MINUTES OF THE SIXTY-FOURTH MEETING OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EXPLOITATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03130A000100040052-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2001
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: February 3, 1956
• Content Type: MIN

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MINUEES OF THE SIXTY-FOURTM MEETING OFtTBE SUBCOMMITTEE
OF EXPLOITATION' OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS
3 Febroasy 1956
Present
Members: john Lacey, State
Richard Bauer: Army
John Shearer, Navy
Maj. Reward G. Neumann, Air Force
Consultants: Lt. J. A, Bugger, Nary
Capt. Charles Colville, ATIC/Air Force
Geor e e AID Air Force
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L. The 64th meeting convened at 1400 hours. The minutes of the
63rd meeting were approved with the following emendations:
a. Page 20 paragraph 2: Mt. Bauer wanted to point out that
Army at present was satisfied with the periodicity of the Indonesia
report but would not object if it were put out more currently.
25X1A b. page 3, paragraph four: Subetftute 4111111111I2or Mr. Bauer.
2. Comments on the Annual Report
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State Air Force representatives made enggeeted changes
which were diecueed and then aeceLted by the Subcommittee members. The
Animal Report with the agreed changes will be forwarded to the FLP
Committee. Copies for Subcommittee members are attached to these minutes.
3. Comments on the Report and Recommendations to the FLP Committee
In answer to Mt. Laceys desire in the last meeting
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reword the text of the Report more forcefully, the abairman rewrote the
first paragraph of the text. This rewrite was distributed to the members
for their consideration. Mr. Lacey noted that in the course of the
meetings individuals have said that they not only liked the IDD products,
but that these reports yield information which cannot be obtained from
any other source. He felt that further emphasis should be placed on the
value of foreign language publications and suggested that this sentence
be added in the 12th line after the word "information," "/t was found
time and again that exploitation provided more unique information."
25X1A At this point suggested that attention be given to the
recommendations of Tabs A and 13 before final consideration of the text.
This was agreed to.
Major leumann then mooted that as Capt. Colville had flown in
from ATIC for this meeting the Committee turn its attention first to the
scientific and technical portion. Tbis was agreed to.
Air Force: Capt. Colville read the following prepared statement
regarding the scientific and technical portion of the recommendations:
The Air Technical Intelligence Center has objectively
reviewed Tabs A and B with a large measure of interest and equally
large measure of apprehension. It is indeed difficult, in view
of the recognized critical need. for increasing exploitation of
scientific and technical literature to comprehend the position
taken that "requirement screening" Of a tremendous volume of
literature as evidenced in Tabs A and 13 will provide the only
effective means toward developing assessment of the Soviet State
of the Art. The question might well be asked* "Row can any
responsible analyst in a given organization honestly condone the
practice of having his responsibilities met by reliance upon an
individual charged with examining hundreds of pages of 8 8. T
literature received relative to the specific interests of one
analyst or an entire organization" At best, the analyst can
realize only what "appears" to the examiner to be significant
information. Is it not the innumerable small details that serve
to support and, most importantly, confirm and further develop-
mental assessment of an alien power? Significant indications
generally do not appear clear and defined. Generally, significant
indications are the result of constant endeavorment to interrelate
Small details.
It is, therefore, strongly urged that abstracting be
accorded the importance that it deserves by thieCommittee. Cover-
to-cover abstracting is* in many cases, not entirely justifiable
to one user, as many fields will be covered not necessarily of
interest to one organization. Each organization has its single
interest but material of no value to one is of significant value
to another. If each organization charged with 8 4T responsibilities
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could rightfully assume a share of the abstracting effort, it
would soon be reallualthat cover-to-cover abstracting is
essential in order to satisfy and assure proper coverage
for all concerned. Essentially, a good abstract leads to
further exploitation of a given subject and, properly related,
to an effective analysis.
Therefore ATIC restates its previous pm/Mon: 1) that
the abstracting effort should be continued as a collective
responsibility with all organizations dealing in science and
technology providing abstracting service and, 2) the abstracting
effort should be expanded to include new and more important
periodicals.
