phs of many areas should now be considered unclassified, even
they show physical installations and previously would have required
grading of Conéitential Defense Information,
3.15.2
Control of Nonclassified Information
Although the following matters are not classification problems, they
are usually referred to the Classification Office for decision.
For some unexplained reason, extremely stringent limitations are
placed on the Task Group organization and personnel relative to statements
in private communication or in noncommittal home town news stories, even
though that information has been declared to be unclassified.
Such infor-
mation is still placed under an admintstrative ruling that it shall not be
privately communicated until announced by the Joint Office of Test Informa-
tion, or authorized for individual release by that office.
*That practice is {inconsistent with the AEC policy on the use of the
f
marking Official Use Only or any equivalent administrative privacy grading. -
An exception has been made in Redwing Administrative Directive No. 19,
.
June 22, 1956, permitting the sale of unclassified photographs without prior ~
Joint Office of Test Information review. However, as a security order, the
organizations were not permitted to have printed in home town papers the
simple statement that the individuals of the organizations were taking part
in the current test operation at Eniwetok Atoll, without prior approval of
the Joint Office of Test Information.
Suspension of this normal privilege
for no security or classified reasons deprives the organization of an excellent means of improving the morale of many workers.
:
The aforementioned limitation that no unclassified information may be
privately communicated until official release by joint AEC-DOD announce-
ment appears as a generally controlling condition in the classification guide.
As a result, all unclassified information or photographs relating to the operation have been marked Official Use Only as a constant reminder to all
individuals,
*It is believed more practical and consistent with U. S. Government
policy to eliminate Joint Office of Test Information censorship of unclassified information which obviously has no administrative policy significance.
The administrative marking Official Use Only or the equivalent "Not to be
released until officially announced by Joint Office of Tést Information" could
then be used on that class of information which is considered of real administratively-private significance, such as statements bearing international
political significance, including the.announcement of the completion of a test
series.
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