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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

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Approved for Release: 2020/02/07 C05114970 

EYEs oNLY-coi: 73oTzoNG 

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

WASHINGTON 20330 

30 January 1969 

MEMORANDUM FOR COLONEL BOTZONG, SAMSO 

SUBJECT: Proposed Program Security Classification Guide 

We appreciate and welcome the opportunity to comment 

on your proposed new security guide. We also appreciate 

that the lack of opportunity to converse with you about 

some of the classification decisions may make some of our 

comments somewhat inappropriate because of our distance 

from your problems. 

The chief security problem from our standpoint is the 

protection of the covert nature of the link to OSAF that 

existed in the early days. This comes up chiefly in the 

protection of old briefing charts, development plans, accounting records, and so on. You might consider a separate, 

tightly held security guide for dealing with pre-1965 

material that might fall into this category. 

We recommend that the number 417 be deleted wherever it · appears in the guide. overuse of the program number can lead 

to compromise (and number change). There appears to be no i 

good reason why the expression "the program number" cannot be 

used instead, A cover letter for the guide can identify the 

program and circumvents the problem of early obsolescence. 

A statement should be made in the general security 

instructions that this program is a controlled special access ~ 

required program. The distinction between this and other AFR 

205-23 programs should be explained. A useful negative remark 

might be "Caution: This program is not just another SAR STIC 

program. Access to any or all other SAR programs does not 

grant access to this prograrrt." Of course, the best securTty 

guidance is provided by an initial program briefing which has 

a clear explanation of w 417 is classified. (In the past, 

we found not all contr or personnel were so briefed.) 

we have very recently discovered a considerable problem 

related to the use of AFR 205-23 in implementing 417 security 

procedures, When documents are sent to this office marked 

SPECIAL ACCESS REQUIRED, PROGRAM 417 

~YES ONLY COL BOTZONG -----·------:-::=:-..~':::-1 Ei;:!*1~~~' FW:11, ;~ul~?I;~~;f !~~?n:.~~:r,:i: C'r.m:u:::i:- s 0 . ~ i;. I ~ 

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EYES ONLY COL BOTZONG 

"Special Access Required, Progr,am 417" and not marked "Eyes 

Only Major Geer," the OSAF mail room tends to open the package 

to affix distribution sheets. The reason is that the mail 

room people have STIC clearance across the board for SAR pro- ~ram■ and do not atop to ooneider whether they h&ve 417 

clearance. The "SAR" marking tends to drown out the "417" 

marking. 

An appropriate notation in the security guide reinstating 

the "Eyes Only" marking for documents going through noncleared mail rooms would appear to be in order. After all, 

sensitive material ought never be sent out in the blind but 

always to someone. 

In reference to your Section II, page 14, paragraph 1, 

et seq, we note that AFR 190-12 requires all initial informa-, 

tion releases to be reviewed and cleared by OSAF (SAFOI). 

You will wish to ensure that any such proposed releases do 

come through the Office of the Secretary for clearance and 

specifically through us. We believe that this Section would 

be strengthened by a statement that there will be, as a 

matter of policy, no releases on the program. Many of us 

feel you can talk about a program and not have it, or you can 

have a program and not talk about it. 

Now for a few specific comments: Page 17 lists the 

association of 417 and the 4000th as u, FOUO. Why is this not 

Secret or at least,Confidentiai? The fact that the 4000th has 

a C and C function is Secret, but what other function would 

they have? launch agency? - that is Confidential; user? -

that is Secret. I doubt that the State Department would be 

happy to hear about a SAC satellite in polar orbit. Of 

course, the previous guide lists this as U, FOUO, and it may 

be that this link is just too difficult to protect. The statement that there is a "using agency" (page 17) may make the 

guide itself Secret, SAR, since it connotes an operational 

system. 

Page 18 states that a complete list of prime contractors 

is unclassified (Item 5). Since Douglas makes only Thors and 

Saturns and Boeing only makes Burner II's and no other booster 

contractors are listed, that pretty well ties down the launch ~ 

vehicle. Ought this not be Confidential? The same reasoning 

holds for Item 7. I don't understand Item 8 on that same page. 

What sponsoring agency is meant? 

Item 6, page 20, might better have a phrase added as 

· follows: n (Fund citation), current fiscal year." This 

would permit the classification of previous fund cites as 

required. 

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EYES ONLY: 1e'dt \IBOTZONO 

Item 2a and b, page 27, confuse me. Could you give 

some examples of what is ·SAR and what is not in scheduling? 

I think a classification was left out on Item 15b(2), 

pa;• 31. 

Good luck in your joint-service venture. We all are 

looking forward with considerable anticipation to th~ first 

of the new block. 

c:9..)t...., 

RICHARD L. GEER 

Major, USAF 

Asst Dep Director for R&D 

Office of Space Systems 

3 

SPECIAL ACCESS REQUIRED, PROGRAM 417 

Y COL BOTZONG 

SECRET 

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