COPING WITH THE INFORMATION HANDLING PROBLEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00062A001300010022-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 31, 2006
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: February 22, 1974
• Content Type: MF

or Release 2006/08/31 : CIA-RDP79M00062A00130001g0 2-2_
R. ',Y 7.~ Y^x~
2 2 FEq ;974
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy to the DCI for the Intelligence
Community
FROM Deputy Director for Management and Services
SUBJECT Coping with the information Handling
Problem
REFERENCE D/DCI/IC Memorandum to the DCI, dated
8 February 1974, same subject
1. I have read your proposal in the reference with
at first glance the proposition
great interest. Certainly b developing a
to eliminate duplication and redundancy by
single intelligence information system would seem tohav
merit. I am somewhat cautious in evaluating yo rarroposel
aling
because of this Agency's previous experience
in large-scale information systems intendedstorserveCthe
needs of a broad spectrum of The hi
seems to be an example of this. This effort to apply an
integrated information approach to only a portion of the
information is far from being
total Intelligence Community certainly, is the parochial
successful. One of the reasons, r
all attitudes of the agenvcies rather thantsolu-
freauently in the pro would also apply to your
tions. I fear this human tendency
proposal.
impose learned a from
2. Another lesson whic~haI ttan think
effort be
our previous experiences is conteo over ther she project. solution Successful actioni 'D n
stilltedsato follow the
do proj ct
dollar and nd if all we providsclouturthetfate ofIyourlevel
which carries with it no financial previous experiences
recommendation may be the same as those pr
v1!ORUCC
IA-R D P79M00062A001300010022-2
 Approved For Releap 2.006ZQ
A-FD' 91tt~ 1300010022-2
3. Also worthy of mention are two minor aspects which
may cause problems. The Agency's security interests,
which call for compartmentation and dissemination on a
need-to-know basis, frequently run counter to the desires
of the Department of Defense to disseminate intelligence
to the tactical level. This could be a stumbling block in
implementation of any system, for while there are solutions
to almost every security problem, it is almost impossible
to solve them if the environment which presents the problem
is ever-expanding. Secondly, there may be some values which
can be realized from the competitive aspects of the develop-
ment of different information systems and system components
to meet specific needs.
4. There is already in existence, as you well know,
one mechanism which could play an enhanced role in meeting
your objective. I refer to the Information Handling Committee
of the USIB. While this Committee does not possess a charter
as broad as your proposal, its charter could be modified to
take into account some of the recommended activities. The
Committee could address itself to-selected aspects of the
information handling situation in the Intelligence Community,
supported by the prestige of the DCI. This way we could
proceed a step at a time toward identifying and solving
problems using an already existing mechanism. This would
also have the advantage of not requiring the discontinuance
of existing developmental projects until a major overall
study was completed. I think this last point is very desirable
because the agencies concerned will inevitably suffer a con-
siderable loss of momentum in the solution of their information
handling problems.
HAROLD L. BROWNMAN
Deputy Director
for
Management and Services