INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION COLLECTION PROGRAM AND THE
COORDINATION OF REQUIREMENTS
- 1.
-
The Foreign Service of the United
States: Instructions to the Foreign Service for
collection are in the last analysis the responsibility of
the Assistant Secretaries of the respective bureaus in the
Department of State. Except for agricultural reporting which
is now administered by law directly6 by the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of State must
provide reporting of interest to the U.S. Government with
its many non-intelligence interests as well as to the IAC Community. It must also be
recalled that this same Foreign Service has other major
responsibilities, namely, representation to foreign
governments and protection of U.S. interests abroad. The
desk officers in each political bureau depend to a
considerable extent upon the intelligence organization of
the Department of State for the preparation and coordination
of requirements for intelligence reporting.
Increased attention to the collection of information abroad
for the use of intelligence is reflected in the new chapter
(900) of the Foreign Service Manual which deals with this
subject. In the economic field the “R” Area in the Department of State cooperates
with the Division of Foreign Service Reporting to insure
that insofar as possible available resources of the Foreign
Service are not requested to collect information available
in Washington and that requirements relevant to national
security are given precedence over those for less vital
functions of the Government (such as development of
information about possible markets for U.S. products
abroad). State “R” has invited
the assistance of ORR and the Economic Intelligence
Committee (EIC) to assist in the preparation of guides for
economic reporting. The intelligence organization
[Page 581]
in State has also
invited CIA/OCI to participate in the
preparation of instructions for political reporting.
It should also be borne in mind that the “R” Area itself is an important
originator of requirements for reporting in the political,
cultural and social field and that while it has access to
other collection mechanisms, the Foreign Service is a prime
collector of information in the area of intelligence
assigned to State. The establishment of a national
intelligence estimating program and the demand on the
“R” Area of State for
contributions thereto represent an important influence in
guiding the “R” Area to
requisition information on gaps of fundamental importance.
There are comparable effects upon reporting by virtue of the
“R” Area’s participation
in the Watch process, as well as in the NIS production.
- 2.
-
Peripheral Reporting Program: This
program was established as a separate collection device
within the Foreign Service under the Chiefs of Mission. Its
purpose is to obtain information on the Soviet Bloc
countries by the assignment of competent officers to certain
posts contiguous to the Soviet Bloc where the potential data
on that area is substantial. This was necessary as a means
of supplementing the reporting from missions behind the Iron
Curtain area where many local restrictions are imposed on
our staffs. At present, peripheral reporting units are
located in Frankfurt, Vienna, Paris, Tel Aviv and Istanbul.
In Frankfurt the peripheral reporting unit prepares
comprehensive studies in the political, cultural,
sociological and economical fields based on information
collected on the USSR;
these reports are called SPONGE reports.
The peripheral reporting officers make use of a variety of
sources including defectors, escapees, refugees, travelers
and officials of other governments located in the same areas
as the peripheral units. The original emphasis was upon
collection from arrivals from behind the Iron Curtain.
Peripheral officers are now encouraged to develop other
sources among the indigenous travelers to and from the
Soviet Bloc and staffs of other government located in the
same countries as the peripheral reporting unit. While the
peripheral units are encouraged to develop sources as
indicated above, the main sources at present are as follows:
Frankfurt (defectors)
Vienna (refugees)
Paris (émigrés and groups of émigrés)
Tel Aviv (refugees and recent émigrés from Iron
Curtain countries)
Istanbul (émigrés and a few arrivals from
Bulgaria)
- 3.
-
Foreign Map Procurement: The
requirements of all the mapping agencies of the U.S.
