ay The mission of SFO Declassification is to determine if and when previously- protected weapons information may be published without adversely affecting the nation's security. The original mission related only to the declassification of Restricted Data. The present assignment includes, however, declassification . action on all categories of classification and has been extended by Washington directive to include some measure of control over photography which is un- classified or over photography in which the Military may have an interest. The mission of SFO Information is also dual: To withhold classified weapons information from unauthorized persons while encouraging and facilitating the dissemination of non-classified information generally and of classified information to authorized persons to advance the national welfare and satisfy the national interest. f . Because it is the sole program concerned with putting out material, the balance between Information's two operating objectives should favor dissemination. This balance has seesawed during the past three years with progressive withdrawals of field authority on release of unclassified in- formation while requirements for dissemination were multiplying. The nature of the weapons manufacturing mission requires that all four programs be to, conducted in intimate association with the Armed Forces and, to some extent, with other Federal agencies. The four programs! functions are such that they cannot be operated as a fully-delegated field activity; they require detailed, day-to-day coordination with like program divisions in the AEC headquarters. Likewise, the functions may not be fully delegated to field offices and to contractors, requiring detailed, day~to-day coordination be- tween SFOOandits field operators. It is of interest to note that two of the programs and a major phase of a third are almost exclusively contractor operations. Classification and Declassification are repre- sented at the SFOO staff level and in the field by contractor personnel. Control and dissemination of scientific and technical information is almost exclusively a contractor operation, although some phases of the public release of such information are conducted by the SFOO Information Division and by field offices. There has been little basic change since mid-1950 in the mission functions of the four programs, Security having perhaps changed most through a searching re-evaluation and clarification of its objectives. In keeping with the rest of SFO, the requirements—the workload and scope and geography—have been expanded materially.’ The all-essential goals common to the four programs are to segregate and to protect critical information and to segregate and encourage dissemination of the non-classified information. During 1947-1950, Classification and Declassification progressed measurably toward information control goals, resulting in a considerable accomplishment in the realistic protection and dissemination of scientific and technical information. Security and . t 7 ~ being withheld or protected. =, Information lagged somewhat in 1950 with too much non--classified material and information e'. ALGO The primary achievement in SFO control of information during the past three years has perhaps been the development of understanding within all four programsof the duality of mission and an integration of attitude and effort. The result has been a sharper definition and a narrower total area requiring protection, permitting better protection. The result has also been a much broader area which did not require the costs and effort of JOR/ALD 112 a. 1/9