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23 Juq 1951 

J.llilitORAilDUU FOR AFSA-12 

SUBJEOT1 USCIB 13/1951 Canmanta en 

lo I concur 1n the bas1c ideas and soneral principles of the 

subject document believing that it they can be au.ccessi'Ul:cy implemented 

th~ will not on'.1¥ improve the security- ot sensitive CcmT but also 

increase tho operational usefulness of tactical ca.mrr. 

2D 'l'he 01ll3 features 1'1hich atford. grounds tor concem area 

a. Pract1col. d1fficult1ea and delqs in deciding the catego17 into which a gL von piece ot CCUCN'l material should be placed. This mq 

frequmrt.~ require minutes or hours ot deliberation. It notr often take& 

much time to decide T1hether a a:t.wn do~ shoul.d bo TCP SECRET or 

Sl!X:RE?_, for example, and \'4th three categories ot COb!llfr baaed upon 

dec:ey.ptiona or technical information related thereto (Categories A, B, 

and DJ 1 JDaD.y occuions Tiill arise t'lhon r.iald.ng the decision wUl require 

Cona1derable though1a 019 diacussi.ODo Alao, 1n C&tego17 C, OIJ4 Of the 

e:mepticns., vis.,. axaeption (a)fll mq cause loss ot time in maldng a 

decieion. Each person who t'11ll. have this re11pona1bUit7 will. tel'.d to 

npl.ay saten 11 thus making more frequent use ot the higher cl.assU'icati0na than ie reolly neces1S&17'6 

bo Practical. d1tticultieo in making up the necests8.17 number 

ot rubber etamps and chaneina them. fran time to timeo Categor.r C and. 

D designators would. have to be cha.D6ed rather trequontll'o 

la Before formall,y· proposing the new scheme to ISIB,. it eeems to m~il~~~~~~a~~~~~~~ 

t17 it out. such a test miBht disclose Jl1al\1 unforesraen d1tt1cultiea, 

or it might ahO'tf them to be non-existent;. 

44) An alte1'"1'lat1Te propoea1 is suggooted below, based upon conaide.rations ~ & rather .f'undllmeatal nature and ones which are not 

uaualll' thought ot 1n this whole matter. nie.r are as followa 

&o A fm years ago there were on]¥ two or th1"eo categories 

ot classified matter; now there aro l!IBD1' 1 among which are tho .following1 

OOPI 

l 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 05-21-2014 pursuant to E.O. 1352e 

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SUBJWT1 US~IB 13/19511 Commanta en 

(1) ImSTlUC'l']l) 

(2) CO?JFID:i!2Jl'IAL 

(3) SbDRET 

(4) TOP smm:r 

(5) TOP SlOOREr - COlffll)L 

(6) TOP SOORET - E!EjS ONI% 

(7) roP s.ooREr - ufls. Erm c;,ru 

(a) 'l'OP s:ex:mz.r - CODE WORD w * 

(9) TOP S:EX:Ul • " n Z* 

(JD) TOP smRET - " n Y* 

(11) TOP SEDRm' - tr " Z* 

(12) SOORET -II n A* 

(13) SFCRET - " " B* 

(J4) TOP SIOORE? .i. COSJ.tlO . (lS) CON.FIDEUTIAL ca NATO 

etc. etco 

AFSA-'X11:/ef 

23 Jul.3' 1951 

* 'lheae letters are substituted tor the current code word 

d.eS:i81'1&tor8o 

soon, no doubt we shall haw .. TOP SECRET - US/uK ms OllIX" I " 'l'OP 

S.uxJRE:f - ustui7cAH 01uxn ~ etco It ia not. dlf'ticult to imag.1.ne where 

this i• eoin8 to end - possibJ,y 1n the breakdown of the Tlhole achsmo 

COPI 

2 

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COPY 

SUBJECT: USOIB 13/19')1 Co.nments en 

AFSA-ror/et 

23J~1951 

b. In the eyes ot the Law ( UoSo Law., at least), there is 

J l one and onl¥ one classiticatdon: SF.CR.Ero Under the lmr a person mo 

"'(j flJ ~ with intent to injure the u.s. discloaed RliSTRIOTED matter con be 

'' --;.,~" impriaoned. for mau.Y y-ears, .just as mBl\V, in fact, as it he disclosed ~c)J ." TOP Sl!X:~T matter. 