Government for foreign maps are coordinated by CIA and the Interagency Map
Procurement Coordinating Committee
[Page 582]
on which sit the representatives of
the mapping agencies. The MPC is chaired by the Chief of the
Map Library Division, CIA/ORR, who also serves as the Special Assistant
to the Director, Office of Libraries and Intelligence
Acquisition, Department of State (also designated
informally, “Special Assistant for Maps”). Under the
direction of the Special Assistant for Maps, foreign maps
are procured through the Department of State and Foreign
Service. Although the function of overt collection of maps
abroad rests with the Department of State, the geographic
research function has been transferred from State to CIA; hence, the CIA direction of a State
collection program. Four map procurement officers are
stationed in the field and part-time map procurement
activity is assigned to other foreign service officers
stationed in other areas. Salaries and administrative
support of these field officers are the responsibility of
State and during recent budget reductions two map
procurement officers were dropped despite the efforts of
CIA to persuade the
Department of State to retain them.
The above program for the collection of foreign maps has been
in existence seven years. Procurement has been routinized by
the establishment of informal exchange agreements (140) with
certain countries under which new map production is received
in Washington through the Foreign Service posts.
Requirements of CIA and
Department of Defense components for maps, air photography
and other map information which is available from U.S. firms
engaged overseas in mapping and intelligence photography are
prepared in the Map Library Division, ORR/CIA for procurement by CIA/OO/C.
Frequently, an approaching assignment for production of an
NIS Chapter IX (Map and
Chart Approval) on a given area has provided a stimulus for
procurement of foreign maps on that area in time for use in
Washington in producing the Chapter. In other cases foreign
map requirements are in direct response to individual agency
research projects or to recognized gaps in foreign map
coverage.
The coordinated interagency map procurement program does not
conflict with the map exchange agreements between the
mapping components of Defense and the opposite agencies in
foreign countries. Some of these agreements pertain to joint
mapping programs with other NATO countries. Agreements between the Army Map
Service and the NATO
countries’ mapping agencies provide the bulk of
topographical maps on NATO
countries (and their colonies).
- 4.
-
Foreign Publications Procurement is
coordinated by the DCI in
pursuance of the responsibility placed upon him in NSCID–16.7 An interagency
[Page 583]
committee has been established which
seeks to identify those areas in which needed publications
may be obtained through the cooperative action of agencies
who have collecting capabilities as well as to be alert to
new means of procurement. Overt publications procurement in
the field is divided among military attachés, collection
arms of military commands overseas, and personnel of the
Foreign Service. The attachés and overseas commands
concentrate on publications required by their parent
organizations, while Foreign Service personnel fill the
requirements of the Department of State, CIA and about 20 other
Government agencies such as the Library of Congress and the
Department of Agriculture. For this purpose the Foreign
Service maintains at the present time six full-time
Publications Procurement Officers (in Moscow, Paris, Berlin,
New Delhi, Tokyo, and Hong Kong) and assigns the function on
a part-time basis to an officer in other important posts.
The degree of coordination and cooperation among service
attachés and Foreign Service officers varies greatly from
post to post. The Foreign Branch of the CIA Library, serving for this
purpose as an operating arm of the Division of Acquisition
and Distribution of the Department of State, in the last two
years since its establishment, has attempted to improve
procurement by formulating more detailed guidance for
publications procurement officers, by providing them with
evaluation on their efforts, and by working closely with
those personnel in the defense departments engaged in
preparing collection requirements for the service attachés
in order that the most effective field procurement channel
may be utilized in any given procurement situation. When
publications are not available through overt channels,
arrangements are made whenever possible to obtain the
materials through clandestine collection by CIA. As a result of the USIA Survey, the NSCID–16 subcommittee on
Procurement will explore with USIA the extent to which their library centers
abroad can assist in procurement.
- 5.
-
Military Attachés: The attachés of
the military services are guided by the “Essential Elements
of Information” published in one form or another under the
direction of the Chiefs of Intelligence in G–2, ONI and AFOIN. The EEI have been developed
painstakingly and represent the comprehensive needs of the
individual services. Within this general framework specific
or ad hoc requirements are levied upon the attachés as
current needs arise or, more systematically, as required to
meet the needs of each service and the JIC in its service to the
JCS, in response to the
national intelligence estimating program for military
contributions and in response to both the original and
maintenance production of NIS sections assigned to the
military.
