Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 57 Part 1.djvu/395

 PUBLIC LAWS-CH. 192-JULY 7, 1943 Disposal of records SE. 7 . If the joint committee fails to make a report during any mittee to report. regular or special session of Congress on any list or schedule sub- mitted to Congress by the Archivist not less than ten days prior to the adjournment of such session, the Archivist may empower the head of the agency who submitted the list or schedule to cause the records listed therein to be disposed of in accordance with regulations pro- mulgated as provided in section 2 of this Act. Duplications. SEC. 8. Whenever it shall appear to the Archivist that any agency has in its custody, or is accumulating, records of the same form or character as any records of the same agency previously authorized by Congress to be disposed of, he may empower the head of such agency to dispose of such records, after they have been in existence a specified period of time, in accordance with regulations promulgated as provided in section 2 of this Act and without listing or scheduling them. Records of claims, SEc. 9. Records pertaining to claims and demands by the Govern- counts. a ment of the United States or against it, or to any accounts in which the Government of the United States is concerned, either as debtor or creditor, shall not be disposed of by the head of any agency under any authorizations granted pursuant to the provisions of sections 6, 7, and 8 of this Act. until such claims, demands, and accounts have been settled and adjusted in the General Accounting Office, except upon the written approval of the Comptroller General of the United States. ,Records daigerou SEO. 10. Whenever the Archivist and the head of the agency that thas custody of them shall jointly determine that any records in the custody of any agency of the United States Government are a continuing menace to human health or life or to property, the Archivist shall cause such menace to be eliminated immediately by whatever method he may deem necessary. If any records in the custody of the Archivist are disposed of under this section, the Archivist shall report the disposal thereof to the agency from which they were transferred. Emergetny dispo 8 EO. 11. At any time during the existence of a state of war between the United States and any other nation or when hostile action by a foreign power appears imminent, the head of any agency of the United States Government may authorize the destruction of any records in his legal custody situated in any military or naval estab- lishment, ship, or other depository outside the territorial limits of continental United States (1) the retention of which would be preju- dicial to the interests of the United States or (2) which occupy space urgently needed for military purposes and are, in his opinion, without sufficient administrative, legal, research, or other value to warrant Report to Archivist. their continued preservation: Provided, That within six months after the disposal of any such records, the official who directed the disposal thereof shall submit a written report thereon to the Archivist in which he shall describe the character of such records and state when and where the disposal thereof was accomplished. ReportstoCogress. SEC. 12. The Archivist shall transmit to Congress at the beginning of each regular session reports as to the records authorized for disposal under the provisions of section 7 of this Act and as to the records disposed of under the provisions of sections 9 and 10 of this Act. crPhotphgraph m SEC. 13. Photographs or microphotographs of any records made in Admssbility in compliance with regulations promulgated as provided in section 2 of this Act shall have the same force and effect as the originals thereof would have and shall be treated as originals for the purpose of their admissibility in evidence. Duly certified or authenticated reproduc- tions of such photographs or microphotographs shall be admitted in evidence equally with the original photographs or microphotographs. 382 [57 STAT.

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