TERMINATION OF THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00062A001300020001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 24, 2005
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 11, 1973
• Content Type: MF

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NEFIENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGEN
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
1 7-
11SEP1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs
SUBJECT Termination of the National Intelligence
Survey Program
1. The National. Intelligence Survey (NIS) has been pro-
over many years as an encyclopedic collation of information
and analysis of the more or less permanent characteristics and
resources of foreign countries. With the pressure of resources,
this Program has been whittled down in scope from an earlier
extensive effort to provide near contemporaneous information on
a wide range of countries. In the past few years, the Program
has come under increasing pressure due to the feeling that it
contributed comparatively little to high-level national intelligence
customers, whatever its contribution at the lower and training
levels of the departments. In recent months CIA has come to
the conclusion that it can no longer justify the use of its re-
sources for this publication in competition with other require-
ments. This matter was discussed with the United States
Intelligence Board, and at its meeting of 19 July 1973 the USIB
noted the CIA decision to terminate the Program and approved
a phase-out plan to be implemented during the remainder of
Fiscal Year 1974. The attached notification is planned. to be
sent to NIS customers with respect to this termination.
2. The NIS Program is authorized in paragraph 1 of
NSCID No. 3. Termination of the Program would require a
revision of the NSCED. Rather than move on this one subject
only, however, it is my suggestion that I be permitted also to
develop recommendations for possible revision of the other
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NSCID's, which in my opinion will make them more reflective
of the spirit of the President's memorandum of 5 November 1971.
This would also enable us to reflect and respond to some of the
recent Congressional discussions of the role of these NSCID's
with relation to the National Security Act df 1947, and the statutory
authority under which the Agency and the intelligence community
operate.
3. On 20 September I plan to disseminate to NIS customers
the attached notification of termination of the Program and, unless
you object, I shall defer the revision of NSCID No. 3 until I have
developed recommendations for the possible revision of other
NSCID's.
2s7 U1! Et Coils
W. E. Colby
Director
Attachment
CONCUR:
Mr. Proctor handcarried to Mr. Colby 11 September 1973
Deputy Director for Intelligence.
ADDI/PVWalsh/tb (10 Sept 73)
Distribution:
Orig & 1 - Addressee w/att 1 - DDI (File: NIS Program) w/att
1 - DCI w/att 1 - DDI Chrono w/att
~~- Executive Secretariat/USIB w/att
1 - Chairman, NIS Committee (Mr. King) w/att
1 - DDI (File: MCA-40) w/att
J.>`J1 tS.
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1 - DDCI w/att
1 - ER w/att
1 - AD/DCI/IC w/att
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Termination of the National Intelligence Survey
1. General Survey
a. Program will be terminated by the end of FY 1974.
b. NIS General Survey production programming for FY 1974
will be limited to the following countries: Denmark, Republic of
China, Spain, Turkey and Czechoslovakia. The NIS production
schedule for FY 1974, approved by the NIS Committee on 24 January
1973, is amended to reflect this change.
c. All inputs from contributing agencies will reach the NIS
Division of OBGI, CIA, by 1 January 1974. The remaining 6 months
of FY 1974 will be devoted. to clearing the pipeline and making
proper disposition of the files and records. (At present 22 General
Surveys--including the 5 listed above--remain in the pipeline,, plus
3 or 4 detailed sections. )
2. Inventory
a. NIS publications in the inventory at the end of FY 1974
(approximately 2, 000 titles, 3, 200 cu. ft) will continue to be
available for dissemination through established channels from
CIA until existing stocks are depleted.
b. CIA does not plan to continue to reprint on demand titles out
of stock. Any NIS reproducibles desired by DIA will be turned over
to DIA for retention.
3. Factbook
a. CIA will continue to compile, coordinate, edit, publish, and
disseminate an interagency Factbook. It will resemble closely the
NIS Factbook in format, scope, and method and scheduling of
production.
b. Factbook contributions and cooperation from the DoD, the
Department of State, and others must continue if the Factbook is to
continue.
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17 July 1973
Questions:
1. Has USIB approved in principle termination of the
NIS Program?
2. Is the phaseout program approved?
3. The NIS Committee can play no meaningful part in a DIA
decision as to what parts of the NIS Program DIA will "salvage".
Is the Committee relieved of that responsibility?
