Arlington National Cemetery officials knew more than five years ago that many burials did not match Arlington's maps and paper records, according to documents released Tuesday by a Senate subcommittee investigating millions of dollars in botched contracts overseen by the Army.

The Senate documents reveal that a contractor hired to test the accuracy of Arlington records told cemetery officials about the errors in 2005, but they were not corrected. The Senate investigators also found that Arlington officials spent millions more than the Army has previously acknowledged in the failed effort to digitize its records and did not tell Office of Management and Budget officials about a report that recommended it use an existing, cheaper system rather than attempt to build its own.

The documents paint a picture of Arlington officials who selectively shared information with superiors about problems at the cemetery. The documents also conclude that Army officials up the chain of command did not exercise "even the most basic oversight" when continued spending on the same blunders raised obvious questions....