MEETING WITH DCI 15 OCTOBER WITH REFERENCE TO NRO BUDGET

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP63-00313A000500140071-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 2004
• Sequence Number: 71
• Publication Date: October 18, 1963
• Content Type: MFR

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Copy--y-of
18 October 1963
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT Meeting with DCI 15 October with Reference to NRO Budget
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1. Dr. Wheelon, General Carter, and I met with the DCI at 1630 the
afternoon of 15 October to review for him salient features of the Fiscal Year
1965 INTRO budget as a means for preparing him for the his projected conversa-
tions on this subject with Under Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric in the
near future. Dr. Wheelon made up a quick chart which showed the principal
budget items involved in Programs A and B. There were two columnar
presentations devoted to satellite and aircraft items.
2. The principal results of this meeting were as follows:
a. The Director said that he was content to let the covert
satellite item requested for Prdgrarp R. the advanced manned
aircraft item in the same category. 25X1
all in the study phase for FY 1965. NRO
b. He directed that immediate steps be taken to divest the
Agency of technical monitoring responsibility and eventual opera-
tional control in the TAGBOARD Program. He evidenced great
and historical dissatisfaction with the whole TAGBOARD effort,
and stated that he had repeatedly told the Secretary of Defense,
the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Dr. mubini, and others that he
thought it was a wasteful and infeasible proposal. He asked why
NRO had not sent someone over to assume technical responsibility
for TAGBOARD, and when he was told that repeated efforts on our
part had produced no one, he said that he wanted us to communicate
his feelings to D/NRO and to insist that a responsible project
officer be assigned to monitor this activity herewith. So great
was his dissatisfaction with TAGBOARD that he said that once it
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NRO review(s) completed.
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was returned to Air Force control, meaning Program D, he would
move heaven and earth to see that it was canceled entirely.
. The Director said he felt that the question
had been ignored by Program A, not only in FY
wheni Iwas allocated as opposed to requested,
but that th s of under-funding was being unfortunately con-
tinued in Fiscal Year 1965 when only was requested. He
said that he felt that expenditures should be greater than the
by a factor of perhaps as much as 3. He indicated that he would
press for such increased funding in conferences with the DOD.
d. Mr. McCone said that he wanted DD/S&T to develop
a construction program for CORONA improvements, and that if
such a program flew in the face of the recommendations of the
Purcell Panel, he for one would not be greatly disturbed, pro-
viding the rationale was proper. Dr. Wheelon explained that he
had requested for the commencement of studies leading to
an isolation of the problem confronting anyone attempting to improve
CORONA, and the Director said he felt that this should move forward
immediately. It was obvious, however, that there is no money
specifically identified in the FY 1965 budget for such a program,
and that until some definition of responsibilities occurs, the Director,
Program A. probably regards himself as the proper, person to
implement such a program.
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e. The Director said that he felt we should force for a
completely now search system as the next generation vehicle beyond
the CORONA. While he did not directly challenge Dr. Whealon'9 25 1
views that the total of slightly more than rogra4meed by 25 1
General Greer for the several versions o was too much,
he did indicate that he wanted us to come forth with a constructive
detailed program with dollars attached for this new satellite search
system, and that it should be based upon a comparison on conceptual
approaches on and the new search system. In this context
he stated that we furnished him with such a proposal, he would see
that D/NRO not only furnished the necessary funds to press for such
development, but that the responsibility and technical monitoring of
such a proposal would be allocated to this Agency under Program B.
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f. In discussing the I effort, Mr. McCone said
that he generally favored vehicles of the same configuration falling
under a single management in this case OXCART. and he confirmed
the fact that he desired one of the aircraft to be made
available to the OXCART Project as a replacement for Article
No. 123 destroyed in flight on May 23, 1963. He did not seem
impatient on this point, and I think regarded it as a somewhat
tiresome administrative detail.
3. Aside from the above items, the majority of the discussion in the
meeting revolved around Mr. McCone's theory that the NRO agreement was
binding on two Agencies as opposed to a single one, and that he felt we should
spend more time pre-empting our position with regard to NRO by ideas and
less time complaining about projects and programs which may have been pulled
out from under us. It was clear, however, that he was anything but pleased
with the actual manner in which the Air Force--CIA interface was working out.
JAMES A. GTJ , J B..
Acting Assistant Director
(Special Activities) 25X1
CC: EO-DD/8&T
Distribution:
1 - DAD/ OSA
2 - AD / OSA
3 - TO-DD/S&T
4 - C/PS/OSA
5 - D/TECH/OSA
6 - D / FA / OSA
7 - B&F/OSA
8 - CD/OSA
9 - Rya / GSA
AAD/QSA:JACunningham, Jr. /mm
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