ARCHIVES, HISTORY, AND RECORDS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00433A000100080013-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 26
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 19, 2001
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: January 1, 1972
• Content Type: MF

' rJat3i a5d'. 11
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MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Intelligence
Deputy Director for Plans
Deputy Director for Science and Technology
Deputy Director for Support
SUBJECT : Archives, History, and Records
1, Executive Order 11652 and the implementing National. Security Council
Directives governing the classification/de classification of nationall, security infor-
mation must be implemented by 1. June 1972. While classification is the subject
which these directives address, the overriding implications of their provisions
seem clearly to place compliance within the province of records management,
histories, and archives administration. Classification and declassification are
command responsibilities but so are records management and history. It seems
to follow that we should provide the single mechanism for the management of
these programs.
2. It is my intention, therefore, to create a new Records Management
Board with senior level representation from the Office of the Director and each
of the Directorates which will serve as the internal Agency Classification/
Declassification Review Committee in compliance with Executive Order 11652.
The first order of business for this board should be the development of a system
and structure for the integrated administration and management of the archives,
history, and -records declassification systems. Regulations developed for pub-
lication. in time to meet the 1 June deadline of the Executive Order and implementing
instructions are to be regarded as interim measures to satisfy the immediacy of
the deadline and serve to highlight: t:he importance of immediate concerted effort
to establish. orderly and meaningful. lorrg-?term programs.
3. Cons:i.derablc study and ('discussion have taken place of the Agency
1Rsto:r:ical Program and i:l.r.e Records Management and Archives Programs, This
rr:ierrror~~_rrcium outlines a basic a.pproacli to the in.t:errelatior.rsh:i.lr of these three
subjects in an effort to improve the Agency's perfoi:enance in all. the sc. CiFelds,
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4. In essence, the three subjects all record our experience to make it
available for future use as required. This use includes file searches for current
operational support, briefing and training new personnel, answering press or
congressional questions as to the Agency's role in earlier events and now must
be extended to include compliance with the Freedom of Information Act and
E.0. 11652. The problem is to design a system which will satisfactorily answer
the needs of the future in these fields with a minimum expenditure of man-hours
and funds at present. In these clays of declining personnel ceilings, we obviously
cannot dedicate large amounts of current manpower to making immediately
available detailed answers to all contingent questions.
On the other hand, some
records have direct value to future operations, and certainly our need to handle
press or congressional questions and comply with the law executive directives
warns us of the need to devote an appropriate effort in this direction.
5. In our approach to this problem in this internally compartmented Agency,
it is essential to decentralize much of the responsibility and most of the actual
effort. At the same time, this decentralization needs to be matched by a system
which will indicate the degree to which minimum standards are met by all units,
and a mechanism by which units can profit by interchange of experience and by
sharing solutions,
6. In our analysis we must clearly recognize different kinds of record
material and the different purposes we expect them to serve. Some of our records
arc important basic reference tools, e. g., Cl files, Some are analyst working
files of moderate life requirements. Some are formal publications of the Agency
distributed elsewhere in the government with source sanitization. Some are
operational records and documents, and some of these are highly sensitive and
must remain compartmented as well as classified. Some of our reviews of past
events are essentially chronicles of these events, which have value to new arrivals.
Some should be analytical reviews drawing lessons and conclusions. Our system
should reflect these differences if it is to do the job needed.
7. The following overall approach to this situation has been developed for
implementation through the iiiechanisms indicated:
a.. Records Managcmen
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(1) Effective records management is the foundation stone of
any sati.sfaet:o:my action in these fields, as well as current operations
depending upon effective records. It must: be the subject of continuing
and serious attention at a11 levels of the Agency. The Executive
Di.rector will report on it periodically to the Director and JDepu::y
Director, and it will be rev.ic~ ed scn_iiannually with the D?puti.es,
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(2) The Records Management Board will report its conclusions,
recommendations, etc. (with any dissents) directly to the Executive
Director. The present CIA Records Administration Branch, Support
Services Staff, DDS, will be transferred to the Office of the Executive
Director-Comptroller and will become a Secretariat for the CIA
Records Management Board. The CIA Records Center will remain
under the supervision of the Chief, Records Administration Branch
in the Office of the Executive Director. The Records Management
Board will make semiannual reports to the Executive Director, out--
lining the status of the Agency's Records Management Program, any
problems it is experiencing, and its recommendations for improvement
of the program (including reports on records management to be sub-
mitted by the Directorates). The Executive Director will consult with
the Deputy Directors before implementing any such recommendations.
(3) The Records Management Board will furnish a nonvoting member
to the Agency Information Processing Board, with authority to submit
agenda items and recommendations to the Information Processing Board.
