THE CIA PRINTING PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00682R000300160008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: October 24, 1951
• Content Type: MEMO

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P
Y
Joint Committee on Printing
Washington
MEMORANDUM
TO: Senator Carl Hayden
FROM: James L. Harrison
SUBJECT: THE CIA PRINTING PROGRAM
The Central Intelligence Agency, for several years, has been served by
the GPO-Department of State Service Office in the production of considerable
quantities of highly classified printing,
In addition to the GPO-DSSO plant, CIA for several years has also been
letterpress printing as well as engraving. Both of these plats are located 'J
6tt CIA headquarters, ~yv
STATINTL Q~
STATINTL Several months ago, CIA established another printing plant
miles from CIA headquarters. They, based this action
on (a) the described need for facilities to handle increased
served by their own agency plant which is equipped to produce'
October 2L., 1951
production re-
quirements, and (b) the need for better security although we !understand that
certain merchants and applicants for jobs in recent weeks have taken tours
through the CIA-Alexandria plant which appears to reflect some doubt on the
secret classification of that plant, The action was taken despite the following
1. CIA is completely responsible for and have complete control
I
over the security which is maintained in their own headquarters plant.
2, The GPO-DSSO plant is cleared for top security by CIA, Atomic
Energy Commission, Department of State, National Security Resources Board and
Office of Defense Management and all of these Government establishments have
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expressed satisfaction with the quality, service and security maintained by the
plant in connection with the work it does for them,
3, The GPO-DS50 plant has untapped production facilities and, con-
sequently, GPO has advised CIA that this plant can handle a much larger quantity
of their work. A relatively large security-cleared reservoir of skilled craftsmen
exists at the GPO central plant and can he detailed to the G:O-DSSO plant whenever
necessary,
. The CIA's own headquarters plant also has considerable unused
production potential,
STATINTL
5. When CIA sought priorities to purchase equipment for the
plant, ODM ruled that CIA was needlessly duplicating existing facilities with
adequate capacity to handle their work and, on that basis, denied them priorities.
66 Subsequently, the Bureau of the Budget reached the same con-
clusion as 0DM and advised CIA that the GPO-BSSO plant has the facilities and
security to meet any of their requirements.
STATINTL 74 Before CIA started action to establish the plant, they
were specifically advised that highly skilled personnel of the type necessary to
operate such a plant are scarce to the point of being almost nonexistent.
Nevertheless, the plant was established and equipped at a cost conservatively
estimated at no less than a half million dollars and we are advised that for several
months now, from any practical production standpoint, it has been standing idle be-
cause of the lack of competent, qualified personnel to operate it.,
Because of this situation, CIA has adopted the only obvious ;method of re-
solving the di&ficulty--namely, proselyting employees from the GPO-Department of
State Service Office.
It is true that if this practice were successfully consummated, the
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plant's operational difficulties would be solved. However, the
solution also would involve a broad, serious disruption with regard to the
highly classified production requirements of such vital Government activities
at Atomic Energy Corunissi?n, State Department, National Security Resources Board
and Office of Defense Management.
REC OM[ENDATION
Inasmuch as there appears to be no justification established by all the
knovrn facts in support of the existence of the CIA printing plant,
either on the basis of handling increased production requirements or on the basis of
better security, and
Inasmuch as the loss of personnel from the GPO-Departmentof State Service
Office would seriously impair, or possible destroy, that plant's production
capacity for handling highly-classified and vitally-important printing for the
.Atomic Energy Commission, the State Department, the National Security Resources
Board and the Office of Defense Management, and
Inasmuch as the present uncontrolled procurement of CIA's, printing equip-
me -es with equally stringent
nt is highly discriminatory against other agencsecurity requirements, at the same time setting a very bad example for those
same agencies which. are required by law to seek approval of the Joint Committee
on Printing either to purchase printing equipment or to establish printing plants,
Inasmuch as those agencies have specifically and repeatedly certified that
the JCP program is helpful rather than detrimental and has imposed no difficulties
with regard to their highly classified printing activities, and
Inasmuch as the CIA program is threatening to undermine the JCP policy
control over the Government's printing and binding program,
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Therefore, it appears most sound, practical and in the best interests
of the United States Government to initiate steps which: (a) will bring CIA
printing equipment procurement under the policy control of the Joint Committee
on Printing and, (b) will preserve the effectiveness of the GPO-Department of
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