two basic points should be considered before a decision is reached
regarding the future of the two Indexes:
If the two publications were to cease entirely, a) what would be the effect
on the academic community in general and contractors specifically, and b)
what would the agencies now relying on the Indexes be required to spend for
the issuance of their own accessions lists. We suspect that demand for such
lists would probably come from the very researchers who are now apathetic
with regard to the continuation of the Library of Congress publications.
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CODIB-D-84
is may 1961
Alternatives to these Indexes would be less professionally competent, and far
less comprehensive.
9. In view of our findings and our prospective requirements, CIA plans the
following action affecting MIRA and EEAI:
a.
b.
C.
To phase out the EEAI as rapidly as it is reasonable for
the Library of Congress to do so.
Maintain the support of MIRA for FY 62 In order to enable
the National Science Foundation to define the requirements
of the American scientific community for bibliographic
services on Soviet scientific publications, and to permit
the Library of Congress to adjust to a possible change in
the present publication.
Continue CIA support to the Library of Congress for the
preparation of the biographic cards on the Sino-Soviet
Bloc. We will also examine the feasibility of cooperation
with other intelligence agencies on this project, particularly
in view of Air Force requirements for bibliographic informa-
tion now met by LC's Air Information Division.
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TAI B A
MONOGRAPHS AND PERIODICAL ISSUES LIED IN MONTHLY LIST OF RUSSIAN ACCESSIONS
Volume 1 - Volume 13
Monographs
Periodical
issues
Periodical
titles
Periodical articles
& monographs indexed
Number of pages
Vol. 1 (1948/49)
3.999
2,313
333
-
Vol. 2 (1949/50)
5,456
2,574
368
-
Vol. 3 (1950/51)
6,971
2,461
392
-
901
Vol. 4 (1951/52)
5,611
2,941
586
-
935
Vol. 6(1952/63)
4g710
2,839
501
64,703
2,026
Vol. 6 (1953/54)
4,879
4,054
720
77,830
2,337
Vol. 7(1954/55)
7,276
3,697
708
76,519
2,060
Vol. 8(1955/56)
9,368
6,399
811
85,395
2,006
Vol. 9 (1956/57)
11,079
8,918
1,148
137,797
2,070
Vol. 10 (1957/58)
11, 209
8,608
1.348
170,098
3,455
Vol. 11 (1958/59)
12,212
8,929
1,342
189,338
3,932
Vol. 12 (1959/60)
11,378
8,563
1,466
175,637
$, 488
Vol. 13 (1960/61)
15,461
11,642
1,702
225,830
3,935
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MONOGRAPHS AND PERIODICAL ISSUES LISTr' IN THE EAST EUROPEAN ACCESSIONS INDEX
41
Monographs
Translated
Periodical
Issues
Listed
Periodical
Issues with
Contents
Translated
Periodical Articles
and Monographs
Indexed (Entries in
Subject Index)
Total Pages
per Volume
Average
Number
of Pages
per issue
Vol. 1 (1951-1952)
----
----
----
----
879
62
Vol. 2 (1953)
3,155
8,183
2,349
56,533
1,428
129
Vol. 3(2954)
4,992
13,487
5,198
136,678
2,126
177
Vol, 4 (1955)
6,128
17,192
6,216
148,742
2,355
196
Vol. 5(1950)
7,160
27,861
7,172
106,959
2,560
213
Vol.. 6(1957)
6,975
27,233
7,935
135, 664
3,092
257
Vol. 7(1958)
7.736
28,067
8,051
140,772
3,282
273
Vol. 8 (1959)
8,686
33,732
8,198
136,271
3,339
278
Vol. 9 (1960)
8,623
35,765
8,627
145,223
3,534
294
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