Your Memorandum on the NIS Program

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-05597A000200010012-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: April 30, 1973
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 1999/0 97A000200010012-1
30 April 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of OBGI
SUBJECT Your Memorandum on the NIS Program
1. This draft of the paper, if it is still a
draft, is greatly improved over the original. I have
only three suggestions.
2. Your Option C, I think a short paragraph of
additional argumentation should be included, and would
suggest the following insertion between the two paragraphs
at the top of page 9.
"On the other hand, transfer of production
responsibility for the political chapters from
OCI to OBGI, would create overlap and some out-
right duplication of effort and facilities. Some
of the services and capabilities that OBGI would
have to add are for OCI by-products of other
activities. These include information handling
facilities, substantive files, and maintenance
of knowledge and analytical skills. OCI, for
its part, would have the added task of providing
substantive review for the OBGI produced manu-
scripts."
The second line of what is now the second
paragraph on page 9, should then be made to read
"all the advantages and disadvantages inherent
in C(1)...."
3. We believe much more could be done with 30
man years on the handbook program than your treatment
of Option D would suggest. A revised working of the
first paragraph under option D might be as follows:
K
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"The OCI Country Handbook, now compiled
largely as a byproduct from the NIS General
Survey, could become the vehicle. The Hand-
book program embraces 147 countries. Topical
coverage would need to be expanded 3 to 4-fold
to meet general consumer needs for basic intelli-
gence. The targeted 30 man years of effort should
yield some 40-50 of the expanded handbooks (initial
coverage) per year. 4-5 handbooks could be main-
tained annually per man year, thereafter, making
annual maintenance of basic intelligence produc-
tion on all countries of the world a near reality.
A small central coordinating staff would be re-
quired, in OBGI or elsewhere. This staff would
also issue the NIS Factbook."
4. We would delete under Option D the statement that
the NIS Factbook would disappear. We understand that this
takes about two man years, and we consider the effort worth
it.
5. I am not sending these comments to DDI or D/OER.
My notion would be for us to work out changes jointly first.
25X1A9a
Richard Lehman
Director of Current Intelligence
Approved For Release 1 - 010012-1