- 6.
- General Comment With Regard to 1 to 5
above: The foregoing is in accordance with the
allocation of responsibility for overt collection
[Page 584]
abroad as outlined in
NSCID–2.8
Each agency is free to collect economic and scientific and
technical intelligence information in accordance with its needs.
Under NSCID–2 injunction,
information, by whomever collected, shall immediately be
transmitted to the agency most concerned as well as made
available to all other interested agencies. These facilities are
to be utilized so as to avoid unproductive duplication and
uncoordinated overlap; “within budgetary limitations” they are
to insure that “full flow of intelligence information which is
the major need of all departments and agencies for the
accomplishment of their respective missions”. In the field, the
senior U.S. representative in each foreign area is responsible
for the coordination of “all normal collection activities in his
area”. The manner in which this is done will vary from post to
post, both in respect to the personalities involved and the size
and importance of the mission. In March 1954 the Department of
State sent a special instruction to all Chiefs of Mission
reiterating the coordinating role of mission chiefs under NSCID–2 and urging maximum use of
all available personnel including military attachés. At the same
time, the Army, Navy and Air Force dispatched similar messages
to all attachés, urging maximum cooperation with mission chiefs
in developing coordinated collection programs.
- 7.
-
Regular Collection Offices: Each
intelligence agency maintains a collection office to
coordinate requirements from its research offices, assist
their research offices in determining the availability of
the information in Washington (either in its own agency or
another agency), levy requirements on collectors (either its
own collection arm or those of other agencies) and
disseminate the information collected against
requirements.
CIA/OCD/LD’s liaison officers, initially working
through cleared liaison authorities in other (non-IAC) government agencies,
ferret through those “non intelligence” government agencies
known or believed to have (or capable of obtaining) foreign
intelligence. CIA/OCD/LD collects such
intelligence either against specific requests or
spontaneously.
CIA/OCD/LD administers a debriefing program, making
available to CIA the
knowledge of government officials who have been abroad. The
debriefing program is not limited as to area or subject but
is, of course, limited only by the knowledge of the returned
officials.
- 8.
-
Collection of Foreign Intelligence Within
The United States from Non-governmental sources: On
a selective basis is the responsibility of CIA
[Page 585]
OO/C) as a service of common
concern (NSCID–7).9 Guidance in this selection is
provided by the continuing requirements statements of the
research elements of CIA and
the other IAC agencies, in
addition to consumer evaluations of reports and supplemented
by continuous liaison to discuss specific needs and
individual sources.
To assure that this service is of maximum value to consumers,
conferences are being scheduled at the working level in all
of the member agencies. In addition, four specific
interagency arrangements are either completed or well on the
way to completion:
- (a)
- Three specialized ATIC officers have been placed in
domestic field offices to guide and actually engage
in the collection of technical information. The
assignment of a fourth officer, trained in air
electronics, is expected shortly.
- (b)
- A similar arrangement has been worked out through
G–2 for the
assignment of two Signal Corps Intelligence officers
to domestic field offices in an effort to increase
the quantity and quality of
telecommunications-intelligence collection. One of
these officers is already being processed.
- (c)
- Arrangements have been completed with the Director
of Intelligence of the Air Force and with the Air
Research and Development Command to facilitate the
exploitation of civilian employees at the various
ARDC centers for intelligence information not
otherwise available to the member agencies.
- (d)
- Tentative arrangements have been concluded with
G–2 for a similar
program to be established in the near future with
the seven Army Technical Services.
A fifth specific effort to produce more effective and
coordinated intelligence collection consisted of a program
to analyze critically all requirements which have been
received by Contact Division from the producing elements of
CIA and the other IAC agencies, and to codify in
readily usable form all basic requirements currently
outstanding.
- 9.
-
Radio Monitoring: Under NSCID–610 a central radio
monitoring service (CIA/FBID) is
established and the monitoring of foreign propaganda and
press broadcasts for the collection of intelligence
information by other federal agencies is specifically
precluded.
