IMAGERY ANALYSIS SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1970

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B05703A000300100001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 1, 1970
• Content Type: REPORT

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Top Secret
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Declass Review by
NIMA/DOD
Imagery Analysis Service
Accomplishments During
Calendar Year 1970
Top Secret
xi
DECEMBER 1970
COPY s
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This paper, summarizing the major accomplishments of the CIA Imagery
Analysis Service during CY 1970, is a part of the IAS Program Submission
for the FY 1973-1977 period. It is meant for use in conjunction with the
current IAS Five-Year Plan also submitted in December 1970.
IAS efforts and accomplishments fall in the DDI Program Category--
Information Processing and Exploitation, Subcategory--Imagery Exploitation.
All are considered to be in the Program Element--Imagery Analysis with the
exception of items related to Management Support, the only other Program
Element specified for AS.
Progress in Organization and Method
IAS Management redefined its objectives during 1970, and this resulted
in the identification of the following major production-related tasks:
Detailed Imagery Analysis, Current Intelligence Support, Clandestine
Activities Support, Basic Reporting, and Imagery Assimilation. These are
defined and described in detail in our current Five-Year Plan.
In July 1970, this organization established its own historical file
and determined the primary documents which are to be deposited in this file
on a regular basis. More recently, plans have been made to safeguard and
record other materials of potential significance for the IAS Historical
File as they develop.
Progress in Recruitment and Training
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IAS training for the year totaled 24,000 man-hours or 7 percent of
the total time expended. The greatest share of this time is expended in
training new imagery analysts at the Strategic Air Command's 12-week P.I.
course at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Twenty imagery analysts
attended this course during 1970, as a part of our continuing policy of
training new professionals in the fundamentals of photointerpretation.
During the year, IAS management reviewed in-house training programs
for imagery analysts and formulated a policy in July (IAS Instruction
No. 20-10) setting forth for both analysts and supervisors the goals of
imagery analyst training programs in IAS and the responsibilities for
implementing the programs. Our policy is aimed at developing a consistent
training program with adequate opportunities for all imagery analysts.
As part of our professional development program, IAS contracted for
an effective writing course for 39 imagery analysts and supervisors in
late 1970. The course, consisting of eight two-hour sessions in AS, was
found to be very beneficial and will be repeated for about 65 analysts in
early 1971.
Progress in Substantive Output
IAS produced 1,127 substantive reports during 1970, including 958
memoranda (IOM's and IAM's) distributed selectively and mainly within CIA
(an average of 5 copies); 94 published reports (mainly basic reporting)
disseminated community-wide (125-150 copies); 41 cables; and 34 issues of
"IAS Notes." As in previous years, the reports, briefings, and illustra-
tions produced by IAS were contributed largely for incorporation with
intelligence from other sources into the finished intelligence issuances
of CIA, especially the Intelligence Reports and Memoranda prepared by the
production offices.
We continue to utilize a variety of reporting formats--Imagery Analysis
Memoranda (IAM's), Imagery Analysis Reports (IRR's), interoffice memoranda
(IOM's) and Imagery Research Aids (IRA's)--selected according to subject
matter and the number and level of users identified.
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Detailed Imagery Analysis. IAS regards detailed imagery analysis
support to the production offices as our most important task. During
1970 we continued to emphasize quality and timeliness in responding to
requirements, and our analytical efforts were quite productive in many
substantive and geographic areas. Following are a few highlights of
intelligence significance:
1. A comprehensive study by IAS in June 1970 showed that
activities seen at operational SS-9 ICBM sites were probably associated
with a program of periodic maintenance, servicing, and checkout of major
system components rather than signifying retrofit of major system
components as suggested to GMAIC by DIA. IAS was asked to make a
thorough examination of all completed. SS-9 groups since the first of these
became operational in 1966. This examination, involving several thousand
images or "target looks," was successfully completed within about a three-
week period.
2. In response to an OSR request and in support of SALT, IAS
provided a judgment paper on the ability of imagery analysts to detect
either the upgrading of Soviet MR/IRBM's to ICBM's or the deployment of
mobile ICBM's on satellite photography. This paper provided confidence
levels for measurement and detection of such activity. It also expressed
the difficulties and limitations that would be encountered in this type
of verification.
3. During the year, IAS identified four large Soviet plants
which it believes are designed to produce liquid hydrogen. They include
completed plants at Dneprodzerzhinsk, Chirch.ik, and two plants under
construction at Navoi and Tolyatti. These discoveries raise to seven the
number of confirmed and probable liquid hydrogen plants identified to
date in the USSR. IAS studies also have shown that the long cryogenic-
type rail cars observed at Launch Complex J, Tyuratam, are designed to
transport liquid hydrogen.
