NIS COMMITTEE MEETING NO. 47

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-05597A000400020055-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 26, 1998
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: November 8, 1949
• Content Type: MIN

Approved For Rel 1999/0
State
State
Army
Army
Navy
Navy
NIS COWAITTEE MEETING NO. 47
8 November 1949
1. The following were present:
25X1A9a
Dr. Apoleton
Mr. Lydman
Lt. Col. Ruwet
Dr. Debevoise
Cdr. Howell
Lt. Cdr. Nutt
C
000400020055-1
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHAN 93'
CLL.
N i X T ;.
AUTH NJe 7.,?'r
DA*. Vj.
TQV0
Air Force
CIA (Chairman)
CIA
1rA~_ 01864'
2. It was pointed out that many COYJ1 NTS Qi PRINCIPAL SOURCES being
received with contributions still fail to meet reasonable requirements. Some,
for instance, neither appraise the nrincipal sources nor indicate gaos in
information. Others are insufficiently specific (e.g.,fail to date source
information and comment thereon) to be fully meaningful. to users and collec-
tors. In view of the great siLnificance of COMMENTS (IN PRINCIPAL SOURCES, it
was requested that the importance and nature of their content be reemphasized
3. The Chairman reported that sections delayed in their progress through
D/Ba by reason of necessity for revision or other special treatment were as
follows at the end of October 1949:
State
28
Army
44
Navy
2
Air Force
CIA
2
Total - 76
"Delayed by reason of necessity for revision or other special treatment" means
that the sections required major consultation with, or actual return to,
contributors for action beyond the scooe of normal editorial orocessing. By
no means all of these sections mere returned because of qualitative defects.
Some were returned because of changes in decision as to basic format (e.g.,
chapters to sections and vice versa). Nevertheless, the relatively large
percentage returned for qualitative defects indicates the necessity for improved
coordination and review. This inference apoears to be borne. out by the fact
that Chanters IX (Map and Chart Appraisal), rhich have been very carefully
coordinated and reviewed, have, to date, been uniformly of high quality.
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CIA-RDP78-05597A000400020055-1
 Approved For Release 1999/ 7A000400020055-1
~4
4. The Chairman announced that DCI 1rlrective 3/3, 28 October 1949,
establishes the scientific Intelligence Committee and makes the CIA Chairman
thereof coordinator of NI:;) Chapter Vii (Scientific). No reference is made to
the existing NIS Chapter VII Subcommittee. The present outline and outline
guide for Chapter VII will have to be revised, production responsibilities
reallocated, and the NIS Chapter VII Subcoaanittee reorganized. The Assistant
Director, OS1, is aware of this and will out the matter in hand shortly. In
the meantime, production of Chapters VII should proceed as at nresent. How-
ever, revision of the outline and outline guide for Chapter VII should be
held in abeyance until the recommendations of the new subcommittee are received.
These recommendations will require the approval of the NIS Committee.
5. It was pointed out that some recipients of NIS may not understand the
geographic unit method of production of Chanters 11 (Military Geography). For
instance, the following NIS Areas are treated in Chanter II as a geographic
unit:
No.
28
Syria and Lebanon
No.
29
Jordan
No.
30
Iraq
No.
3].
Palestine
Thus, when conies of elements of Chapter lI for this geographic unit (28-31)
are issued, they are issued in guadruplicate, one each being intended for NIS
28, 29, 30, and 31. Recipients who do not understand the geographic unit
method of production and who, in this instance, have not received elements of
other chapters of NIS 28, 29, 30, and 31, may believe that they are receiving
too many copies of Chapter II elements. Hence, it was recommended that, in
.instances of this nature, annropriate explanations be Included in disseminations
6. The State member introduced a copy of a basic intelligence study on
Iran prepared by headquarters Atlantic k'leet. Generally speaking, the study is
similar to a Chapter I (Brief) of an NIS and probably involved the output of a
suustantial amount of effort. Although the publication of N,S No. 33 (Iran) is
currently by no means complete, it is in progress; and, besideCC, a number of
generally equivalent interim studies (e.g., S/R 1ran, SIB Iran, S/A Handbook-
Iran) were available before the CINCLANT study was published. Further, no
situation of urgency justifying the oryoaration of such a study is apparcnt0
It was pointed out that, while the dircurnetances surrounding the conception and
production of the study are possibly involved and obscure, the study neverthe=-
less is an example of undesirable duplication of the NIS Program.
7. The members from the National Defense Agencies complained that their
Agencies are still receiving requests from CIA, compliance with which requires
them to do a considerable amount of work on S/R's which interferes seriously
with their production of NIS. The Chairman made the following explanation of
the S/R's in their relationship to NIS:
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CIA-RDP78-05597A000400020055-1
 Approved For Rele se 1999/0 A 00400020055-1
a. The S/R series was originally undertaken by CIA,
before the imolementation of the NIS Program, at the request
of the Director of Naval Intelligence.
b. After the implementation of the NIS Program, it was
decided to discontinue the S/R series except for certain
S/R's concerning strategically important countries, the pre-
paration of which was already in progress.
c. It was the understanding that the IAC Agencies were
to expend no effort on these S/R's if such expenditure inter-
fered with the production of NIS.
The members from the National Defense Agencies stated that requests from CIS.
regarding 5-/R manuscripts are still being worded in such a manner as to require
the actual expenditure of effort by their agencies on the S/R's. The Chairman
undertook to examine the matter and report at the next meeting.
8. A question was raised about the current validity of the Joint Staff
priorities as of 27 August 1948. It was pointed out that these priorities
may well have changed during the period August 1948 - November 1949 and that
current priorities will be of basic importance in the coming revision of the
FY 1950 NIS Production Schedule and formulation of the FY 1951 MIS Production
Schedule. The Chairman undertook to ascertain from the Joint Staff any changes
which may have occurred in their priorities.
9. The next meeting was scheduled for 1000 hours, Tuesday, 15 November
1949, at CIA.
25X1A9a
Uistributiun:
Committee
'lb
iembers (4)
AU/0RE
Chief, D/Dda
Liaison 0, D/Ba
Ed.Chief, v/Ba
Prod.Deo.Chief, U/Ba
jr. 1arman,JJ IG
U/Ba filet'
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CIA-RDP78-05597A000400020055-1