Since radio monitoring does not lend itself to exploitation
for specific information on specific subjects, guides or
“targets” are provided by IAC offices each week. These are requests for
translation of what is said by area transmitters in comment
on, reaction to, or mention of specific subjects, events or
people. Additionally, a list of long-range or
[Page 586]
standing
requirements stated in broad terms is provided quarterly.
Both target lists are distributed to field installations in
order that the desired information may be selected from the
great volume of monitored radio broadcasting.
Specific collection requests, especially on the technical
aspects of radio monitoring, but sometimes on the content of
radio broadcasts, are levied on CIA/FBID
either formally by the requester through CIA/OCD, or informally to the Liaison Officer,
FBID.
Additional guidance is obtained from study of intelligence
deficiencies and the NIS and
NIE programs. Some
requirements are self-evident, e.g., radio monitoring
coverage of Central Asia provides unique information on an
area of the world not otherwise covered to any appreciable
extent by intelligence collection activities. Before
investing funds and personnel in meeting a requirement such
as this, FBID solicits the
IAC agencies to
determine their interest.
- 10.
- The Collection and Exploitation of Soviet
Materials for Intelligence Purposes is carried out
under two programs which are coordinated. On the one hand the
military has established a committee known as the Joint
Technical Intelligence Subcommittee (JTIS) with the responsibility for coordinating
military requirements for Soviet materials, relaying them to
field components with a capability for collection and
coordination of the exploitation of Soviet material. Civilian
requirements (those of CIA,
State and AEC) are coordinated
by a “Sovmat Staff” in CIA/OO which levies requirements against not only
foreign service and military collection units but also, when
appropriate, against CIA’s
clandestine collection service. Through the participation of the
Chief of the Sovmat Staff as
an Advisor to the Chairman of JTIS coordination between these two programs is
provided.
- 11.
- The Travel Folder Program is designed
to obtain the maximum information from within the Soviet Orbit
by direct personal observations on the part of American
officials stationed in U.S. Missions behind the Iron Curtain.
Approved by the IAC, the program
is supervised by CIA in
consultation with the Economic Intelligence Committee. The
program consists of the coordination of IAC requirements (mainly economic, scientific,
technical, and military), briefing and debriefing of travelers,
the preparation of comprehensive reports of their observations,
[3½ lines not declassified].
- 12.
- Research Units Abroad sponsored by
CIA (strategic divisions)
attempt to bring to the field more intimately the kind of
guidance which would make field collection more meaningful in
terms of headquarters programs. [5 lines not
declassified]
- 13.
-
Collection of U.S. Files Abroad was
undertaken by CIA in 1951. A
team microfilmed documents containing intelligence
information in the files of the U.S. agencies all over
Europe, in anticipation of the possible
[Page 587]
overruning of Europe by Russia
and the consequent loss of the information in such
documents. In general, such microfilming was not conducted
in response to specific requirements and was mainly composed
of industrial data regarding West European countries.
The entire collection of some 2,000 reels of film is
available in the CIA
Industrial Register. Few of the files microfilmed have been
indexed, but the team identified them in terms of subject
matter whenever possible and in terms of source or area when
subject matter information was not available. Selected
portions of the collection have been incorporated into IR
files, and a more complete index is being prepared on a low
priority basis.
No direct requirements are levied against the file. The IR
analysts use this information, among other sources in their
files, when incoming requirements indicate its utility, as
do other research analysts when using IR files.
- 14.
- Captured Enemy Documents: Plans have
been established for coordination in the exploitation of
captured enemy documents in wartime under a joint military
agency known as the Armed Services Documents Intelligence
Center. Civilian agencies requirements will be satisfied in this
program by virtue of a CIA
representative serving as an Assistant Director in the Center
who coordinates the requirements of CIA, State and AEC.
- 15.
- The National Security Agency is guided
in its collection activities through a USCIB subcommittee (Intelligence Committee) whose
function includes requirements coordination. This subcommittee,
composed of the intelligence agencies representatives, operates
under a rather highly sophisticated system of identifying
priorities.