4. IAS produced an Imagery Analysis Report in August on the
origin and details of the H-III submarine at Severodvinsk, USSR. This
report provided valuable detailed information on the conversion of this
submarine which is believed to be the seaborne test platform for the
newest, longest-range, naval ballistic missile, the SS-NX-8.
5. Our extensive effort to monitor North Vietnamese logistics
including road, rail, and water traffic as well as pipeline construction
continued throughout the year. A senior supervisor from [AS participated
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on a DCI team which visited Thailand and Laos to resolve reporting problems
concerning the North Vietnamese logistics flow.
During 1970 IAS also continued its policy of devoting a small but
determined effort to advance the art in the application of imagery analysis
techniques for solving intelligence problems. Nine experimental projects
were completed during the year--four of them for OSR, one for OSI, and
four self-initiated. Imagery Research Aids were prepared for use by photo-
interpreters in IAS and elsewhere on: SA-5 System Ground Support Equipment;
Identification of Soviet Ground Force Training Facilities; and Identification
of Standard Soviet Support Structures (Part 2). Other experimental projects
resulted in Imagery Analysis Reports or memoranda.
We currently have eight active experimental projects in IAS. One of
these is a continuing project by which we attempt to promote conditions
conducive to the prompt, accurate identification of significant unidenti-
fied installations. By nominating such installations for photographic
coverage and directing the surveillance of these to the appropriate
specialists, we have been successful in either having an identification
made, such as the Kovylkino SA-5 Checkout Facility, or in determining that
they are not significant. During 1970 we were able to reduce our list of
unidentifieds from 34 to 23.
Current Intelligence Support. During CY 70 IAS participated with
OSR in 17 preliminary assessments of satellite missions, as directed by
the DDI. In addition, IAS unilaterally prepared 53 assessments of
aircraft missions over Southeast Asia and North Korea. Those containing
significant intelligence information were forwarded to the DDI. About
120 "miniboard" illustrations were prepared to visually highlight selected
items from both types of missions. Important findings from each satellite
mission were also presented orally by an IAS briefing team to an average
of about 125 persons at Headquarters, including ONE Board and Staff members.
Foreign liaison representatives received separate mission briefings on a
more restrictive basis.
During the height of the Middle East crisis in August, and on into
September, IAS participated with NPIC and DIA in the readout of U-2 and
satellite imagery and participated in joint reporting on SAM deployment
in the cease-fire zone. Of particular importance were the criteria
developed by IAS for assessing operational deployment. These criteria
were used by the intelligence community in reporting to Dr. Kissinger on
a very timely basis during this critical period. IAS also supported OSR
by developing the first available data base on ground forces in the Middle
East cease-fire zone.
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Persistent efforts by IAS to contribute new and important discoveries
as an outgrowth of our current intelligence efforts resulted in several
major identifications during the year, including the Chinese missile
impact area reported in December and the first identification of Frog
missile equipment in Egypt early in November. There were other significant
finds by IAS in subjects such as submarine construction, nuclear weapons
storage, command/control facilities, Scaleboard field sites, radar deploy-
ment, etc.
Throughout the year, IAS also continued to carry out its ADDI-assigned
responsibility of reviewing CIB items containing imagery-derived information.
We reviewed approximately 175 such items during the year so as to assure
that the imagery-derived information was accurate and up-to-date.
We also continued our role of reviewing the President's Quarterly
Report (PQR) managed by OSR on the status of Soviet strategic attack
forces. Here our responsibility,is to verify the accuracy of imagery-
derived information and to recommend and prepare appropriate illustrations.
Clandestine Activities Support. The amount of imagery analysis support
provided to DDP was 4 percent of our total effort in 1970. In addition,
IAS continued to staff the Multisensor Branch in Udorn, Thailand with 9
imagery analysts assigned to DDP for two-year PCS tours of duty.
As part of our support to the clandestine services, we continued to
monitor prisoner-of-war camps in North Vietnam and to check on other locations
reported to contain POW's. At the request of DDP, we had a scale model
constructed of one of these reported POW camps.
We also provided photographic studies and other imagery analysis support
for clandestine operations in various functional and geographic areas.
Basic Reporting. By June 1970 IAS had successfully completed Its basic
reporting responsibility under the National Tasking Plan for FY 70. Within
that fiscal year a total of 309 non-military industrial installations were
studied. The majority of these are located in China with the remainder in the
USSR and North Korea. These studies resulted in the production of nearly
50 Basic Imagery Interpretation Reports (BIIR's). More than half of these
represent consolidated reports where all of the known installations within
a given industry (e.g. cement or iron and steel) are presented in a single
document. Where applicable, the consolidated basic report format is used
since it is more economical and useable than reporting on individual install-
ations one at a time. The FY-71 basic reporting program for non-military
industries is progressing on schedule.
