Minutes of the Fifty-eighth Meeting of the Committee (Deputy Directors (O and S)), Held in Conference Room "G", at the Ministry of Defence, S.W.I, on Friday, 9th June, 1950, at 10.45 a.m.

SECRET The draft report was then considered paragraph by paragraph and various amendments were suggested and approved. THE COMMITTEE:- (1) Instructed the Secretary to forward their comments on the draft report as agreed in discussion to the British Joint Services Mission, Washington. Standing Operating Procedure for handling COSMIC material MR. CAREY-FOSTER said that the most suitable location for the United Kingdom Central COSMIC Registry in London appeared to be in the Ministry of Defence. Sub-registries would be required in the United Kingdom Delegations to the three European Regional Planning Groups and also in the British Joint Services Mission, Washington, covering the United Kingdom Delegations to the Standing Group and North Atlantic Ocean Regional Planning Group. In addition, sub-registries would be required in the Foreign Office, the three Service Departments, the Ministry of Supply, the Treasury, the Security Service, and the Ministry of Transport. Requirements for sub-registries in other Departments might also arise and these could be dealt with in accordance with the procedure laid down+. MR. HOSIE said that preliminary discussions had been held in the Ministry of Defence regarding the establishment of the United Kingdom Central COSMIC Registry and that Department was prepared to set up this organisation. It would probably be necessary for particular arrangements to be made regarding the relationships between the COSMIC Control Officers in the Central COSMIC Registry and those in the United Kingdom sub-registries, but this matter could no doubt properly be dealt with by the Establishment Officers of the Departments concerned. In discussion, it was generally agreed that Departments should be invited to take the necessary measures to establish COSMIC registries, appoint COSMIC Control Officers and make such other arrangements as were required to implement the COSMIC procedure. It was agreed that signed certificates should be obtained from persons entitled to have access to COSMIC documents in accordance with the procedure laid down, although such persons would also be subject to the regulations under the Official Secrets Act. United States and Commonwealth officers integrated in United Kingdom Service and Government Departments yore regarded as British officers and so should be requested to sign such certificates if their duties necessitated reference to COSMIC material. It was also agreed that it would be an advantage if the Ministry of Defence could prepare for issue to Government Departments a notice setting out the details and operation of the COSMIC procedure for the guidance of all concerned. THE COMMITTEE:- (2) Invited the Ministry of Defence to make the necessary arrangements to establish the United Kingdom Central COSMIC Registry in accordance with the COSMIC procedure, and to obtain approval for the establish- ment of such sub-registries in Government Departments as were required. (3) Invited the Departments concerned to establish COSMIC sub-registries and make such other arrangements as were necessary to implement the COSMIC procedure, and to inform the Ministry of Defence when these matters had been completed. + D.C.2/1, Appendix B and SGM-112-50. -2-