- 16.
- In the Field of Indications
responsibility to improve the coordination of collection is set
forth in DCID–1/2.11 The Watch Committee is supposed to
“develop and operate on a current and continuing basis the Watch
Committee Intelligence Plan for systematizing, energizing and
coordinating through the appropriate channels the world-wide
collection by U.S. agencies of information and intelligence
pertinent to the Watch Committee mission.”
- 17.
- [1 paragraph (24 lines) not
declassified]
- 18.
-
External Research: Members of the
intelligence community, as well as several other Government
agencies, sponsor external research projects on foreign
areas, thus providing an additional source of foreign
intelligence. This research is performed by Government
agencies and private institutions, each of them using
whatever sources are available to them. Government agencies,
contracting for private research on
[Page 588]
foreign areas, frequently supply such
contractors with intelligence information which is, of
course, supplemented by the contractors’ own resources.
Government agencies conducting research on behalf of other
Government agencies are exploited by informal interagency
contact and by such regular collection offices as CIA/OCD.
External research on foreign areas, although performed in
response to departmental needs, is subject to certain
coordination efforts by the intelligence community. These
efforts are:
- a.
- A clearing house for information provided by the
External Research Staff, Department of State (ERS),
a joint operation of State, CIA and Defense;
- b.
- Informal monthly discussions among external
research administrators of various agencies to
exchange information on what they are doing and what
needs to be done;
- c.
- An Advisory Panel on Research in Special
Operations appointed by the Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Research and Development consisting of
outside specialists to provide guidance to the
Department of Defense. USIA, CIA, State, FOA and OCB are represented on the Panel by
associate members; and
- d.
- On 11 December 1954 the DCI proposed to USIA, State, Defense, OCB and FOA that agencies with
intelligence needs in the propaganda and
psychological warfare and foreign information fields
cooperate in the development of a government-wide
program of external research in support of such
activities. Each agency would retain complete
responsibility for its departmental external
research program but would benefit by coordination
of its program with other agencies having related
missions.
- 19.
- ELINT: Collection of
information by the detection, reception and recording of
non-communication electronic radiations is carried on by the
three services and by CIA/DDP. Analysis of material which has
been collected is conducted separately by the Air Force and
jointly by Army and Navy through the Army-Navy Electronic
Evaluation Group, (NAEEG). There is limited and spasmodic
coordination in the field with respect to detection, reception
and recording of ELINT
collection. There is little or no coordination between the
groups working on the analysis of collected material. Present
ELINT collection
activities carried on by the services are primarily directed
toward OB type information such
as the identification and location of radio stations, long-range
navigation systems and so forth. Insofar as it has developed,
the CIA/DDP collection effort is directed toward the
detection of new and unusual electronic emanations.
- 20.
-
Interrogations of returning POWs,
refugees and defectors have been the subject of various
activities by the IAC
agencies—[19 lines not
declassified].
[Page 589]
[1 paragraph (3 lines) not
declassified]
Coordination of the U.S. Defector Program at the Washington
level is accomplished by the Interagency Defector Committee
(IDC). [6½ lines not
declassified]
The Armed Services have established a center (Armed Services
Prisoner Interrogation Center) to coordinate the
exploitation of POWs. CIA,
State and AEC’s interests
are represented by an Assistant Director at the Center.
Although its mission is interrogation of captured prisoners,
it participated in the interrogation of American POWs who
had been held and then released by the Chinese.
21. Clandestine Collection Activities of
the U.S. Government include CIA/FI, which
also has access to any intelligence products of clandestine
operations, the clandestine services of the three military
agencies and AFOAT. The coordination of requirements for
clandestine collection by CIA has been effected through the establishment
of the Interagency Priorities Committee for Clandestine
Collection. Further development in the efficient utilization
of all sources of the Government for clandestine collection
is being developed through the proposal for agreed
activities under NSCID–512 now under
negotiation between the Director and the intelligence chiefs
of the military agencies. The coordination of information
collected by AFOAT and all other sources is assured, insofar
as possible, under DCID
11/1.13
In the main, as far as the direction of collection is
concerned, the effect of this would be to alert AFOAT in the
event that information regarding an atomic explosion by the
Russians were detected by one of the services other than
AFOAT in order that it could promptly institute collection
activity.