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In October 1970 IAS produced a report containing engineering drawings
with precise dimensions of the SA-3 Goa missile. Although this detailed
study was done in response to a CIA production office requirement, it was
published as an interim basic report for the benefit of the intelligence
community, with the concurrence of the organization responsible (Army).
IAS is also participating in the basic reporting program on ground
force installations by agreement with DIA and according to an EXSUBCOM/
COMIREX plan. We are doing these studies primarily to meet OSR needs
but have agreed to publish them as interim basic reports for community
use. By the end of the year IAS produced a total of 39 such reports on
North Korean ground force facilities and is in the process of doing
similar reports on the Kun-ming Military Region of China.
Quantitative Summary. During CY 70, IAS expended 171,400 man-hours
(including some overtime) on discrete, measurable imagery analysis projects.
The table on page 7 shows distribution of effort, by percentage.
These figures for 1970 reflect a sharp increase in our efforts on the
Middle East because of the crisis there. They also show a drop of 6 percent
on the USSR, and increases of 5 percent on China and 6 percent oh the
Middle East as compared with our efforts during 1969.
There was also a decrease in the amount of work expended by IAS on
Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) from a total of 14 percent
in 1969 to II percent in 1970.
Overtime. IAS overtime during 1970 was held to about the same level
as in 1969 (11,000 man-hours).
Progress in Specialized Services
In CY 70, an estimated 33 man-years were expended on providing
specialized services to IAS, 13 by IAS supporting elements and about
20 by NPIC. The services provided within ]AS are mainly information
control, film storage, photoreproduction, equipment maintenance, require-
ment handling, and publications and graphic support.
IAS continued to rely on NPIC for supporting services which would be
costly and inefficient to duplicate. These included photo and lithographic
reproduction (10.3 man-years), complex photogrammetry (4.3 man-years), the
maintenance of complicated electro-optical equipment (.1 man-year), computer
services (2.1 man-years), collateral information and registry (2.3 man-
years), and the preparation of special graphics/models (1.0 man-year). IAS
also relied on NPIC for R&D related to imagery exploitation.
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IAS TIME EXPENDED ON IMAGERY ANALYSIS AND REPORTING I/
January - December* 1970
(by percentages)
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Subject Percent
Country
Percent
Requester Perc
ent
Clandestine Activities
USSR
32
DDI 6
1
Support
4
China
30
DDS&T 1
8
Ground Forces
18
Sino-Soviet
I
DDP
4
Nuclear Energy Weapons
Middle East
7
COMIREX
5
CW, BW
7
Vietnam
6
DCI I
Strategic Attack
Laos
4
Other 2/ I
I
Missiles & Space
12
Cambodia
I
10
00
Naval Forces
6
E. Europe
2
Non-Military Industries
12
N. Korea
4
Strategic Defense
Other 2/
13
Missiles & Electronics
12
1007,
Transportation and
Logistics
II
Air Forces
4
Geographic Studies
4
Other 2/
10
10070
I/ Personnel involved are imagery analysts and their Branch Chiefs as
well as illustrators and intelligence assistants who support them
directly on imagery analysis projects.
2/ Includes projects covering more than one subject, country, or
requester where no breakdown can conveniently be made or the
percentage expended is less than one. Also includes brief consulta-
tions, general file maintenance, and some experimentation in imagery
analysis.
* Percentages are based on actual figures for January through October
1970 and projected for the remainder of the year.
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NPIC support in most cases has been very satisfactory, but we are
concerned about computer services being able to meet our needs in the
forthcoming period.
Progress in Equipment
Three = Comparators, connected on-line to NPIC's Univac 494
computer, were put into operational use early in the year. These instru-
ments permit our imagery analysts to make accurate measurements in-house
and have significantly improved our ability to respond to mensuration
requests from CIA production offices on a timely basis.
Orders were placed for 16 Model-1540 Ii ht tables with the necessary
optics to provide a capability for viewing I Iroll film stereoscopically.
In addition, we are in the process of replacing the manual film cranks on
25 of our Model-940 light tables with motorized film drives in preparation
for handling large volumes ofiimagery.
Two CRT display consoles with teletype printers have been procured
to tie IAS into NPIC's forthcoming Integrated Information System (IIS).
This equipment should enable IAS analysts to query NPIC's automated files
of P.I. information on a rapid basis from either of two stations located
within IAS work spaces.
Basic optical testing and alignment devices were purchased to improve
our in-house ability to maintain and repair IAS' exploitation equipment.
We also acquired a Microfiche Viewer-Printer in the hope of greatly reducing
space requirements for storing mission indexes, listings, and related
reports.
IAS experimented during the year with the use of IBM Magnetic-Card
Selectric typewriters to determine whether an increased typing workload
could be offset by acquiring these machines for use in ]AS components.
The results have been very promising, and we now have three of these units.
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Top Secret
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