He will particularly bring to the attention of the Information Processing
Board those aspects of the Agency's Records Management Program
which should be considered by the Information Processing Board, with
any recommendations for support of the Agency Records Management
Program requiring Information Processing Board action. He will
similarly make available to the Records Management Board all infor-
nia.tion coming before the Information Processing Board which might
he of value or be appropriately considered by the Agency Records
Management Board and its members.
(4) The Records Management Board will develop recommendations
as to categories of Agency records (such as the categories in paragraph 6
above, plus any others deemed appropriate) and as to specific guidelines
for the selection, retenition, and declassification of records in these
categories. These guidelines should also, where appropriate, include
time periods for retention and declassification by. category and indicate
disposition tl.iereafte:r, and include appropriate measures to comply
wi.t:h l.eg~l and executive requirements for retention and dec]assification.
In part cu1a.r, recommendations should be ni.ade as to ti:ic identification
of categories which might appropriately be retired as classified govcrn.??
rnent documents under GSA au spices or passed to the National. Archives,
.rather than hold solely Linder. CIA control. to protect intelligence sources
and methods.
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(5) The Records Management Board will serve as the forum
for recommendations for declassification., Agency contributions to
other Agency historical programs and other interagency problems
involving the Agency's records. In this process, coordination will
be made as appropriate with the General. Counsel, the Director of.
Security, etc.
b. Archives
(1) Each unit submitting an annual report (see below) will
identify its key documents and files for permanent inclusion in
Agency Archives. The Records Management Board will develop
the system or systems by which such documents will be identified
on a systematic basis during the year and indexed for later access
and declassification review as an element of the Records Management
Program. Annually, each unit will make an overall review to ensure
that the documents marked for archival retention are neither excessive
in detail, inappropriately classified nor incomplete through omissions.
A certificate to this effect will accompany the unit`s Annual Report,
and the Agency Archivist will report any problems in this process to
the Executive, Director through the Records Management Board
(2) An Agency Archivist will be appointed to supervise the
ve
Agency's Archives Program and will report directly to the Executive
Director. He will be a. member of the Agency Records Management
Board and will coordinate the execution of the Archives Program
through this Board. He will also work in close coordination witl.i the
Agency Records Management Officer and the Agency I-Ii storian,
Archivists will be appointed by the Deputy Directors in their
Directorates to supervise this program in the Directorate. These
officers will, be of senior grade, alt"nodgh they may be appointed as
Directorate Archivist in addition to other duties, T'hc--y will. be
assisted by the Directorate Records Management Ofl:_icers. The
Agency and Directorate Archivists will. supervise compliance with
overall. Agency Archives regulations to be drawn up and issued
after consultation with the Deputy Directors. A semiannual. report
to the Executive Director on the Archives Program will. b prepared
arrd coord.izrat:ed with. the Records Managen ent Board.
(3) Arrangcnnerits will. he made for the segregation of archival
clocuin.ents from those held for records purposes, in order to pe:rallt
the automatic; re,?t i.r?eruent and disposition of iiecords without loss of
kcv ~_I reidval do;cuirrc~rrt:s. Archives will l,e plr~ s~cali .. held b r the
established by the.Agcrrcy Archivist.
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C. llisto:ry
The major thrust of the Agency Historical Program will be placed
on the development of analytical histories of important Agency activities
and operations. The "Office History" approach to date, which has been
largely successful in bringing our history up to 1965, will no longer
be the major focus of the program, as the chronicling of future Agency
activity will take place under the Annual Report system outlined below.
Tints, future Agency histories will take major subjects of Agency
activity and analyze the ways in which the various elements of the
Agency worked together to produce the overall Agency contribution
to the operation in question. There will be some siuiations in which
a single element of the Agency provided all or most of the Agency
participation in any one activity. There will be occasions also when
sensitivity will require that any analytical review of an operation be
conducted in a most restricted fashion. This will apply to many
Clandestine, Service histories. Priority will be given to establishing
the basic Agency history of the more prominent operations and 25X1A
activities in which the Agency has been engaged, e. g. , Cuban Missile
Crisis, Bay of Pigs, War in Vietnam,
U??2 Operations, etc., with particular attention to lessons derived
from these experiences. These histories should also be indexed in
a fashion to permit their use to provide immediate response to public
or congressional inquiries on these prominent events to the extent
feasible. Hi.sto:rics will in the future depend upon Annual Reports
for general chronicle and upon the Archives Program for identification
of key documents. The Agency Historian will. be an ex officio member
of the Records Management Board, will report directly to the Executive
Director, and. will work in close coordination with the Agency Archivist
and the Agency Records Management Officer,
d. .Annual Reports
(1) To provide the necessary chronicle of the A oe.rncy's activities
at minimum ex.pe.ndi:ture of effort, a. system of annual reports of the
111-rit and offices of d:h.e Agency will be developed. These will. be
str:l~n:~itted to the next senior command level for review anal then held
by the originating unit, with a copy incorporated in the Agency's
Archi.ves, The annual report will. be compiled during Jainuary,
covering the previous caierular year. Tuee irlcl,nti_fication of the
c:J.enlent:s to subl.11J0: annual rcpor(a and an ou(a.z.c of t;lci.x.