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16 July 1973
Report on the NIS Committee Meeting of 11 July 1973
Following the USIB Meeting of 28 June, at which certain decisions
were made concerning the NIS, I met with the Board's NIS Committee
on 11 July.
I reviewed the USIB Meeting, drawing primarily upon the Draft
Minutes as prepared by the Executive Secretary.
I reported my understanding of the situation, as follows:
1. The NIS Program would be terminated before the end
of FY 1974 as a result of budget and manpower reductions
imposed upon CIA.
2. The NIS Committee would work out a plan to phase oui.
the program and would submit that plan to USIB in the near
future. (Work had already begun on this in concert with the
NIS Committee members. )
3. CIA would consider ways and means of salvaging the
Factbook. (By 11 July, I had been assured by the DDI that
necessary budget and positions would be available to continue
the Factbook and I so informed the Committee, pointing out that
contributions and cooperation as in the past would be essential. )
4. That there was little the Committee -- or CIA -- could do
to assist DIA in determining what parts of the DIA-produced NIS
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t d 1 t , l;
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coverage DI-rk ML
in existing or new DoD publications. Needless to say, the
Committee and CIA would help with records, files, suggestions,
and any other feasible manner.
I tabled a draft memorandum to USIB that set forth a phaseout
plan and a CIA agreement to carry on its part of the Factbook. The
memorandum sought USIB approval of the phaseout plan and the
Factbook action, and general approval of any forthcoming DIA
proposal to incorporate useful NIS products into its own publications.
In the discussion that followed, it was clear that. mine was not the
only understanding of the situation. In the end, the other NIS Committee
members declined to approve the draft memorandum. In sum, the
difference of view revolved around three points:
1. The sense of the USIB meeting of 28 June was not
to abolish the program. The NIS Committee was invited to
prepare a proposal as to what coz Id be salvaged.
2. CIA, under the terms of NSCID No. 3 (17 February 1972)
cannot unilaterally drop out of the NIS Program. Or, if it can,
it still has the responsibility to produce intelligence of common
concern or see that such intelligence is produced when a require-
ment for it exists.
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3 . A DIA study group i s reviewing DoD's r equi.rements
for intelligence formerly fulfilled by the NIS. It will determine
what parts of the DIA-produced sections DIA will continue to
produce and incorporate into departmental publications. The
study will also determine what requirements for basic intelligence
DIA will have to levy on CIA. The DIA Working Group target date
is in September. Any further NIS Committee recommendation to
USIB should await the results of the DIA study and clarification
of the general areas of confusion mentioned above.
Meanwhile, practical considerations are exerting heavy pressure
on the Program. The NIS Division has shriveled from 55 to under 30
since February. . Contracts with our research groups in Commerce had
to be drawn up for the new fiscal year. We have written them for 6 months
only to terminate 29 December 1973.
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17 July 1973
Phaseout Plan for the NIS Program
Submitted by the NIS Committee Chairman
1. General Survey
a. Program will be terminated by the end of FY 1974.
b. NIS General Survey production programming for FY 1974 will
be limited to the following countries: Denmark, Republic of China,
Spain, .Turkey, and Czechoslovakia. The NIS production schedule for
FY 1974, approved by the NIS Committee on 24 January 1973, is
amended to reflect this change.
c. All inputs from contributing agencies will reach the NIS Division
of OBGI, CIA, by I January 1974. The remaining 6 months of FY 1974
will be devoted to clearing the pipeline and making proper disposition of
the files and records. (At present 22 General Surveys -- including the
5 listed above -- remain in the pipeline, plus 3 or 4 detailed sections. )
2. Inventory
a. NIS publications in the inventory at the end of FY 1974 (appro -
iiuateiy 2, 000 titles, 3, 200 cu. ft.) will continue to be available for
dissemination through established channels from CIA until existing stocks
are depleted.
b. CIA does not plan to continue to reprint on demand titles out of
stock. Any NIS reproducibles desired by DIA will be turned over to DIA
for retention.
a. CIA will continue to compile, coordinate, edit, publish, and -
disseminate an interagency Factbook. It will resemble closely the NIS
Factbook in format, scope, and method and scheduling of production-
b. Factbook contributions and cooperation from the DoD, the
Department of State, and others must continue if the Factbook is to
continue.
25
IN 1 / 25
Chairman, NIS Committee
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