CIA'S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REQUIREMENTS OF E.O. 12065 AND ITS PREDECESSOR E.O. 11652

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
5
Document Creation Date: 
December 12, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 18, 2001
Sequence Number: 
5
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
February 5, 1980
Content Type: 
MF
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4.pdf261.06 KB
Body: 
Approved For Relq a 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236ROW00130005-4 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WASHINGTON. D.C. 20505 ISS Registry 2O -o9z 5 February 1980 MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. Douglas Cannon Deputy Team Leader Logistics & Communications Division, GAO STATINTL FROM: STATINTL e , Information Services Staff Directorate of Administration SUBJECT: CIA's Implementation of the Systematic Review Require- ments of E.O. 12065 and its Predecessor E.O. 11652 - REFERENCE: Telephone Conversations of 4 and 7 January 1980. between Mr. Cannon and Concerning Specific GAO Questions 1. Your questions and answers thereto are set forth below in logical sequence: Q. Status of Records Schedules - total holdings with percent permanent and temporary. A. The Agency has Records Control Schedules approved by the National Archives and Records Service identifying permanent and temporary records. However, a precise percentage breakdown of permanent and temporary records depends upon: (1) completion of our records review which under ISOO Directive No. 1 isn't due until December 1, 1980; and (2) updating of our records control schedules. At this point the estimated Agency total records holdings, both permanent and temporary, is 274,997 cubic feet of records. 224,199 cubic feet are considered temporary -- an estimated 50,798 cubic feet are permanent as follows: TOTAL (cu. ft.) PERMANENT (cu. ft.) 24,497 24,497 68,517 HEADQUARTERS 181,983 Constituting: DCI 5,237 estimative factor of DDA 48,935 X 5% - 2,708 DDO 32 416 DDS&T , 40,441 estimative factor of 15,489 NFAC 54,954 X 10% - 12,781 Approved For Release 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005 V- ESTIMATED TOTAL PERMANENT RECORDS 50,798 Approved For Rel a 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R0QU00130005-4 Estimate of percent of CIA records which must be reviewed document by document as opposed to bulk declassification. A. Generally all CIA permanent records must be reviewed document by document to avoid the inadvertent declassification of national security information meeting the classification criteria of E.O. 12065. Certain unique files, such as chrono files of an office, which are largely classified and in which file integrity is essen- tial, may be reviewed on a folder basis. Under this procedure, the file is reviewed as a single document. Classification of the file is maintained with each document stamped for individual review if it is requested under the FOIA or Mandatory review provisions of E.O. 12065. Number of pages reviewed to date and percent declassified - OSS vs. CIG/CIA. . A. CIA has reviewed 862 cubic feet or 1,724,000 pages of OSS permanent records for accessioning to NARS, of which a first increment of 200 cubic feet has been accessioned. Over 90% of OSS material reviewed thus far has been declassified. CIA has systematically reviewed 1,166,384 pages of CIG/CIA information 20 years of age or older of which 58,161 pages or 4.98% has been declassified.. Declassification of later information varies according to category. For example, of 855 documents constituting 9,786 pages of older (1947-1950) finished intelligence reports reviewed, 7,133 pages or 72.9% were declassi- fied. On the other hand no permanent information on certain sensi- tive operations can be declassified. Q. The estimated number of pages of permanent records to be reviewed by 1988. Rate of review with current and projected resources. Shortfall if any. A. Of the estimated 50,798 cubic feet of permanent records, some 25% are "guesstimated" as 20 years of age or older. An additional 25% are estimated as becoming 20 years of age or olderby 1988. The estimated workload to be accomplished by 1 December 1988 is there- fore half of the permanent records or 25,399 cubic; feet. At 2,000 pages per cubic foot, the estimated number of pages to be reviewed by.1988 is 50,798,000. In FY 79, excluding OSS documents, 20 CIA review officers systematically reviewed over a period of 250 work days, nearly 700,000 pages of material. An additional 11 personnel were involved as intelligence assistants, data inputers, secretaries, and managers. The rate of review was 140 pages per day per reviewer. Estimated number of pages reviewed per year at the: FY 79 rate are: FY 80 - 1,050,000; FY 81-84 - 1,225,000; and FY 85-88 - 1,330,000; or a total of 11,270,000 pages. This number amounts to 22% of the estimated workload to be completed during the period FY 80 through 1988 leaving a shortfall