OIS SUPPORT FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S FOREIGN RELATIONS PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87-00181R000100050006-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 26, 1985
• Content Type: MEMO

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ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: iOptional) OIS Support for the State Department's
Foreign Relations Program
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RECEIVED
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to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
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OIS 85-654
26 NOV 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Administration
Chief, DCI History Staff
Director o nformation Services, DA
SUBJECT: OIS Support for the State Department's
Foreign Relations Program
REFERENCE: President's Memorandum dated 12 November 1985,
Subject: Timely Publication of the Foreign
Relations Series
STAT
1. While action on the referenced memorandum has been assigned to the
Chief, DCI History Staff, I wanted you to know of our work on State
Department's Foreign Relations Series.
2. Since 1978 OIS/CRD has reviewed selected galley proofs of all 1950,
1951, and 1952-54 FRUS volumes (except Iran--work suspended during hostage
crisis, but started anew and should be returned to State this month).
Starting in 1982 with the 1955-57 series we have reviewed the entire rough
draft of each volume, and have nearly completed all the 1955-57 volumes. In
addition we have reviewed special advance FRUS's which State is publishing for
Vietnam 1961, 1962, and 1963. Besides this we have re-examined many documents
originally denied by our first review which the State History Office has
requested us in reclama to reconsider releasing.
3. The Classification/Declassification Center (CDC) at State acts as the
intermediary between CIA and the State History Office (SHO) and has in the
past often sent us as well preliminary pages or documents concerning CIA in
order to get a preliminary reading on a particularly vexing declassification
question, which the SHO feels vital to the history but fears CIA will not
release. The State History Office most commendably wants to publish the
"whole story," but security must be our first consideration.
4. While no figures have been retained on the number of pages covered by
the FRUS review, each of the rough drafts of each volume runs between two and
three thousand pages, and the number of volumes have increased from ten in
1950, to twenty-eight in 1955-57, so we are speaking of tens of thousands of
pages, perhaps hundreds of thousands. Each page must be read, and where
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necessary sanitized, and sanitized in such a way that the flow of the
narrative is not interrupted. The deletions are usually made to protect
intelligence sources and methods in regards to CIA presence in specific
countries overseas, identity of covert personnel, collection or communications
facilities or programs, or liaison with foreign intelligence services.
Sometimes the reasons could include foreign government information given
confidentially, or even the protection of good foreign relations with other
countries. After CRD has completed the initial review, those pages containing
classified information with DI or DO equities are forwarded to the Directorate
IROs for concurrence. When this coordination is completed the drafts are
returned to State with the collated CIA recommendations.
5. From receipt of the first preliminary documents to the final reclama a
number of years can pass. Internally we try to return these documents to
State as soon as possible and we request prompt replies in each memo we write
to coordinating offices. Because of the way declassification statutes and
regulations are written, the final approval for declassification must come
from the line organization responsible for classifying the information. In
actual practice the Directorate of Operations (DO) reviewers take from four to
six weeks to return the pages CRD has selected for them to review. The DI,
however, often returns the fewer pages sent for their concurrence, in a matter
of days. The one exception to this prompt response has been a troublesome
FRUS on Iran, 1953-54, the review of which was twice suspended during the
hostage situation in Tehran. The coordination of the Iran volume took nine
months. In general over the last three or four years CIA has averaged about
six months from the time a FRUS volume is first received from State to the
time it is returned to them. The.longest time was Volume I (Economics)
1955-57 which took nine months and one week; the shortest was a volume on
Vietnam 1958-60 which took only two months.
6. Representatives of CDC have told us that they are happy with the
promptness of CIA replies which they find faster than those received from many
other agencies. CDC finds the present situation with CRD acting as
preliminary review element and clearinghouse for all FRUS manuscripts as
superior to the situation which existed before 1978. In OIS we feel that we
have been responsible for assisting the line directorates to fulfill the
requirement for prompt review of the manuscripts for this oldest continuous
statutory document in the federal government. We agree with the President's
high evaluation of the Foreign Relations series, and continue to be eager to
cooperate in any reasonable way to accelerate CIA's responses to State on the
FRUS manuscripts.
STAT
Distribution:
Orig - DDA
1 - C/DCI History Staff
1 - D/OIS
1 - CRD Chrono
1 - ron r.; fli cnn w/State Department
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THE WHITE HOUSE
November 12, 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
THE ACTING ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES
THE PUBLIC PRINTER
1 b NOV 1985
LOGGED
SUBJECT: Timely Publication of the-Foreign Relations Series
The documentary publication Foreign Relations of the United
States has presented the official record of American diplomacy
since the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. This orderly and timely
publication of the official diplomatic record is extremely
important. The accurate understanding of the history of American
diplomacy is necessary not only for our own citizens but also for
our allies and adversaries abroad. And, while the continued
public disclosure of diplomatic negotiations and undertakings
must be.balanced carefully against the needs of national security
and the expectation of confidentiality -in the diplomatic process,
the historic record when published should be as complete as
possible. The documentary publication series, Foreign Relations,
is the proper vehicle for systematic official disclosure of the
major documentation regarding American foreign policy in its
proper historical context.
I therefore direct that the authoritative foreign affairs record
be gathered and appropriately published thirty years after the
event in a manner fully consistent with other directives on
the release and publication of official information. In
particular I ask that the Secretary of State take necessary
measures to ensure the publication by 1990 of the foreign affairs
volumes through 1960. The published record should reflect the
activities of those federal agencies with responsibilities for
the conduct of relations with foreign governments and
international organizations.
To assist in this important task, I ask that each of you direct
your agencies and staffs to cooperate with the Department of
State in the collection, declassification review, and publication
of these volumes. You. should assure all proper access to
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authoritative historical records to appropriately cleared
official Department of State historians and that the
declassification review for publication is accorded the necessary
priority to achieve this 307year publication timeframe.
I ask the Department of State to oversee the convening of
periodic meetings of appropriate interagency representatives to
review and improve cooperative procedures and plans to meet this
30-year publication timeframe. In addition, I direct that the
Department of State make an annual status report on the progress
made toward this goal.
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