REPLIES OF WALTER JESSEL TO INTERROGATORIES CONCERNING COMPATIBILITY OF PROJECT WALNUT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02059777
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: June 24, 2021
• Case Number: F-2019-00185
• Publication Date: June 2, 1959

Approved for Release: 2021/06/23 CO2059777
2 June 1959
SUBJECT: Replies of Walter Jessel to Interrogatories Concerning Compat-
ibility of PROJECT WALNUT
1. The replies to interrogatories put to Walter Jessel on 29 May
concerning RI exchanges of documentation and information and other
relations with other counter-intelligence agencies and
activities lead inevitably to the conclusion that compatibility is not
at issue for PROJECT WALNUT.
2. RI receives
generate
pondence and messages.
reports
CIA
-6orres-
The atter Inc ude some posit ve intelligence
\This practice is not likely to change.
3. To the extent that RI will microfilm some positive intelli-
gence reports that are also microfilmed by OCR, there will be some
duplication of effort, but it will be negligible. There is very little,
if any, duplication of indexing effort, and WALNUT will permit RI to
provide its field stations with copies of its indexing product.
4. It would be difficult to say Whether or not the WALNUT system
and equipment would be applicable to other functions without
studying each case individually and the engineering specifications of each.
While WALNUT
is adequate and suitable for the
particular function for which it was designed. That function is not likely
to change much, but the s stem is flexible enough to permit changes and
additions. Other ctivities probably would need other system
and equipment cap ities.
5. Some of the questions and replies, since the discussion was
informal, were concerned with certain features of feasibility, but since
feasibility is not within the jurisdiction of CODIB, they are primarily
of personal interest. There are some serious doubts that one could raise
concerning feasibility, but one would have to be able to study the proposed
Approved for Release: 2021/06/23 CO2059777
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system at first hand to be able to judge that question with confidence.
If the compartmentation of the RI documentation activity from other
agencies is as tight as it seems to be, compatibility is not involved
in a study of PROJECT WALNUT.
DORE D. WAGMAN
Automation Development Group
Approved for Release: 2021/06/23 CO2059777