of 78%. -7- Approved For Release 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4 Approved For Rel%#e 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R0QW00130005-4 Q. The number of CIA personnel working on systematic review for declas- sification and the yearly cost beginning with FY 73 to FY 80 with projections'for FY 81 - FY 88. A. CIA personnel allocated to systematic review and costs incurred are set forth below beginning with FY 73 and continuing through FY 88. It should be noted that CIA's review program began modestly in FY 73 with 3 part-time independent contractors to review OSS documents. This part of the systematic review program subsequently increased to 15 part-time independent contractors at an annual cost of $160,000. This allocation rate of personnel and funds for OSS documents is projected through FY 83 when hopefully all OSS documents will have been systematically reviewed. In FY 77 and FY 78 components began to detail personnel for the systematic review program pending the authorization of required new positions. In FY 79, 39 new positions were authorized for the systematic review program with an additional 5 positions projected for FY 81. Approval was also secured to hire retired annuitants as part-time contract employees equivalent to 8 AE. A 5% inflation factor is included in cost projections beginning in FY 82. FISCAL YEAR NO. OF PERSONNEL COSTS 1973 3 $ 31,500 1974 7 65,000 1975 10 94,484 1976 15 143,650 1977 25 421,820 1978 30 547,022 1979 46 1,038,277 1980 57 1,647,000 1981 62 1,728,000 1982 62 1,806,400 1983 62 1,896,720 1984 47 1,823,556 1985 50 2,019,600 1986 50 2,120,580 1987 50 2,226,609 1988 50 2,337,939 TOTAL $19,948,157 Q. If CIA were relieved of the systematic review requirement and con- tinued mandatory review only, what would be the saving. -3- Approved For Release 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4 Approved For Release 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4 it~ NW A. Excluding OSS permanent records for which we believe systematic review should be completed at modest cost by the end of FY 83, it will cost beginning in FY 80 an estimated $17,606,404 to accomplish 22% of CIA's estimated workload to be completed by 1988. The savings would be tremendous if CIA were relieved of the systematic review requirement and serviced only mandatory review requests. In 1978 CIA spent $260,000 servicing mandatory review requests and a comparable amount in 1979. If $260,000 for mandatory review requests is projected for the years FY 80 - FY 88 the cost is $2,340,000. This amount compares to an estimated $17,606,404 for systematic review for the same period to accomplish only 22% of the task. Estimated savings would be $15,266,404. It should also be recognized that overall most intelligence permanent records cannot be declassified for reasons of national security. Relief from the systematic review requirement of E.O. 12065 would not only enable funds and personnel to be directed against high priority intelli- gence objectives, but would also lessen the possibility of error in releasing sensitive information which could result in. serious damage to national security. The latter possibility increases an a worsening international environment when release of older information about a country whose government has changed could adversely affect U.S. relation9 with the new government. Finally, it could be noted that if personnel were allocated to complete by 1988 the estimated work- load of permanent records, the cost would be in the neighborhood of $80,000,000. 2. Guidelines as listed below governing the systematic review program are attached: a. Guidelines for Classification Review of CIA Predecessor. Records and Information Between 1941-1946; b. Review of Foreign Government Information (OSS Documents); c. Guidelines for the Review of Records for the Period From the End of OSS to the Beginning of CIA 1 October 1945 - 20 September 1947; d. CIA Systematic Review Guidelines; e. Guidelines for. Systematic Review of Foreign Government Information Thirty Years Old or Older; f. Special Procedures for Use in Systematic Review of Cryptologic Information Pursuant to Section 3-403 of Executive Order 12065; and g. Categories of Information for Which the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) Has Granted Waivers of the 10-ydar Review Requirement of Section 3-401 of Executive Order 12065. -4- Approved For Release 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4 Approved For Rellmde 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236ROQW00130005-4 3. It is requested that information provided by CIA and included in proposed GAO reports be checked with CIA from the standpoints of classification and use prior to publication. STATINTL Attachments: a/s Distribution: Original Addressee watts I ISS Subject Watts I ISS Chrono w/o acts I CRD Watts STATINTL Ret d: ISS/DDA:ydc Feb (Feb 90) -5- Approved For Release 2002/01/24: CIA-RDP85B00236R000200130005-4