TRANSFER OF OSS RECORDS TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP12-01025R000100120005-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: November 9, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/25: CIA-RDP12-01025R000100120005-4
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9 NOV 1983
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Operations
FROM: John F. Pereira
Chief, Information Management Staff
SUBJECT: Transfer of OSS Records to the National
Archives
1. This is a request for your approval to advise the CIA
Historian, Dr. J. Kenneth MacDonald that this Directorate is
agreed to the transfer of the declassified OSS records to the
National Archives (NARS) for eventual release to the public.
2. Background: At the request of the DCI, Dr. J. Kenneth
MacDonald is preparing recommendations for the final disposi-
tion of OSS records. In that context, he met with us and asked
that we consider the transfer of those records to NARS. After
having studied his proposal, we are recommending the transfer
to NARS of the declassified portion of those OSS records which
NARS has appraised as being of historical value (see attached
schedule). These holdings consist of approximately 3,500 cubic
feet of material. A review of them, which began in 1972 and
which was completed last year, resulted in the declassification
of approximately 93% of the documents.
3. In December 1979, we transferred to NARS an initial
offering of 198 cubic feet of the declassified OSS records,
including the OSS ETO War Diaries. None of this material has
as yet been released to the public because of Agency restric-
tions. We now propose to lift those restrictions with the
condition that foreign government information must continue to
be protected, and could not be released without prior approval
of the governments involved.
4. Problem: The question whether the declassified OSS
records should be transferred to NARS without further review
was given considerable study. The ten year long declassifica-
tion of OSS records was conducted under various Executive
Orders with differing guidelines for declassification. Also,
the reviewers may not have taken into full consideration
certain politically sensitive areas that might still be damag-
ing to the national security and U.S. foreign relations. We,
therefore, concluded that we make a final check of the OSS
material not yet transferred to NARS to ensure the protection
of all such sensitive materials.
PORTION
ARE CONFIDENTIAL!../
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WARNING NOTICE
INTEL ! IGENCE SOURCES c ONFID NTIAL
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/25: CIA-RDP12-01025R000100120005-4
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/25: CIA-RDP12-01025R000100120005-4
CONFIDENTIAL
In our final check of those records we would be concerned in
particular with records relating to Great Britain, whose
activities were so closely intertwined with many OSS opera-
tions.
5. The Proposal: Our recommendation, therefore, is to ?
advise Dr. MacDonald that he may indicate in his report to the
DCI that the DO has agreed to transfer the declassified OSS
records to NARS in stages, beginning with the least sensitive
files. Prior to the transfer of any records, we would make a
final check to ensure that any sensitive material is pro-
tected. This would consist of an inspection of each box of
records to check that material bearing on foreign liaison or
other politically sensitive areas is protected. This could be
accomplished in relatively short order as it would not require
the time consuming and labor intensive process of
document-by-document inspection which caused the initial review
to take ten years.
APPROVE:
SteLsa
John F. Pereira
,Deputy Director for Operations
CONFIDENTIAL
16 MIN
Date
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/25: CIA-RDP12-01025R000100120005-4