COMIREX PARTICIPATION IN THE FIELD OF MC&G

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B01709A000400020022-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: July 16, 1968
• Content Type: MF

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Chairman, COMIREX
SUBJECT : COMIREX Participation in the Field of MC&G
1. I am responding to your memorandum of 15 July via
General Reynolds so that he may append his comment. While I do
not want to upset the present working arrangements on the handling
of photographic collection for MC&G until a decision is made on
General Reynolds' study, I find one factor that bothers me and is
not made clear in your memorandum. I refer to the establishment
of requirements. As you know, it is my view that MC&G should not
be considered as an intelligence program. Therefore, I do not
think that USIB should establish the requirements for collection of
information for MC&G.
2. The description of what your Committee does with
regard to the assignment of priorities for photographic collection of
MC&G data seems quite reasonable to me. As I view it, what you're
doing is making a determination of how much coverage we can
allocate to MC&G without undue interference to intelligence collection.
This seems to me to be an appropriate function for your Committee.
However, as soon as it can be done without upsetting the program,
I think that USIB, and hence your Committee, should get out of the
business of establishing requirements for photo coverage for MC&G
purposes.
us ay
,~Ga e a.. ' ..tt vw~
16 July 1968
Me4n #.i d-?-
Maj. General Reynolds tA- L Dei
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eputy rector
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15 July 1968
MEMORANDUM FOR: Admiral Taylor
SUBJECT: COMIREX Policy in the Field of Mapping,
Charting, and Geodesy
1. In view of General Reynolds' study and your comments
on this subject to Ed Proctor, I would like to outline for you the
present COMIREX practices with regard to mapping, charting, and
geodesy problems. These practices are interpretations of guidance
or requirements approved by USIB and have been developed on the
basis of experience. I would not plan to change them unless directed
to do so.
2. The KH-4 is programmed against specific "holidays"
in the Soviet Bloc and Communist China divided according to built-up
and underdeveloped areas, a certain number of square nautical miles
in the Free World for "intelligence" coverage, and a further require-
ment for Free World coverage against "mapping and charting" require-
ments. At the request of COMIREX, the AMS maintains a map to guide
the NRO showing built-up and underdeveloped "holiday" areas in the
Soviet Bloc and Communist China. Mapping and charting requirements
are included in these "holidays" without differentiation. On a mission-
by-mission basis NRO is also advised as to which specific targets
within the "bloc" but outside of the "holiday" areas, need to be
covered because they are of current importance to the intelligence
community. The NRO is instructed to operate the KH-4 against the
areas shown on the "holiday" map on a weather basis with no
distinction as to type of "holiday. "
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3. At the present time most of the Bloc has already
received satisfactory coverage for mapping purposes. Modest
amounts are carried on the "holiday" map that have either not
been covered or for which recoverage is desired to improve the
quality of the coverage to enhance the efficiency of the map
production process. Coverage of Bloc territory for mapping
purposes also counts against our requirement for search in the
Bloc and, vice versa.
4. Outside of the Bloc, we collect a modest amount
of photography on problems of current intelligence interest.
These areas usually involve problems such as the Middle East,
India and Pakistan, etc. A small amount of photography is obtained
for operational reasons. The remainder of the
photography taken outside of the Bloc is directed against the require-
ment for mapping coverage. The NRO expends film against this
requirement whenever an area of good weather occurs in sufficient
size over territory for which mapping photography is needed. At
the present time most of the world with average or better weather
conditions has been covered. As of 30 June 1968 the mapping
requirement outside of the Bloc and the 'bad weather belt" had
been reduced to only 1, 032, 000 square nautical miles. The main
outstanding mapping requirement involves the bad weather belt
lying generally along the equator through South America, Africa,
and Southeast Asia. A large part of this area may never be
available for photography
5. In summary, the NRO photographs a few areas for
which urgent coverage is required regardless of weather conditions.
Beyond that point the NRO expends film against our current require-
ments, the "holiday" requirement in the Bloc, and the mapping require-
ment outside of the Bloc on the basis of weather, it being the COMIREX
view that it is more efficient to expend film against mapping require-
ments in good weather than it is to expend the same film against
search requirements in bad weather or to obtain excessively
redundant coverage of the Bloc.
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7. In view of the relatively low intelligence value of the
photography from the index cameras and their importance to mapping,
charting, and geodesy, COMIREX has authorized the NRO to operate
these cameras normally to meet the specific needs of the mapping,
charting, and geodesy community. COMIREX retains the right, however,
to change this practice whenever it is desirable to do so.
8. The practices outlined above have yielded good results
for mapping, charting, and geodesy at the cost of very little interference
with the intelligence mission. If you feel that any of these practices
should be changed, I would like to discuss the matter with you in greater
detail.
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Chairman
Committee on Imagery Requirements and Exploitation
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