focrnat Nvil.l be developed by t:he A.(gency liistori.an for the Executive
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Director, in coordination with the Deputy Directors. 'T'hese may
include, significant contractor units, when these played a significant
:role in. Agency programs o:r oiler?at:ions. These annual reports should
highlight: major accomplishments, major problems and overall con-
clusions and recommendations for future action in the unit itself or
by elements supporting, or associated with it. As required, cornpart -
ment.ed annexes can be compiled and held separately covering particularly
sensitive events*'"
(2) In many areas it will be essential to produce one--time reports
to cover the years from 1965 (o.r the most recent history) to the current
Annual Report. This will be undertaken by units identified to submit
future Annual Reports. In those situations in which an overall Agency
history to be produced will cover the period in cuestion, a separate
Annual. Report need not be developed (e. g. , the 25X1 A
War in Vietnam), as the necessary chronicle and Archives can be
developed at the same time as the analytical. history. In other cases,
however, a one-time, effort to catch up to the current annual report
system will be necessary, and this will be undertaken by the unit i:a
quesLi.on. Staff supe:r.`visioxi of this activity will be provided by the
A ency Historian and Archivist.
e. Classification and Declassification
the Records Management Board will be the focal. point for the
Agency*s implementation of the classifical.tion and doclassifr.caa.tion
procedures required by Executive Order 11652, The Board will
coordinate as required. with the General Counsel, the Director of
`,'ccur_i.t\r and other's 3.11 ca.r:ryin ; out this responsibility The CIA.
Ge:nc: -1_rzlscl. is .~ de.:~:.~, i n-n~~.ted under r.' S':rc.t:ioh1 7 of this 5 Order as s tl l ce
ra.l. Co
A` Agency to fl-l.c., Interagency Classification Review
Con111 .lace, acting undeer the supervision of the Executive D.recltor.
W. E, Colby
I xec_ ti. c; 1).r.cetor: -Comptroll.c:r
cc: In:, i1 i.or.: Gc:11o::rn1.1.
General. Con1lnd
lei rc:;i:o.t: 0.1 Cccl1?_i.11",
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10 May 1972
Mr. Cofcy:
i1 r. Colby's memorandum about the Archives s nd History programs has
some modest changes from the earner version but is not completely responsive
to some of the fundamental points raised with him in response to the earlier
version. Rather than d:vel1 on these differences it may be more productive to
look at the current paper by itself.
The overall concept of having the archive &nd-history,,records and
class ificatlon/declassliication put together organ ationally l think is fundamentally
sound; the problem is that the soundness of the basic concept is likely to be
shattered lay the discussions that are bound to be generated in reaction to some
Of the specifies.
't'he e o ds .t~clrrlinistrst?on O fiver s to ~:i it t:re Records
Mar..;-i ement Board and report directly to the Executive Director;
the DD/S is to provide general support to the 11,--cords Management
Program; the Records N ama-gement Board is to have a secretariat
reporting to the Executive Director; the "Records Center is to he
under the mmiagement o:f ti`~e Records Management Of facer.
the w.-,ley of interpreting t . a is that all of the existiz Records
Management bra ncn of the Support Services Staff would be trans-
,
forred to the Ta~ecutlve Director to provide secretariat support to
the board but th a :laves unanswered the question of. what is me.ant
by the s atement that DD/S will provide general support for the p 3 `a.2'n.
l understood you to say this morning that It was your impression
that the Records Center would be left in Vie DD/S; that the Archivist
would chair the Records M anagenaent card and that the Records
l~ ;nag x e Officer Nvould act as secretary to the board. None of
these t 6iln-s come t .-irough in Mr. Colby's rilemorandum. The memo
s ly'r hlat the, Archivist will report directly to the Executive Director;
t: alt he will be a member of the Records Management Board and
coordinate L'he archives program through 'till.' l ~ari,t. He Is to work
?~ o{~ ?T~ ?'-1 '(,~ e R e s n en}. and G~,~~S2 e s 'I'
CI V SPAY the 1...Co.r _Is ~. ~._ana- yl ~~. w. LL V1..L,a r ~..L ~. ~.. SR 4l V.4 .L' J..1.o ii. e
hi on 1 ~.gTl T also -port directly to the Executive Director w nd will
he a e officio member of the boa-,,:Y .-
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Deputy Directors are to appoint archivists of senior grade
who may fulfill these responsibilities in addtition to other duties.
They are to be assl.sted by the Directorates' Records Mk--Lnagern-ent
Ofice:rs. There is no similar prescription for Directorate ihistorians;
only the requirement that histories be prepared. Histories are to be
dependent upon annual reports for general chronicle and upon the
archives program for identification. of key documents.
