CIA ARCHIVES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP76-00883R000100140064-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 1, 2002
• Sequence Number: 64
• Content Type: MF

Approved For lase 2vv;
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Director-Comptroller
1. This memorandum contains a recommendation for apSroval.;
-such recommendation is contained in paragraph lu.
2. The purge of Agency records during the past 18 months has
brought into focus the need to provide some systematic way to control
and administer record materials which are scheduled for permanent re-
tention. At the beginning of February 1970 we had about 29,000 cu. ft.
of record holdings in this category.
to destroy. The authorization is granted based on lists we submzt to
3. As you know, records of Federal Agencies are the property
of the United States Government and authorization to destroy them
must be obtained from the Congress with the recommendation of the
Archivist of the United States. In our case, the Archivist has waived
his authority to review individual documents which we request authority
him which identify general categories of record material.
continue to avoid the issue by retaining custody ourselves. In any
case we should have in the Agency an Archives Program which will meet
all, of the basic standards and criteria applied by the Archivist of
the United States in fulfilling his statutory responsibility.
will have to transfer our permanent records to the Archivist of the
{ United States, obtain separate authority to manage our own, or simply
United States. He does not exercise this authority,. however, until
records are transferred to his custody for'permanent retention. We
have not needed to seek special dispensation from this authority
because we have retained custody of our own records. Eventually we
4. The Archivist also has authority -to determine what docu-
ments must be preserved permanently as part of the Archives of the
become appendages of the National Archives. in actaitzon, aooui Liu
or twelve years ago the Agency Records Administration Officer and the
;Chief of the Records.Center on their own initiative began selecting
for an archival collection one record copy of each Agency publication.
e a small beginning in this direction with. the docu-
h
W
5
av
e
.
ments that have been' identified and segregated for eventual txansfer
T.ihrari.es which. incldeilta11y, eventually
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done as time is available, in addition to other duties at the Records
Center. This collection now totals 12,749 cu. ft.
scheduled for permanent retention. This screening continues to be
the inactive records some case files and documents which were
Later arrangements were made with a few Offices to segregate from
6. Outside this collection there are 4,258 cu. ft. of OSS
function appropriately, however, we should have a Senior and Deputy
Archivist, plus one professional Archivist to represent each Direc
j torate and the Office of the Director, and clerical personnel to
support them. In short, we should hive a.rin'imum of seven professional
Archivists and positions for three clericai.s.
9. Eventually, we should have a storage facility separate
from the Records Center to house the Agency Archives. Archives re-
quire.a higher quality of storage space than other record materials
to this important program. It it were possible to staff such a
for permanent retention continues to grow. We should have a con-
tinuing program to identify documents appropriate for the Presidential
Libraries' program. We should be planning now for the segregation of
documents for the Nixon Library rather, than wait until the next
President has been elected. Experience suggests that it requires
about three to five man-hours to review one cubic foot of records
and that the screening process results in the retention of about
two-thirds of the material screened. We already have enough material
identified for permanent retention to keep several people fully oc-
cupied for many years. We need an authoritative archival program
operating under clear policy guiidance staffed by competent professional
Archivists for as long as we continue to retain our own records.:
8.. I realize, of course, that under the current personnel
restrictions it will be extremely difficult to allocate resources
to serve the day-to-day operations of DDP/RID. Thus, we know of
16,416 cu. ft. of material scheduled for permanent retention which
must be screened and appraised in addition to the 12,749 cu. ft.
already screened and set aside as archival for a total of 29,165 cu.
ft. of materials which- must be retained permanently.
7. Screening and appraisal for the selection of archival
material should be conducted by qualified professional Archivists.
A definition of Archives and a description of an Archivist are
attached at Tab A. The longer we delay the screening process the
more difficult it will become because the volume of records scheduled
material and 10,362 cu. ft. of inactive office records scheduled
for permanent retention which require screening and appraisal to
select those documents which are truly archival. There are another
1,796 cu. ft. of OSS materials retained in the Headquarters Building
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i. r
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do, more like a library than a warehouse, with air conditioning, heat,
and humidity controls. They should have contiguous space suitable for
use by historians and scholars seeking to exploit them. Long terra
building plans for the Agency should include provision for archival
storage. Meanwhile, the collection can continue to be accoinrmxodated
in segregated space at the Records Center
To release
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the Records Center'storage space it may be reasonzble to consider in-
stalling the archival facility
but it. would not be
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reasonable to move the archives there until we are in a position to
staff it adequately.
I0. It is recommended:
(a) That you approve the establishment of an
Archives Program in the Agency and that responsibility
for that program be assigned to the Chief, Historical
Staff.
,/ (b) That the Chief, Historical Staff and the Chief,
Support Services Staff work together to develop policy
and its continuing interrelationship with the Agency
Records Administration Program.
and procedural statements to govern the Archives Program
42-(c) That the Agency reprogram its resources over
the shortest possible period of time to provide for the
.creation of a suitable staffing. complement to support
Agency include specific provisions for archival storage.
the Archives Program.
(d) That the long-term building plans for the
:Attachment
CONCURRENCE:
R. L. Bannerman
Deputy Director
.for Support
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Date
Chief, Historical Staff
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