MEMO FOR RECORD FROM(Sanitized)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003000260026-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 13, 2003
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: June 9, 1948
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2003/03/28 : -CIA-RDP80RO1731 R003RO260026-7
9 June 1948
MEMO FOR RECORD
Mr. Herbert Feis, Economist.
Mr. Feis telephone stating that he has been in communication wi e
Department of the Army - talked to the Secretary, the Under-Secretary
who in turn referred him to General Bolling.
Mr. Feis is writing a hook on the internal situation of Japan prior,
to Pearl Harbor (1939-1941). He reports he has been given access to
certain Government archives on which to base his study. Certain files
which he wants to get he has been told by General Bolling have been
transferred to CIA. They are Reports of Interrogation of Jap Offirars
on Economic, Financial and Diplomatic Matters covering the period
1939-1941. He added that Army would be glad to request that these
files be made available to him. Told him I would look into the ma-ter
and call him later.
After discussing briefly with IJ he suggested that N2=. Feis
be told that Army no doubt could give us more specific information
on the particular files in question and if Army would send formal
request we could then determine what if any of these files could be
transferred to Army for the purpose in question.
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This I did. Reply was: "Oh, hells"
I explained further that our files cannot be examined by civilians,
under established policies. His remark following this was: "Do you
want those files to just sit there and rot"?
Told him that we were responsible by law for the safe-guarding of
fied information, and that he no doubts sees our position in this raga:-r.
He added that he realized our position but did not agree with it.
He went on to say that if he went to Army and they sent in a request, R?re
probably would write them back that we could not make the files av.ilao:'.e
for the purpose intended and that he would be right back where he star`,u i.
I added that this impression was not entirely correct: That some of ors
information is unclassified and it may turn out that what he wants wou_-
be in that category.
After some lenghty discussion, I finally suggested that if he so xishe.i
to write the DCI a letter explaining fully Just what he wanted, static ;
his reasons he wanted them for, and then the DCI would then be in a be,-..',e.-
position to determine whether he could legally allow Mr. Feis~todtee the
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