Army Regulation 380-5 - Establishment of TOP SECRET Classification Category

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04007A000900230007-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: February 11, 1971
• Content Type: MFR

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1%W N"EW
11 February 1971
MRMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Army Regulation 380-5 -
Establishment of TOP SECRET Classification
Category
Examination was made on 10 February 1971 of the Army
record of its ARj380-5, at the Army Library, Room I A 518,
The Pentagon. In its Military Documents Section, Chief Chas.
N. MACKLIN, there are loose-leaf bound files on all Army
regulatory issuances, with copies of each publication and
changes in them.
It was noted that the first listing of the classification
category TOP SECRET was the AR-380-5 of 15 March 1944.
Previous to that date the highest classification category was
SECRET.
Army Regulations No. 380-5 on "Safeguarding Mili-
tary Information," issued by the War Department on 18 June
'1941, contains the following relevant provisions:
Section I GENERAL
1. Definitions
c. Classified military information. _.
Classified military information includes all inform-
ation concerning documents, cryptographic devices,
development projects, and material classified as
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SUBS: Army Regulation 380-5 - Establishment of TOP SECRET Clas-
sification Category
secret1 confidential, or restricted, as well as the
items themselves. All other military information,
documents, development projects, and material
are regarded as unclassified.
m. Registered document. - A registered
document is a secret or confidential document
or cryptographic device which is assigned a
register number for use in accounting to the office
of record at periodic intervals.
2. Responsibility.
a. The safeguarding of classified military
information is the responsibility of all military
personnel, or civilian employees of the War De-
partment, and of the management and employees
of all commercial firms engaged in classified
work or projects for the War Department. Clas-
sified military information will be discussed only
with military or civilian personnel having a legi-
timate interest therein.
4. Dissemination of classified military in-
formation.
a. When classified military information
is disseminated under the provisions of these
regulations to persons not subject to military law,
they will be informed that it affects the national
defense of the United States within the meaning
of the Espionage Act and that its transmission to
an unauthorized person is prohibited.
8. Secret matter.
a. When classified secret. Documents,
cryptographic devices, development projects, or
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SUBS: Army Regulation 380-5 r Establishment of TOP SECRET Clas-
sification Category
articles of material will be classified and,
practicable, marked secret when disclosure of
the information or features contained therein
might endanger national security, cause serious
injury to the interest or prestige of the nation
or any governmental activity, or would be of
great advantage to a foreign nation.
b. Examples of items classified as secret.
) War plans.
(2) Documents relating to the design
and development of new material and containing
information of the type described in a. above.
(3) Codes, ciphers, and cryptographic
devices used to transmit secret information.
(4) Certain military maps and photomaps.
(a) . . . . . . . .
(b) ........
(5) Information concerning items of
material and methods of assembly classified
as secret by a chief of arm or service.
(6) Photographs . . . . of any secret .
c. Authority to classify as secret. - Matters
may be classified as secret only by or by authority
of the Secretary of War, the Under Secretary of War;
an Assistant Secretary of War; the Chief of Staff, or
an Assistant Chief of Staff of the War Department
General Staff; a Chief of arm, service, or the National
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SUBJ: Army Regulation 380-5 ? Establishment of TOP SECRET Clas -
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Guard Bureau; a general officer; the commanding
officer of a depot, post, camp, or station; the
commandant of a general or special service
school; or a military attache.
d. Dissemination of secret matter. . .
held to an absolute minimum . . . exclusively
for the official use of the person . . . . who will
be responsible for its sale custody and security . . . .
9. Confidential matter.
a. When classified as . . . . . when dis-
closure . . . . although not endangering the
national security, might be prejudicial to the in-
terest or prestige of the United States, a govern-
mental activity, or an individual, or be of ad-
vantage to a foreign nation.
b. Examples.
(1) Regulations governing joint action
of the Army and the Navy.
(2) Documents relating to the design
and development . . . . containing information of
the type . . . . in a. above.
Codes . . . . used to transmit
confidential . . . .
(4) Certain military map
(5) Technical.
. . . a. above
(6) Photographs . . . .
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SUBJ: Army Regulation 380-5 - Establishment of TOP SECRET Clas-
sification Category
(7) Certain reports, orders, or in-
structions pertaining to individuals, such as those
relating to investigations, special assignments,
and other.
(8) . . . . mobilization . . . ..
(9) . . . . strength of garrisons in
overseas departments . . . . .
c. Authority . . . . by any commis
signed officer.
10. Restricted matter . . . . when . . . for
official use only, or . . . . administrative privacy
or denied the general public . . . . by any com-
missioned officer . . . . .
20. Storage of classified documents.
Storage of classified documents not
registered.
Secret and confidential documen
other than registered documents, will be stored in
the most secure files available in a room that is
kept locked when not in use.
Restricted documents will be stored
and handled in such a manner as to insure a rea-
sonable degree of security.
b. Storage of registered documents.
(1) . . . . in the most secure space
available, preferably the equivalent of a three-
combination safe.
Only commissioned officers, war-
Approved For Rel I%fA ?0ffl-IR8 I l 9l~ ~en
and civilian employees will be permitted to ve
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access to the containers of registered documents
or the combinations or keys thereto.
(3) Safes . . . . kept locked . .
whenever . . . not under the direct supervision
of a person officially entrusted with the combina-
tion.....
22. Destruction - . . . . burned . . . .
The next issuance of a new AR-380-5 after the foregoing
one of 18 June 1941, was on 28 September 1942. In this 1942
version the classification categories remained. SECRET, CON-
FIDENTIAL, and RESTRICTED.
The first appearance of the category of TOP SECRET
was in AR-380.:5 of 15 March 1944. Relevant provisions of
this are as follows:
Section I - GENERAL
3. Categories. - Official matter requiring
classification shall be examined and graded under
one of the following categories: -
a. TOP SECRET (signal abbreviation,
TOPSEC)
b. SECRET
c. CONFIDENTIAL
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SUBJ: Army Regulation 380.5 Establishment of TOP SECRET Clas-
sification, Category
d. RESTRICTED
4. Top Secret Matter.
a. When classified top secret. - Certain
secret documents, information, and material, the
security aspect of which is paramount and whose
unauthorized disclosure would cause exceptionally
grave damage to the nation shall be classified
TOP SECRET.
b. The following are examples of matter
which normally will be graded TOP SECRET:
(1) Plans or particulars of future
major or special operations.
(2) Particulars of important disposi-
tions or impending moves of our forces or con-
voys in connection with (1) above.
(3) Very important political docu-
ments dealing with such matters as negotiations
for alliance and the like.
(4) Information of the methods used
or success obtained by our Intelligence Services
and Counterintelligence Service or which would
imperil agents.
(5) Critical information of new and
important munitions of war, including approved
scientific and technical development.
(6) Important particulars of cryp-
tography and cryptoanalyss.
5. Se cret matter. a. . .. . . . would
endanger national security . . . . . . .
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SUBJ: Army Regulation 380-5 - Establishment of TOP SECRET Clas-
ification Category
The next issuance of a new AR 380-5 after 15 March 1944,
was that of March 1946, a copy of which we have in our files.
25X1A9a
OS/Historical Staff
OS/HS/LFMc1:ak
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