It is aseumedthat, from the reading of Tabs A and 3, CIA
does not propose to continue its abstracting effort. This leaves
Air Force alone to shoulder a cover-to-cover abstracting effort
which is neither desirable nor justified. Adoption therefore of
Tab A will necessitate ATIC/s official withdrawal from the
collective abstracting program entirely. Selective abstracting
will be implemented and present governmental dissemimation will
be necessarily sharply curtailed.
Captain Colville added that there is a means whereby the Committee .
can establish a need for a certain number of periodicals to satisfy
all agencies.. The details can be worked out by each representative
organisation. Tab B indicates additional coverage of certain scientific
imi.technological plications of the Soviet Union 'which Air feels ?
can be handled adequately by the abstracting method. As far as ATIC is
,concerned, if they have a good abstract, they can go into fUrther
exploitation Which leads to a reasonably defined analysis of a particular
subject. That, in effect, is the stand of .ATIC.
- At this point the Chairman pointed out the fact that this report
and recommendations are in draft form and not necessarily's/hat actually
was going to be submitted to the PLP Committee, but was drawn up for
the use of each agency on the basis of discussion to date. It is an
endeavor to pin-point what is wanted by the various agencies and various
changes are expected to be made in this draft.
Neumann added that a review of the other analysts with Targets
and Estimates revealed that to the largest majority of these analysts
abatracting is their life blood.
The Chairman distributed the recommendations for the Par East
and the Near East to be added to Tab A of the report and recommendations
to then? Committee.
25X1A 411111111Ipassed out to the members copies of a paper entitled
"Recommended Features of Exploitation Services for Soviet Bloc
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Scientific moil Technical Literature," which is being made part of
the record.
4. The agenda for the next meeting will be the contionwtion
of the recommendations to the FLP Committee (scientific portion first).
5. The meeting adjourned at 1530 hours. The next meeting will
be held 17 February 1956, at 1400 hours, in Room 2125 14 Building.
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Final
17 Feb 1956
ANNUAL MOW C
SUBCOINITTEE ON EXPLOITATION POMO LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS
TO THE
ADVISOR! COHNITTEE CS FOREIGN LANGUAGE POHL/CATIONS
1. The Subcommittee on Exploitation, of Foreign Language
Publications held 21 meetings during 1955. By midyear the
Subcommittee had completed its second review of the exploita-
tion program giving special attention to (a) the principal
exploitation requirements levied upon STD by the intelligence
community; (b) the coverage provided by existing facilities
other than FDD and their capacity to fill in whole or in defined
parts any additional requirements 'which would release FDD effort
for wider and deeper coverage in other required fields; (c) the
pertinence and periodicity of FDD reports; and (4) the manpower
allocations in FDD.
The refinement of the FDD program in response to Subcommittee
findings and recommendations resulted in the production of
43 periodical reports (Tab A.) which have included much unique
intonation needed by the intelligence community.
2. During the year the Subcommittee re-examined and
restated its own objectives (Tab B.) which had become more clearly
seen and defined after the experience afforded by two years of
continuous work.
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3. At the request of the Advisory Committee a review of
the transliteration practices of the IAC agencies was started*
As of the end of the year, not all agencies had reported on
this matter. It is anticipated that a report will be drawn
up early in 1956.
4. In resporze to a growing need for standardisation of
Chinese Communist terminology, the Subcommittee established a
Working Group to examine this problem. The Working Group
completed its assignment during the year and the Subcommittee is
now studying its report.
5. A third review of the exploitation program is currently
under way for the Sino-Soviet Bloc and exploitation of non-
Communist area publications will follow. The objectives of
this review are:
a. To determine as preciselyas possible the priority
needs of the various agencies using the criteria.
(1) The application of requirements to National
Intelligence Objectives as outlined in DCID 4/5.
(2) The needs for the same or similar information
by several agencies.
(3) The suitability of available foreign language
publications to meet these needs.
b. To determine precisely what needs of the respective
agencies cannot be met by existing facilities.
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e. To recconend allocation of available manpower
so as to satisfy the most urgent requirements of the
agencies,
d. To report in detail to the Advisory Committee
with recommendations as to how foreign language
publications, not now exploited, maybe processed for
needed intelligence information.
The findings of this review are expected to be
completed early in 1956 and will be duly reported.
6. It is recommended that Tab 16 the redefined
Objectives of the Exploitation Subcommittee be approved.
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