RECORDS PURGE - - INITIAL REPORT ON DCI AREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00099A000200040010-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 12, 1999
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: September 25, 1968
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release I 999 FBI JCIA-RDP73-00099A000200040010-3
2 5 SEP 1968
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chairman, CIA Records Management Board
SUBJECT : Records Purge =- Initial Report on DCI Area
The program to purge the Records Center of non-essential
paper has been activated by each of t e components of the DCI Area.
Responsible officers have been designated., Records Center schedules
have been reviewed., some visits to the Center have been made, some
materials have been destroyed or earmarked for early destruction, and
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initial plans for proceeding have been developed. Each DCI Area component
has submitted an initial status report. A tabular summary of these reports
is attached to this memorandum. (The individual reports have been provided
under separate cover to the Records Management Board as background
material.)
2. Initial Results and Comment
At this early point in the purge program, very few inactive
records (6 cu. ft.) have actually been destroyed by DCI components
and only a modest amount of material (55 cu. ft.) has been earmarked
for possible destruction. -Why is this the case? Why haven't the DCI
components already destroyed significant amounts of their_holdi.ngs?25X1A
Major factors are:
(a) Short Time: - This purge effort is only a few weeks
old. Purge planning and actions are not yet completed.
(b)
Small Files: - With two or three exceptions, DCI Area
files at the Records Center are very small and have a
correspondingly limited potential for significant com-
pression through purging or microfilming. (Indeed,
all DCI Area materials constitute only 1 1/2% of the
Records Center holdings.)
(c) Official CIA Files: - DCI Area files tend to be the
official files of CIA and are therefore high priority
candidates for retention for operational, legal,
historical, and Vital Material reasons.
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3. The Potential for Reduction
Although some saving in storage space will be realized through
purge actions on the smaller files, the main potential for reduction in
volume of DCI Area files lies in the following:
(a) CIA Cable Reference File, 1963 to present (685 cu. ft.)
(1)
(2)
(3)
Microfilm this file, saving c. 675 cu. ft.
Reduce the present 15-year retention period..
(Under present policy, this file will grow to
2000 cu. ft. before destruction schedules
will stabilize its size. )
Destroy this file, thereby limiting cable
retrieval to the 14-month depth .now
maintained at Headquarters... and
removing this file from the Vital Materials
program.
(b) National Security Council File (224 cu. ft.)
(1)
(2)
Transfer this file to another component
of the government. (This file is now stored
by CIA per 1961 agreement between
McGeorge Bundy and Allen Dulles.)
Drastically purge the contents of this
collection through a narrow interpretation
of the historical /archival obligation.
(c) Executive Registry Files (143 cu. ft.)
will conduct the purge review
of these DCI materials, under retiree contract.
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4. Next Steps in Purge
(a) Work towards decision on purge actions to be taken
on the major DCI Area files listed immediately above.
(b) Carry out the other purge actions planned by the
components of the DCI Area.
(c) Seek quick clarification, through the mechanism of
the CIA Records Management Board, on policy, legal,
and procedural questions which are expected to arise
as this purge progresses.
Major relief to the storage space problem at the Records Center
cannot derive from purging actions on the comparatively small files of the
DCI Area. Reduction in DCI Area files can, however, be effected and such
action is vigorously supported by the Executive Director-Comptroller. By
the end of this calendar year we hope to have completed most of our record
destruction actions and to have made decisions on retention policy changes,
microfilming, and file transfer actions in support of the purposes of this
records purge.
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O/DCI Representative
Records Management Board
Attachment:
As stated
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