Filing Manuals

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These manuals outline the filing classification systems used by staff in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and various departments and agencies of the federal government.

• Allied Commission (Italy)
• Army
• Coast Guard
• Department of Defense
• Department of Defense, European Command, Germany
• Department of the Interior
• Federal Works Agency
• Marine Corps
• National Archives and Records Administration
• Navy
• State Department
• War Department

Allied Commission (Italy)

The Allied Commission Archives Branch used a three-digit numerical system to classify records. Five-digit indicator numbers denote Headquarters, regional, provincial, and American Military Government (AMG) subseries, followed by three-digit subindicators that correspond to subordinate organizational levels by subject, and then serial numbers in sequential order.

• Subject File Headings for the Records of the Allied Control Commission (Italy), 1943-1947 [Descriptive Pamphlet #M1190, 535 KB, 24 pages]. “Appendix A” provides a list of indicator and subindicator numbers that can be used to identify files within the series.

Army

• Office of Chief of Engineers

  • Correspondence Classification System for the Civil Works Records used in The Office of the Chief of Engineers, November, 1941 [17.39 MB, 219 pages]

  • Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project Survey Files, New England Division, National Archives Identifier: 4426868

• Adjutant General's Office (AGO) Supplement to the Revised Department of the Army Decimal File System, 1951 [11.8 MB, 220 pages]

• The Army Functional Files System (TAFFS), 1969-1979
  1. General Provisions (AR-340-18-1)
  2. Maintenance and Disposition of Planning, Programming, Management, Historical, and Combat Development Functional Files (AR-340-18-2)
  3. Maintenance and Disposition of Finance and Fiscal Functional Files (AR-340-18-3)
  4. Maintenance and Disposition of Legal and Information Functional Files (AR-340-18-4)
  5. Maintenance and Disposition of Intelligence, Security, Military, Police, and Mapping Functional Files (AR-340-18-5)
  6. Maintenance and Disposition of General Personnel Management and Safety Functional Files (AR-340-18-6)
  7. Maintenance and Disposition of Military Personnel Functional Files (AR-340-18-7)
  8. Maintenance and Disposition of Civilian Personnel Functional Files (AR-340-18-8)
  9. Maintenance and Disposition of Medical Functional Files (AR-340-18-9)
  10. Appendix: Conversion Table (AR-340-18-10)
  11. Maintenance and Disposition of Communications Functional Files (AR-340-18-11)
  12. Maintenance and Disposition of Transportation Functional Files (AR-340-18-12)
  13. Maintenance and Disposition of Research and Development Functional Files (AR-340-18-13)
  14. Maintenance and Disposition of Logistics Functional Files (AR-340-18-14)
  15. Maintenance and Disposition of Facilities Functional Files (AR-340-18-15)
  16. Maintenance and Disposition of Civil Affairs Functional Records (AR-340-18-16)
  17. TAFFS Conversion Tables of File Numbers from the AR-345-210 to the Current AR-340-18 Series, May 1982 reprint of 1969 version

      Note: AR stands for Army Regulation in the codes in parentheses above.

• The Modern Army Recordkeeping System (MARKS), 1993
  1. Pages 1-24
  2. Pages 25-54
  3. Pages 55-84
  4. Pages 85-124
  5. Pages 125-154
  6. Pages 155-184
  7. Pages 185-224
  8. Pages 225-254
  9. Pages 255-284
  10. Pages 285-324
  11. Pages 325-339

See the Research Topics page for Army Records.

Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard produced these filing manuals as guidance on classifying files by subject. The 1936 manual uses a decimal classification scheme; the 1950 manual uses an alpha-numeric classification scheme.

• Rules for Handling Mail and Files at the Units of the U.S. Coast Guard, 1936 [4.24 MB download, 116 pages]
   
• Filing Manual, Treasury Department, U.S. Coast Guard, April 1950 [6.17 MB download, 102 pages]
   

See the Research Topics page for Coast Guard Records.

Department of Defense

• Records & Sub-Registry "Keying Manual" Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense OASD(C), February 1977 Edition

Department of Defense, European Command, Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.)

• Filing Manual for Administrative Correspondence and Related Records with Other Units, 1945-1949. (OMGUS). Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division
   
• Filing Manual for Reports, Correspondence, and Related Records 1945-1951. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Legal Division. German Courts Branch
   
• Filing Manual for Records Relating to Military Government Regulations 1945-1949. Executive Office. Control Office. Organization and Program Branch.
   
• Filing Manual for Records Relating to Industry, 1947-1949. Executive Office. Control Office. Reports and Statistics Branch
   
• Filing Manual for Correspondence and Reports 1945-1949. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division. Branch D. Resident Liaison and Security Office at Wolfstein
   
• File Manual for "Information File" Relating to the Military Government 1944-1949. Executive Office. Control Office. Organization and Program Branch
   
• Filing Manual for General Records 1945-1947. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division. Branch D. Resident Liaison and Security Office at Regen
   
• Filing Manual for General Correspondence of the Deputy Director, 1948-1949. Office of the Economic Advisor
   
• Filing Manual for General Correspondence 1946-1950. Economics Division
   
• Filing Manual for Correspondence with Various Divisions of Military Government 1945-1949. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division. Branch D. Resident Liaison and Security Office at Parsberg.
   