- 22.
-
Press Monitoring is done by some of
the posts of the Foreign Service in order to provide
themselves with current press opinion. This press monitoring
activity varies from post to post; in Latin America only one
post (Rio de Janeiro), in Europe 19 posts, in Far East 11
posts and in Near East and Africa 22 posts conduct press
monitoring.
Current monitoring of the press of our two major enemies,
USSR and Red China, is
performed in Moscow and Hong Kong respectively. In Moscow
there is the Joint Press Reading Service (JPRS), [less than 1 line not declassified].
The JPRS reviews and abstracts from the major newspapers and
periodicals of the USSR and
issues two translated
[Page 590]
series, Section A covers foreign
affairs and Section B domestic news. In addition, abstracts
of leading periodicals are prepared separately.
Dissemination is made by State within the Government and to
a few private institutions. The Hong Kong Press Monitoring
Service has access to (a) [2 lines not
declassified] as well as (b) to U.S. procured
Chinese mainland publications. The HKPMS issues three press
summaries titles: Review of the Hong Kong Press (issued
almost daily covering the main articles of the Hong Kong
press), Summary of the Chinese Mainland Press (produced on
the average of three or four issues per week covering the
main topics of the Chinese language press and dividing the
topics in catagories of subject interest), and Current
Background (a study of various topics of political, economic
and sociological significance based on press articles
extending over an indefinite period of time). Wide
dissemination of these press summaries is given within the
U.S. Government and to 25 private academic institutions or
individuals.
In addition to the press summaries prepared by embassy
employees (whether Foreign Service or USIA, etc.) the missions
frequently obtain press summaries from other governments. In
approximately 15 posts, press summaries of the British are
obtained while to a much lesser extent, press summaries
prepared by the French are received. In nine posts, press
summaries prepared by the host government are received and
in one post (Tehran) a press summary prepared by the USSR is received.
Dissemination of press summaries back to Washington and
within the Government varies from post to post. A review of
the press monitoring activities was prepared by State/IAD and distributed within the
Government for the information of the users.
No headquarters requirements are levied for overseas press
monitoring and consequently no coordination is
required.
- 23.
-
Photographic Intelligence Collection and
Requirements: Intelligence photography is collected
from the air, on the ground, or as records from radarscope
presentations. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy operating
squadrons and attachés collect approximately 75% and 15%
respectively with the rest attributable to U.S. Army, CIA, and other miscellaneous
sources. Most of the aerial photography collected by the
Army for the Army Map Service is purchased from commercial
organizations. CIA
concentrates its effort toward the collection of aerial
photos from certain firms and foreign governments.
Aerial and ground photographs are required by the
intelligence analysts and mapping agencies throughout the
IAC to corroborate other
intelligence data and fill existing gaps in intelligence.
They are essential to the production and maintenance of
accurate large-scale topographic maps and the preparation of
strategic and tactical target programs (Air Force) now in
progress. CIA intelligence
analysts require photographic intelligence in support of
intelligence objectives, which
[Page 591]
may be geographic, economic,
scientific, or military in nature and to support clandestine
operations.
While procedures exist in each agency for the coordination of
its photographic requirements, there has been established,
on the invitation of AFOIN in 1948, an Interagency Graphics
Research Coordinating Group. Orginally, the group was
composed of the three services; it was joined by CIA in 1951. This Group,
meeting monthly, exchanges information regarding photo
requirements, location of desired photography, overseas
commercial mapping activities and related matters. Highly
classified and highest priority aerial photographic
requirements are reviewed and coordinated by JCS Plans and Policy with final
concurrence of State, Military and CIA.
