United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-04-30 monographic deposited born digital 55 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-446 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446 P0b002ee18039c3a8 f:d01446 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446 GAO-01-446 Contract performance Electronic mail Records management Computer software verification and validation Other Written Product A00912 This report discusses the facts surrounding key events affecting the ability of the Clinton administration's Executive Office of the President (EOP) to preserve certain electronic mail (e-mail) deemed official government records. GAO found that two malfunctions occurred in the EOP e-mail system that prevented official records from being properly recorded in the Automated Records Management System (ARMS). The first problem involved an anomaly with incoming Internet e-mail users of the "Mail2" e-mail server. The second problem surfaced while the contractor was trying the resolve the first problem. During its efforts to determine the cause of the Mail2 e-mail errors, the letter D was deleted from a key piece of software, causing the ARMS scanner to skip e-mail accounts of users with first names beginning with the letter D. The EOP initiated a costly and time-consuming project to recover e-mail records that had not been effectively managed. Several factors contributed to the cost and scope of the tape restoration project, including the contractor's performance of tape management and systems maintenance and legal scrutiny of e-mail malfunctions by external authorities. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446.pdf GAO-01-446 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-446 Other Written Product GAO-01-446; Electronic Records: Clinton Administration's Management of Executive Office of the President E-Mail System; Contract performance Electronic mail Records management Computer software verification and validation Title 36 Part 1234.24 36 CFR Part 1234.24