Circular No. 67-TTg Regarding the Measures and Organization for Safeguarding State Secrets to Implement Decree No. 69/CP dated June 14, 1962 of the Council of Ministers

CIRCULAR

DECISION NO. 67/TTG DATED JUNE 20, 1962 OF THE PRIME MINISTER
REGULATING MEASURES AND ORGANIZATION FOR MAINTAINING STATE SECRECY
TO IMPLEMENT DECREE NO. 69/CP DATED JUNE 14, 1962
NO. 25-CP JANUARY 21, 1981 OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

The maintenance of state secrecy was regulated by Decree No. 69-SL dated December 10, 1951. Decision No. 136-TTg dated December 10, 1951 defined the scope of state secrecy and the scale of organization for maintaining state secrecy. In implementing the above decrees, the maintenance of state secrecy in agencies, enterprises, and military units has initially been given due attention, with some agencies and units having relatively strict regulations and internal rules on maintaining secrecy; however, generally, there are still many loopholes and shortcomings in maintaining state secrecy, incidents of losing confidential documents frequently occur, and in some cases, the loss of confidential documents is so serious that even the relevant agencies are unaware of it.

To address the situation mentioned above, the Council of Ministers issued Decree No. 69/CP dated June 14, 1962 to specifically define issues within the scope of state secrecy and to specify responsibilities in maintaining state secrecy. This circular specifically regulates measures and organization for implementing the above decree as follows:

1- Based on the provisions regarding the scope of state secrecy in Decree No. 69/CP dated June 14, 1962 of the Council of Ministers, each agency and unit under various sectors and levels within their respective areas of responsibility must specifically define and record in a list those matters falling within the scope of business secrecy. The list of matters within the scope of state secrecy shall be approved by the Council of Ministers; the list of matters within the scope of business secrecy shall be approved by the Minister or head of an equivalent ministry or agency directly under the Council of Ministers. These lists must be communicated to all relevant ministries and staff members concerned to know and maintain secrecy.

2- Official letters, documents, books, and newspapers containing secret information, depending on their level of importance, need to be classified into three categories: "Top Secret," "Secret," and "Confidential."

- The "Top Secret" category is only known to responsible individuals.

- The "Secret" category is disseminated only to those individuals and units with the responsibility to know.

- The "Confidential" category is disseminated to those individuals and units related to work operations.

Individuals responsible for signing official letters, documents belonging to the three categories above, or those responsible for deciding to issue secret documents, must determine the level of secrecy of the letter or document and specify the scope and form of dissemination before typing or printing. For secret documents that need to be returned after use, the return deadline must be clearly marked on the first page of the document for the recipient to know and return on time.

3- Any person who knows secrets or holds secret documents must strictly adhere to the following:

- Only disseminate secret matters within the scope of those responsible for knowing. Absolutely do not disclose to others without permission from the head of the agency or unit.

- Do not take secret documents home; only bring internal publications and journals home, but after use, they must be placed in a cabinet and securely locked, or kept in a secure place.

- When traveling for work, staff members must not carry unrelated secret documents. If it is necessary to carry "Top Secret" or "Secret" documents, approval from the head of the agency or unit is required, and registration with the "Security" group as stipulated in Article 9 below is mandatory. When traveling with secret documents, staff members must obtain an introduction letter from their agency or unit to arrange accommodation and lodging at police stations or village police stations when temporary stays are necessary along the way. (Police stations and village police have the responsibility to properly arrange accommodation and lodging for these staff members).

- Do not entrust secret documents to individuals without the responsibility to keep them, and do not leave documents unattended in any place without careful supervision by a responsible individual.

- Do not write down secret matters on loose paper or notebooks that have not been registered and numbered by the relevant agency. (Notebooks containing secret matters are considered secret documents and must be stored and kept like other secret documents).

- Properly organize and store secret documents systematically and orderly for easy retrieval and identification in case of loss.

- Store secret documents in secure metal or wooden cabinets with good locks.

- Do not discuss "Top Secret" and "Secret" matters over the telephone if confidentiality cannot be guaranteed; do not send clear telegrams containing secret information.

- Do not discuss secret matters in the presence of individuals who do not have the responsibility to know.

