(UNTITLED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01634R000300030042-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 13, 1998
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: February 6, 1958
• Content Type: MF

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6 February 1958
MEMORANDUM FOR: CIA Members of OCB Working Groups
You have been selected as a member of a Working Group under the Operations
Coordinating Board., because of your knowledge of an area or a functional program,
and because of your responsibility for, and your closeness to, operations of this
Agency. Your duties in this connection will take time and thought. It is therefore
important that you know the reason for your assignment, what is expected of you and
what you can and should contribute.
I. The Operations Coordinating Board
A. Purpose
The OCB was set up in 1953 to coordinate the activities of U. S. Government
agencies having major overseas responsibilities. Its principal functions are to
assist in integrating the execution of operations carried out abroad in the furtherance
of national policies, and to provide a mechanism for periodic reporting to the NSC
on progress in this field. The charter members are designated because of their
operating responsibilities in their own agencies.
B. Composition
The members are: ( 1) Under Secretary of State, (2) Deputy Secretary of
Defense, (3) Director of Central Intelligence, (4) Director of the United States
Information Agency; (,,5) Director of the International Cooperation Administration.
In addition, officers of similar stature from Treasury, AEC and others attend the
meetings, and certain designees of the President are members, At present these
are the Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the
Special Assistant to the President for Security Operations Coordination.
Each member has a Board Assistant who serves as his principal aide in
all matters having to do with the OCB, both within his own agency and externally.
There are approximately 45 working groups or committees composed of operating
officials from the member agencies plus a number of non-member agencies as
appropriate. The fact that the members of these groups are operating officials,
as is the DCI and most of the other principals, is a most significant factor in
the OCB organization. It is only in this way that the working of the OCB at all
levels can. be given realism and usefulness.
C. Papers Prepared
When the President approves an NSC policy paper pertaining to overseas
operations it is usually referred to the OCB for the preparation of an Operations
Plan to carry out the NSC policy.: A Progress Report is required at regular
intervals, 1-st ally six months; these are presented to the NSC, and in this way
adequate implementation of approved policy is assured. In addition to these
standard type papers, there are ad hoc papers on subjects which are outside
the scope of a particular NSC policy or which have urgent significance. When
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time permits papers are sent to the field in draft for comment by officers:: closest
to the problem. The CIA Station Chief usually participates through his member-
ship on the local Country Team.
D. Method of Operation
For each country or functional area on which an NSC paper has been
prepared or for which OCB coordination has been directed, there is a Working
Group. Most of them are chaired by the State representative. Each one has
a member of the permanent OCB Staff assigned to assist in drafting and
otherwise. After suitable discussion the chairman or the OCB Staff member
usually prepares a first draft of the required paper although each agency can
contribute written material if desired or appropriate. It is usually necessary
to have about three drafts before a Working Group agrees finally on a particular
paper. Sometimes there are "splits, " representing areas of disagreement which
cannot be resolved. The papers then are considered at a meeting of the Board
Assistants and finally by the Board itself. The Board Assistants meet every
Friday and the Board every Wednesday.
II. Significance to CIA
The operations of this agency complement overt operations of other
components of the U. S. Government. We do not of course work in a vacuum,
and our efforts are directed toward certain agreed ends. Although we may
achieve these ends in somewhat different ways than other agencies, the objectives
must be the same. It is thus essential that we participate in the formulation of
operational guidance and in the assigning of operational tasks for overseas
implementation. The coordinated plan which results constitutes an "umbrella"
under which we conduct covert operations and in addition allows us to be fully
informed on what other agencies are doing and why they are doing it. It also
helps to establish rapport between opposite numbers in different agencies.
Members of the Working Groups are representatives of the DCI. They
must be competent and informed operating officials and must take the assign-
ment seriously. It should not be viewed as an extracurricular chore.
III. Internal CIA Procedures
a. Established Working Groups usually convene at the call of the Chairman,
or occasionally a member of the OCB staff. You will be notified automatically
of these meetings. From time to time new Working Groups are established in
response to changing operational situations. At that time the CIA Board Assistant
will. consult with the appropriate Division or Staff chief;. or his designee, to
select a regular and an alternate member. Draft terms of reference for the
group will be discussed by the Board Assistant with the designated member and
will be approved sometimes by the Board but usually by the Board Assistants
as a body.
b, The CIA member is expected to participate fully in. the discussions of
the Working Group as an officer informed on the area under consideration. The
papers however will contain no specific mention of CIA activities (an exception
may sometimes be made in the case of intelligence objectives). The CIA
member is not authorized to discuss agency operations in this forum. He must,
however, make sure that no language or suggested actions are included in the
2,
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papers which could adversely affect our operations. The principal member should
attend except when absolutely unavoidable. In no case should meetings be skipped
entirely. In the rare instance when neither the principal nor alternate is available
due to overriding emergency, a substitute should be sent but this must be cleared
through the Board Assistant, since the OCB Staff will not accept anyone not so
cleared.
c. CIA's contribution to the preparation of OCB papers is a fully coordinated
one. Elements of DDP and. DDI (or DDS if appropriate) are called on. The papers
are basically concerned with operations, so that the working group members are
usually selected from DDP elements.. However, all papers have a strong intelli-
gence content, and therefore DDI must contribute to them in order to bring to
bear the full assets of the Agency. At the time a draft paper has reached the
Semi-Final stage it is sent to DDI for comment on the intelligence content and
implications. This is handled between the offices of the Board Assistant and the
Special Assistant to the DDI for NSC Affairs. The latter secures comments from
the appropriate DDI Office and returns these to the Board. Assistant, who relays
them to the Working Group member. Duplications or inconsistencies are resolved
by the Board Assistant and the SA/DDI.