(JJ1rf Co )'when the basic ob.1ect1ve in claaaitJinfi information 18 

considered, it ill clear that it 1a intended. pr.lmar.1]¥ to establish 

l.1m1tationa on the dissemina.tion or distribution ot that inf'omationJ 

the additional objective, that of establishing diti'erent rules and 

different levels ot eatoguards for tho pl\vsical protection and storage 

of' into:nnat1on o£ ~degrees o£ scnsitiviw is rcall,y subsid1aey 

to the pr1.mo.r,- objective, since these safeguards more]¥ go a stop further 

in insur1ne againsb a handlinB ao loose that the int'ormat.ion cou1.cl be 

obtained b7 ene.nv aaenta. I.t, therefore,, tho subject ot claasii'ication 

is looked at from this point of view, it is possible that tho problems 

of' clasa1.tication ma.v- be ereo.t.11' s1mplitied., at least in respect to the 

nvaber of different classificationso 

So &o Suppose there were but one classi!ication: n smRETn, or 

"OFFICIAL Sl!l:HE:r" 1 or "OOVERN?':Efrl' SECPi.El'" - call it 't'lhat you w.Ulo 

Suppose; further, that \'te establish \'dlat 111q be conceived ot u "radii 

of disaaminat1on11 which nill determine how maDT people l'd.ll be broU&htt 

into a civen secret or categoey ot secrets such as COMINTo We could do 

thim by r.iere]..y establishin8 specific distribution lists identitied bJ' 

mmibel"S or lGtterei or other B1JD.bolao For example, "Distribution 1" 

misht include ever.vbo<'-V' in the Deteme Eetablishment11 mil1tal7 and 

civilian1' nho should be broUBht into tho secret,, a very lo.rge radius ot 

dissemination. 8 Diatrlbuticn 2" might include 0. smnller nld>er or 

persona or o.tfices; 11Diatribution 3", a still smaller number., and ao 

on, until we reach "Diatributian x•, which might include but tw or 

throe persona. 

bo This concopt is, ot course, directl.7 related to the concept. 

which has become basic in tho matter ot dissemination ot COUIN'l intomation or material, vis • ., such information or material is imparted on:IT 

on the basis ot a "need-to-lmow". 

Co In prac:itice, all COUD~ docummts Would,, Ul'Jd.er thia acheme1 

bear the sam stamp, tor example,, "SEXlREf - BLANlt" (the latter being a 

ncod.e word material desisnator") o It. would be f'cii..J.omld by 11Diatribution 17" (for example, \Vhich mieht indicate a certain class or level 

ot CDDIDaDds)., or the distribution number michf; be indicated in t,he usual 

place on the docummt(f 

3 

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COPI 

SUBJECT: uscm 13/195,· Ocmnsnts cn 

AFSAt-Oal/et 

23 Ju'.13' 1951 

d. '!he torenoin8 concept of ditferioB radii ot dissemination 

is embodied in a recent proposal on "Dissemination ot Intellic;ence baBEICl 

on coimr.r to toreian nationa.l.s serving 1n !JATO or sim.Uar ccmnando" 

(USCIB :u,/141 of ll JuJ.y 1951) o Eztens1on of the schem13 proposed in 

tho paper rotel"Z'Cd to might not bG too di!ticul.t and the poasibUitT 

shou.1.d be axploredn 

6a It :18 realised,, ot course,, that a schane such as that proposed. 

herein would be so radical as to preclude its acceptance not oncy by 

IalB but all!IO by USCIB and the Depart.ment of Defense. But it 18 

reiterated that unl.eas acme positive ataps are soon taken in regard to 

the constan~ increard.ns n11r~er ot clusitico.t.ions the tJme 1'iJ.l soon 

CQl18 when the present schemo rr.Ul f'all of its om wiaht(I AJ.readT 

there are rumol'"S ot an impending demand for a classification h18her than 

TOP Sil:RETo 

/a/ ~v~ 111om F. Fr.1.edman 

laLLIAU F. F1UED1JAB 

AFSA-oo'l' 

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