Taa zny opia i.on raucla of this detail Is superfluous to the basic purpose of
cstl-blishing the concept of closely Interrelated archives, histories, and
records management. it zr~l ;lot be better to simply state the concept, outline
the basic structure,. appoint the Directorate representatives and then charge
them with the responsibility for worleng out the functional. and operational
details.
The most significant basic. chwige is this memo from the earlier edition
is the addition of the classillcation/c7ec?assiflca ern fu ou as a responsibility
of the Records Management Board.. I applaud Mr. Co.,'oy's t dopti.on of the idea
that ol~ass ioatioza/~ieolassif c xtion should be treated as a records management
problem but the validity of that notion is based on the assumption that will
be a si ni is t upgradirk of the board whose prim-na-ry function iss, not records
management and
:Mr. Colby's Memorandum would use the Records Ni agement Board as the
substitute for, or instead or, creating a z w intra Agency :las 1i' i,cation/
Declassification Review Committee as required by Executive Order 116521.
The Chairman of the Records {bard would be the Agency re-'present ative to
the Interagency Classification Review Colnl]m itte e. Validity of his of course
d-- upon wino is designated. We are told that liefen.se sand State plan to
nominate the .r General Counsel= to the inter:. ency Committee which suggests
d hat our nominee should be at an equivalent level a and is difficult to see how
anyone in that stc fir. could be e-,nected to accept the chairmanship of the
S7 to
'tv~>ords Management y~a d. 5'YF~ pro ably need separate ? eap?a; one o
represent the Agency on the Interagency Col mi'M e and another to chair
whatever group is finally d .cided upon the ~1 gez:ncy.
STATINTL P. S. You recall that is chat, i.i1~, assignments this surnaier and it
e ~i.: _ em E nt ~'s4ih .>7rg w ;t he
t be unfair to ehis to f:ti
7v ?sfact o?-tiy any a Eel
l'r"Jt1LCl ! t". expect
senior liovei res onsibi iti s contemplated In Nlr. Colby's i lemorandura.
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9 May 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Intelligence
Deputy Director for. Plans
Deputy Director for Science Technology
Deputy Director for Support
General Counsel
Inspector General
SUBJECT : Agenda for the Deputies Meeting on 10 May 1972
At our meeting on Wednesday, 10 May, at 2:30 p.m., the fol-
lowing subjects will be discussed:
a. Com r?tmentation Systems. The Director of Security
will brief on this subject.
b. Archives, Histor,y-, and Records. See my revised draft,
attached.
c. Classification and Declassification. Please refer to the
following xnemora.nda:___4
OGC Memorandum of 21 April 1972, "CIA Implemeuta--
tion of New Executive Order Which Protects National
Security Information"
OGC Memorandum of 25 April 1972, "Draft NSC Direc-
tive Implementing E. O. 11652"
DD/S Memorandum of 5 May 1972, ' Implexi-lentation of
Executive Order 11652"
Executive Di~:e:cto:E. Comp roller
cc' Director of Security
:r)/ _) CI/IC
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General discusssion25X1A
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9 May 1978
\t EUv!ORA.NDUM F'OR: Deputy Director for Intelligence
Deputy Director for Plans
Deputy Director for Science & Technology
Deputy Director for Support '
: Archives, History, and Records
SUBJECT
1. Considerable study and discussion have taken place of the
Agency Historical Program and the Records Management and
Archives Prograrns. This memorandum will outline a basic approach
to the interrelationship of these three subjects in an effort to improve
the Agency's performance in all these fields.
2. In essence', the three subjects all record our experience to
Ilia k.e it available for future use as required. This use includes file
searches for current operational support, briefing and training new
personnel, answering press or Congressiona.1 questions as to the
Agency's role in earlier events, etc. The problem is to design a
system which will. satisfactorily answer the needs of the future in
these fields with a minirm'ium.expenditure of man hours and funds at
present. In these days of declining personnel. ceilings,. we obviously
of ca iriot dedicate large amounts of current manpower to making irn.medi--
a:tely available detailed answers to all contingent q estions. On the
other hand, some records have direct value to future operations, and
certainly our need to handle press or Congressional questions warns us
of the need to devote an appropriate effort in this direct ion.
v~Q 3. Iri. our app:r.'o:]cl1 to this p:col~!Iern. in t is internally eoze31)ar
merited Agency, it is essential to de cef?.t:rali.ze much of the responsi.-
'bili.ty and most of the actual effort. At the same tin-le, this decentra,li-
._.=?tio'i I1t.:eds I,-() be by a which will. 1:iS.dic to
;[1L CiC:`' C:e l ~;Jll""ich m i't~1.171iJ ] n rd::, a.., t by