• File Manual for Correspondence with Other OMGUS Divisions 1945. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division. Branch D. Resident Liaison and Security Office at Grafenau.
   
• Filing Manual for Correspondence and Related Records 1946-1949. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division. Branch D. Resident Liaison and Security Office at Weiden-Neustadt
   
• Filing Manual for Correspondence and Related Records 1946-1947. Office of Military Government, Bavaria. Field Operations Division. Branch D. Resident Liaison and Security Office at Kemnath
   
• Filing Manual Alphabetical Reference Subject Files, 1947-1949. Office of the Director of Intelligence. Analysis and Research Branch.
   

Department of the Interior

• Department of Interior (RG 48) Secretary of the Interior's Central Classified Files [14 pages]

Federal Works Agency

• Subject-Numeric Classification Outline for the Classified Central Files [9 pages]

See the Research Topics page for Records Relating to the New Deal and the New Deal.

Marine Corps

• The Ells-Dran Filing System, Records of the US Marine Corps, Record Group 127 [0.27 MB download, 95 pages]
   
• Navy-Marine Corps Standard Subject Classification System, October 1959 [36.56 MB download, 60 pages]
   

See the Research Topics page for Naval and Marine Records.

National Archives and Records Administration

• Classified Files, Filing Plan of July 1944 (with May 1951 Revisions Incorporated), Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64 [0.24 MB download, 10 pages]
   

Navy

Navy Filing Manuals

• Navy Filing Manual, 1941 (4th Edition) [28.43 MB download, 611 pages]
   
• Navy Filing Manual, 1941, [113 MB, 659 pages]
   
• Navy Filing Manual, 1950 (5th Edition) [9.07 MB download, 140 pages]
   
• Bureau of Ordnance File Numbers [3.97 MB download, 86 pages]
   

Navy-Marine Corps Standard Subject Classification System

• Navy-Marine Corps Standard Subject Classification System, October 1959 [36.56 MB download, 60 pages]
   

Navy Standard Subject Identification Codes (SSICs)

• Navy Standard Subject Identification Codes (SSICs), December 1977 [67.26 MB download, 134 pages]
   
• Navy Standard Subject Identification Codes (SSICs), October 1987 [42.01 MB download, 72 pages]
   

See the Research Topics page for Naval and Marine Records.

State Department

Central File for State Department Records (Record Group 59)

• Decimal File Filing Manual: 1910-1949 [81 pages]
   
• Decimal File Filing Manual: 1955-1959 [63 pages]
   
• Decimal File Filing Manual: 1960-January 1963 [64 pages]
   
• Subject-Numeric File Filing Manual: 1963-March 1965 [394 pages]
   
• Subject-Numeric File Filing Manual: 1965-1973
   

See the Research Topics page on the State Department Central Decimal Files.

Foreign Service Post Files (Record Group 84)

U.S. Embassies, U.S. Legations, and U.S. Consulates

• Filing Manual, 1912-48 [4.54 MB download size, 100 pages]
   
• Filing Manual, 1949-63 [88.16 MB download size, 125 pages]
   
• Subject-Numeric Filing Manual, 1963-March 1965 [18.72 MB download size, 394 pages]
   
• Subject-Numeric Filing Manual 1965-1973

U.S. Information Service (USIS) Files

• USIS Alpha-Numeric Filing Manual 1955-1960
• USIS Alpha-Numeric Filing Manual 1961-1964: Conversion Table to Subject Numeric File Filling Manual 1965-1973
• Subject-Numeric Filing Manual 1965-1973
• USIS Excerpts from Subject-Numeric Records Classification Handbook 1967-1978
• USIS Excerpts from Subject-Numeric Records Classification Handbook 1979-1986

See the Research Topics page on Foreign Service Post Files.

Agency for International Development (Record Group 286)

• 1962 AID Filing Manual - Subject File Headings
• Addendum - Major AID Subject File Headings with Later Additions, 1961-1979

U.S. Information Agency (Record Group 306)

• Subject-Numeric File Filing Manual 1965-1973
• Excerpts from Subject-Numeric Records Classification Handbook 1967-1978
• Excerpts from Subject-Numeric Records Classification Handbook 1979-1986
• Excerpts from Subject-Numeric Records Classification Handbook 1986-1999

See the Research Topics page on U.S. Information Agency Files.

War Department

War Department Decimal File System

The United States War Department produced multiple editions of the War Department Decimal File System, beginning in January 1914. The department used the system to classify correspondence, decimal files, and other records.

• War Department Correspondence File: A Subjective Decimal Classification...,
  July 1917 (Reprint of January 1914 Edition)
  [13.55 MB download, 331 pages]
   
• War Department Decimal File System, 1943 (Revised Edition) [20.57 MB download, 432 pages]
   
• Additional Classifications [15 KB download, 3 pages]
   

See the Military and Wars.