4- The receipt and transfer of secret documents must comply with the following regulations:

- Envelopes containing "Top Secret" and "Secret" documents must be made of waterproof paper that cannot be seen through, sealed with strong glue, and clearly marked with the name and position of the recipient outside the envelope, and affixed with tape and stamped on the tape.

- The transportation of "Secret" and "Top Secret" documents must be conducted via a dedicated communication line to be specified later.

- When sending secret documents, an accompanying transfer slip must be sent; the transfer book and transfer slip must clearly indicate the number and date of the document; the recipient must sign their name; the person opening the envelope and viewing the document must sign the transfer slip and return it to the sender for verification of the transfer and timely investigation of lost documents.

5- Confidential documents and materials may only be typed and printed at designated typing and printing units within the agency or organization; it is absolutely forbidden to hire external personnel for typing. In cases where it is truly necessary to print elsewhere, permission from the head of the agency or organization at the provincial level or equivalent must be obtained, and a plan must be established to ensure the confidentiality of the documents to be printed. Typing and printing must be done according to the specified number of copies; the typed copy must clearly indicate the number of copies and the name of the typist; upon completion, all printed and typed copies, as well as drafts, must be handed over to the person who assigned them. Wax paper, printing plates for secret documents, and carbon papers used for typing "Top Secret" and "Confidential" documents must be immediately destroyed in front of the recipient of the printed or typed copies.

6- It is not permitted to arbitrarily destroy confidential documents and materials. For temporary confidential documents and materials that have become ineffective, they may be destroyed with permission from the head of the agency or organization at the provincial level or equivalent, and such destruction must be witnessed by at least two people (including a staff member responsible for archival work), and signatures must be recorded in the destruction logbook for confidential documents and materials.

7- State agencies, enterprises, and people's organizations engaged in transactions with foreigners or foreign organizations must establish transaction procedures for responsible staff in accordance with the principle of unified management of state foreign affairs and the provisions set forth below:

a) Those without responsibility shall not be allowed to engage in transactions.

b) Transactions must be conducted strictly in accordance with established procedures.

During transactions, information, documents, or discussions on matters must be limited to the scope delegated by the head of the agency or organization; if the party being transacted with raises important issues without the approval of the head of the agency or organization, opinions shall not be expressed.

c) The exchange of information and documents classified as state secrets must be approved by the Minister, the head of a ministry-level agency, or an agency under the Council of Ministers.

8- Staff, employees, and soldiers involved in "security" work or secret work, or those related to secret documents, must undergo background checks before recruitment or assignment; these individuals must have good backgrounds, good moral character, neat and discreet conduct; changes to personnel in secret work should be avoided. The selection of personnel for such work in state agencies and enterprises must be agreed upon by the responsible public security agency; in agencies and units under the People's Army, agreement from the military protection agency is required.

9- Except for special agencies with dedicated "security" systems, in general, each agency or organization, depending on the degree of involvement in secret matters, the head of the agency or organization has the responsibility to organize a "security" team or designate a staff member to oversee "security" to assist in establishing confidentiality regulations and internal rules for each department, and to supervise and inspect their implementation. Staff members in the "security" team or the "security" supervisor mentioned above are part-time staff like security guards, clerical workers, archivists...

10- In each agency or organization, the inspection of confidentiality work must be made a regular system; when secret documents are lost, immediate reports must be made to the direct superior agency head, and simultaneously reported to the responsible public security agency for timely investigation.

11- Ministries, central sectors, administrative committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, and leadership bodies of people's organizations have the responsibility to guide, urge, and inspect the implementation of state confidentiality systems in agencies and organizations under their jurisdiction and in their respective regions.

12- Public security agencies at all levels have the responsibility to assist in guiding the establishment of confidentiality systems, internal rules, and organizational structures for state confidentiality in agencies and organizations under various sectors and equivalent levels, and to inspect the implementation of state confidentiality in these agencies and organizations.

13- Pending the establishment of a system to transfer "Top Secret" and "Confidential" documents as stipulated in Article 4 above, the General Post Office Administration is responsible for improving the special postal lines for transferring confidential documents between agencies and from one locality to another, ensuring that documents are not lost and secrets are not disclosed.

14- The Minister of the Prime Minister's Office is responsible for establishing general regulations regarding file management, storage, and preservation of documents in state agencies.

PHAM VAN DONG

(Signed)