--111 ........ ~p...,_....5=--Q.~~~M~H ;,i..lJ ,t-;,. '/, ·,-y 

MEMORANDUM FOR MR. W. F. FRIED?l.AN 

· SUBJECT: Security Classification of Items in Dispute Between GCRQ and NSA 

Message P 091446z March 1954 from GCHQ to SLO, Washington, (Incl. 1) 

contains two main points: 

l. What is the appropriate security classification of "Current Cryptanalytic Techniques" (NSA-72-1678)? Special attention is drawn to paragraph 6.54 of this document. 

2. What will be the appropriate security classification of' ~~' s 

"Military Cryptanalysis?" Special· attention is drawn to Parts V and VI 

of this document and to Note 1 B to Appendix B of the U-.troSA Agreement. 

ll.ir. L. D. Callima.hoe has presented his very realistic views on both 

these questions (Incl.2). 

USCIB 14.1/10 made the UKUSA Agreement, including Appendix B, effective 

as a basic policy document on 1 December 1953· A copy of Appendix B is 

attached (Incl. 3). 

It is the stated intent of the signatories of the UKUSA Agreement 

that all under the authority of USCIB or LSIB shall observe the standards 

set forth therein as a mininrum (Para. 1, Appendix B). 

If either of the subject documents contains any data concerning cryptographic systems resulting from the interception and study of foreign 

conmrunications, these da.ta and hence the documents themselves must be at 

least category I COMINT and classified at least CONFIDE..lli'I'IAL, unless 

such material has previously been promulgated at a l011er classification. 

(See App~ndix B: Para.. 3 for definition of COMINT, Mote lb for def'inition 

of technical material, and Para. lOa.) 

The UKUSA Agreement does not provide for unilateral extensions or 

projections, no matter how logical or realistic, of any definitions or 

classifications. 

Paragraph 11 of Appendix B states that 11USCIB and LSIB shall have 

pre:pared and :r.:ia.intained in current status mutually agreed lists to indicate 

COMINT placed in the several Categories and in such Sub-categories as may 

be established11 • Such lists are now being prepared by this Agency for 

submission to USCIB and LSIB. Until such time as the detailed· a.nd mutually 

agreeable lists are available, the existing provisions of Appendi~ B are the 

only mininrol?l standa~ds against which any single item under consideration 

must be weighed. 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 05-05-2014 pursuantto E.O. 1352a 

.. 'T()P SECRETFROTR I .. ,,. 
\PQP SBSHB'ii? FHO':ffi A u. B. ~B emLY 

In the light of the foregoing, the following are the facts bearing 

on this proble~: 

(1) Security of COMINT is the prime consideration. 

(2) There are items in the subject documents which can be considered COMINT and therefore must be at least CONFIDENTIAL. 

(3) GCHQ feels that, for certain iteinS, a classification of 

TOP SECRET CODE\lORD is warranted. 

(4) A realistic ~'"SA view is that the British are over-classifying 

certain items. 

(5) Both GCHQ and NSA are parties to the UKUSA Agreement "iThich 

prescribes minimum standards for the classifications of COMINT, and are 

therefore subject to the sa...ine-Ilinimum standard • 

• (6) Tl.1ere are no nutually agreed detailed lists of Categories 

and Sub-categories available to either party. 

If these are the facts, then the following is a possible solution: 

(1) In deference to security and to the strict bi-lateral nature 

of the UKUSA Agreement, the desires of the' party advocating the higher 

classification should be satisfied until the subject items are mutually 

agreed to by the prescribed processes and are included on the detailed 

lists. 

(2) Since neither doc'Ulllent'under conpideration is purported to be 

a final publication, they both should be carefully reviewed, with the responsible NSA personnel taking an active part in the drafting of .the proposed lists 

in the light of specific items contained in the documents anciwithin the provisions of the UKUSA Agreement. ' 

(3) The British should be notified that NSA, in de~erence to 

security and the bilateral nature of the UKUSA Agreement, vill c:oncede to 

their desires on these two documents, subject to the adoption of th~ 

mutually agreed lists as directed by the UKUSA Agreem.E;nt. 

Inclosures - 3 

1. Message P 09144Qz Mar 54 

2. Mr. Callimahos 1 views 

] • Copy of Appendix B 

I. T. McDONALD 

TOP SEeRETFROTH