COMMENTS ON DRAFT MEMORANDUM FROM HENRY KISSINGER ON CIVIL USE OF CLASSIFIED RECONNAISSANCE SYSTEMS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND PRODUCTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B01709A001400040039-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2004
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: July 31, 1973
• Content Type: MF

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31 July 1973
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SECRET
2004/04/13: CIA-RDP79B01709A001400040039-2
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
FROM Chairman, Committee on Imagery
Requirements and Exploitation
Comments on Draft Memorandum from
Henry Kissinger on Civil Use of
Classified Reconnaissance Systems,
Technologies, and Products
1. Action Requested: Dave Elliott, NSC Staff, has forwarded
for review and comment the attached draft of a memorandum to be signed
by Henry Kissinger which would update and regularize civil agency
handling and uses of classified satellite photography acquired over the
U.S. The memorandum, among other things, calls for the DCI to form a
civil applications subcommittee to COMIREX and to have a representative
on an existing interagency committee dealing with earth resources survey
activity. Paragraph 8 . , below, recommends that you concur in the
substance of the proposed memorandum.
2. Background: As you may know, for some years civil agencies
such as U.S. Geological Survey (USGS/Interior) and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA/Commerce) have had relatively
small programs to take advantage of classified satellite photography
acquired over the U.S. With the exception of the USGS, 'for which there
is a formal USIB-approved requirement, the needs of civil agencies have
generally been met as by-products of satellite engineering operations
over the U.S. or on an ad hoc basis as circumstances permitted. As the
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attached draft memorandum indicates, the instrumentality for consolidating
and channeling these civil agency requests in the past has been the ARGO
Steering Committee, which is now defunct.
3. A number of activities have taken place during the last year
or so which have expanded the interests of civil agencies in the potential
application of satellite photography to their problems.
b . The initial acquisition of the lower quality,
but unclassified, imagery from NASA's Earth Resources
Technology Satellite (ERTS), and more recently SKYLAB,
have heightened interest in the general application of
satellite photography of the earth.
C . A Federal Mapping Task Force has recently
completed a government-wide survey with the conclusion
that satellite photography could be used to advantage in
a number of civil map making activities.
All photography acquired by the classified satellite systems is handled
within the TALENT-KEYHOLE Control System and is utilized, in special
facilities which have been established for these purposes.
4. The specific proposals contained in the attached draft are the
result of extensive discussions which Dave Elliott has had with personnel
in the agencies involved and in consideration of various options. He
believes the proposal represents the best balance obtainable among all
factors. The memorandum itself is relatively self-explanatory.
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5. The formation of a civil applications subcommittee attached
to COMIREX, as proposed in the third paragraph of the draft, is feasible
and would be a relatively straightforward means of handling civil agency
requirements. Such a subcommittee would operate similar to present
arrangements for defense mapping and charting requirements; that is,
be an independent instrumentality for receiving, evaluating, consolidating,
and prioritizing requirements in its field and transmitting these to COMIREX
for inclusion and consolidation with all of the other tasks levied on the
classified systems.
6. If the subcommittee proposal is implemented, care would be
taken in drawing up its charter to assure that it is clear that neither the
Director of Central Intelligence, nor the Chairman of COMIREX acting for
him, has any role to play in determining civil applications, as such, and
that the function of the subcommittee is to act as an interface between the
civil and intelligence areas in channeling requests for data.
7. Staff Position: I believe that the attached proposal represents
a feasible approach at this time to organizing and channeling civil agency
.actions in this area. .[ have discussed and reviewed the draft memorandum
with Ed Proctor, Don Steininger, and Lew Allen who concur in it.
8. Recommendation: If you concur, I recommend that you
authorize me to send a, note to Dave Elliott indicating that this draft has
been reviewed within the Agency, and with you, and that it appears
substantively acceptable in its present form.
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DISAPPROVED:
Attachment
Draft Memorandum "Civil Use of Classified
Reconnaissance Systems, Technologies,
and Products"
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Approved For Release 2004/0 1?.EM-RDP79B01709A001400040039-2
 Apprnvprl For P IPA Cd
Subject: Comments on Draft Memorandum from Henry Kissinger on
Civil Use of Classified Reconnaissance Systems, Technologies,
and Products
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1 Jul 73)
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- DCI, return
- A/DCI
- D/DCI/IC
- DDI
- A/DDS&T
- ER
- COMIREX
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 DRAFT
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MEMORANDUM FOR:
The Secretary of the Interior
The Secretary of .Agriculture
The Secretary of Commerce
.Director, Central i~ e3"g Director, Office of Management and Budget
Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
''Henry A. Kissinger
SUBJECT: Civil Use of Classified Reconnaissance
Systems, Technologies, and Products
The ARGO program was initiated in 1967 by the Presidentts Science
Adviser for the purpose of testing, on a limited basis, the utility of
classified reconnaissance products as a tool in earth resource assessment.
The results of the study were sufficiently encouraging that an interagency
ARGO Steering Committee was established to facilitate expanded civil use
of these classified data and systems, and in the succeeding period a
rLumber of projects were successfully carried out.
Experience has shown, however, that if these concepts are to be
put into action on a considerably broader and more operational basis, a
routine mechanism, not available now via ARGO, is required to receive,
evaluate, and satisfy requests for new data. The present ARGO structure
is also obsolescent with the regard to membership, and with the advent of
the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Earth Resource Survey
Program (ICCERSP), the necessity of direct Executive Office involvement
is no longer evident.
SEGRET /S.ENSITIVEIXGUS/BY AUTH HENRY A. KISSINGF,R
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To move the c:oncept:s of A-R.GO to-.vard Brea e realization
acvf .o
update the organizational structure three actions ace being t;tlzen.
The ARGO Steering Committee is abolish ,1,
The Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) will form a civil
applications subcommittee to the Cocz _ittee on lrri.a r ry Requirements
and Exploitation, which will receive, evaluate, consolidate, prioritizes
and transmit to COMIREX requests for data, and will act as the interface
with the civil user community in obtaining standardized requests and
reaching compromises between requests and capabilities. The subcommittee
will be chaired by the representative of the Department of the Interior, and
will consist of representatives of the Departments of Agricultureye xl
CL,JL
Commerce,hthe National Aeronautics and Space Admiaistration. The
of COMIREX and the DCI representative to the Executive Committee
of ICCERSP will serve ex officio,
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is requested
to charge the Executive Committee of ICCERSP with the responsibility
I'~?~.
stimulate, facilitate, and evaluate
the
exploitation of remote sensing by classified systems, to c?,., . _ ,7e
classified reconnaissance technology in performance of the .ERS function,
and to report annually in a classified annex to the annual ERS report, as to the
status, progress, problems, and recommendations in obtaining and integrating
classified data into the U. S. ERS prof rare- The Executive Committee will
be supplemented with a representative of the DCI, for the purposes of liaison
and facilitating acquisition of clearances or member agency personnel.
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SEGREf~T/SENSITIVE XGDS l3Y AU' TJ II1 R~' -~. I SSING-El