The DDI is concerned with the accuracy of statements made in the papers
and with the tone and connotations of them, as well as with conformity to approved
National Intelligence Estimates. The Working Group member should examine DDI
comments carefully and if he has any substantial objections discuss them with the
Board Assistant, who will arrange in coordination with the SA/DDI to iron out any
differences. The Working Geoup member will then be expected to do his utmost
to get the comments (which will almost always be stated in terms of specific
suggested language) into the final draft of the paper. Occasionally objections by
other agencies will make it impossible to do this.
d. After the Working Group has agreed on a final draft. the paper is considered
at a meeting of the Board Assistants from each Agency and, after approval there,
it is usually presented. to the Board itself. For all practical purposes, the Board
Assistants' Meeting represents the last forum at which detailed substantive
discussions can be carried w3,.t. It is therefore important that the Working Group
member and the Board Assistant discuss the paper before that meeting. Any
areas of disagreement which may have arisen in the Working Group can be
examined and consideration can be given to items which might be of particular
significance to CIA. This will include suggestions by DDI which were not accepted.
In many cases a point that has been lost in. the Working Group deliberations d,a.e
to strong opposition from other agencies, can be restored by the Board Assistants.
In, addition to the discussion after the final draft of the paper, the Working Group
member is encouraged to consult with the Board Assistant either by telephone or
personally at any time.
e. A Working Group member is expected to coordinate as appropriate within
his own division and. with the appropriate senior staff elements. The senior staff
most concerned is usually the PP Staff, which receives copies of semi-final and
final drafts automatically. (:Jlf in doubt as to whom to talk to in the Staff, the
Deputy Chi' f, Operations Division, will serve as an appropriate initial contact. )
f. The Board Assistant briefs the DCI on each paper before it appears on the
formal Board agenda. It is often useful, particularly in the case of papers
involving a number of countries or those dealing with a complex subject, for the
Working Group member or another informed officer to participate in the DCI
briefing.
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As mentioned above, it is a general rule that no specific mention of CIA
activities appears in OCB papers, However, the DCI wishes to be fully informed
on our operations in the particular geographic or functional area under consideration,
Accordingly, a Covert Annex is prepared by the Working Group member to accompany
either a Progress Report or an Operations Plan, This is to be delivered in two
copies directly to the Board Assistant. It must be available in ample time for
discussion before the latter?s briefing of the Director and preferably should be
available before the Board Assistants meeting.
This Annex is not a staffed and coordinated paper. It should be considered
solely as briefing notes for the Director. Since it bypasses the usual channels of
communication between the operations elements and the DCI, it in no way replaces
regular reporting procedures. It must contain a factual and concise listing of all
significant operations being conducted in the particular area, along with approximate
annual. expenditures for each, It must avoid generalities and circumlocutions,
Nothing of significance should be held back; even though it is believed that the
Director is full informed. If an item is extremely sensitive, it should be discussed
orally with the Board Assistant so that he can remind the DCI of the existence of
this specific operation.
A sample of a typical covert annex is available for perusal. in the office
of the Board Assistant at any time. A few general rules for preparation are.-
a. Short,, concise, factual. statements of exactly what assets we
have and what operations are being carried out. Avoid wordy
explanations,
b. After each operation. or group of operations show the
approximate annual cost. (This should not require a detailed
fiscal exercise; the budgeted figure will usually suffice.
c. If initials are used to describe organizations, the full.
name should be spelled out the first time.
d. Do not use cr.ypt.onyms or pseudonyms.
e. Give the entire picture of PP and PM operations (plus
support if particularly unusual. or significant). FI activities
should be grouped into categories when a complete listing
would attain. excessive length. However, list particularly
significant operations separately. Do not restrict listings
to things that have happened during the reporting period.
f. Do not overlook IO Division?s operations. A listing
should be obtained from the appropriate element of 10 and
incorporated with the Area Di.v.sion?s listings.
ga Contrary to previous practice, it will not be necessary
to prepare one type of covert: annex to accompany Progress
Reports and another for Operations Plans. The same format
applies in either case.
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h. For ease of handling classify the annexes SECRET EYES
ONLY, rather than TOP SECRET. (As pointed out above, they
will go only to the Board Assistant and thence by hand to the DCI. )
Operations Coordinating Board
Assistant
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