LETTER TO THE HON. WILLIAM E. COLBY FROM GEORGE W. ANDERSON, JR.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00096A000400040005-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 14, 2008
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: September 25, 1973
• Content Type: LETTER

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September 25, 1973
The Board's Science Panel, chaired by Dr. William O. Baker,
reviewed the status of the Community On-Line Intelligence System
(COINS) during the morning of September 6, 1973. A copy of the
agenda and list of attendees are attached.
The Board's interest in COINS dates back to its recommendation to
President Johnson in 1965 for the development of a computerized,
community-wide system of exchanging intelligence data. Early in
his first Administration, President Nixon endorsed a sustained
effort to achieve such a system and directed the Board to stimulate
and monitor progress toward this end.
The Panel discussion reaffirmed that there has been commendable
progress on the technological side, but established no corresponding
development toward an agreed community concept to guide the tech-
nical capability. The result is that COINS has an ad hoc management
structure, insufficient program visibility and support, and reluctant
participation by some agencies whose self-defined needs are not met
by COINS in its present form. Some unanswered questions are:
-- Is there a need for a national intelligence data base which
establishes responsibility for the maintenance of community
files and which declares information held by the several
intelligence agencies to be the shared property of all?
-- Is COINS to serve intelligence analysts exclusively (for
example, as a tool to manipulate raw data), or ought it
also to include product consumers as participants?
-- Should there be a single intelligence data-handling system,
or are there legitimate requirements for a multiplicity of
inter-intelligence community, systems?
Release as redacted. PFIAB review
completed
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As a result of its examination, the Panel believes that the current
improvement trends should continue, but recommends that COINS be
given immediate high-level attention in order to:
-- delineate the specific objectives which a community system
should achieve, i. e. , a concept papery
-- develop an agreed community plan to implement these objectives;
-- identify the management structure best suited to implement
the plan, and manage the program on behalf of the entire
Intelligence Community.
The formulation of an agreed community concept and an agreed plan
of implementation are acknowledged to involve complex problems,
notwithstanding the years of accumulated experience with COINS.
However, in the absence of their being definitively articulated and
accepted as authoritative doctrine, it is clear that COINS will not
achieve the status of a community-wide data-sharing system. At
best, it will remain but one of several independently pursued and very
costly information-handling retrieval systems. Most importantly,
the greater int.i?brest of intelligence consumers will not be served.
To accomplish the aforementioned recommendations will require both
the unqualified cooperation of the principals involved and sufficient
fiscal and personnel resources. Given the complexity and superim-
posing nature of the problem relative to the individual intelligence
agencies, assistance from outside the government may be desirable.
Without minimizing the crucial importance in this process of the
Secretary of Defense and the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget, it is axiomatic that these tasks be performed under the
direct guidance of the Director of Central Intelligence.
The Board would be pleased to nominate, for your consideration, in-
dividuals it believes qualified to spearhead the project definition phase,
and of course extends its offer to assist you further in every way.
Sincerely,
The Hon. William E. Colby
Director of Central Intelligence
Washington, D. C. 20505
cc: Dr. Albert C. Hall, ASD(I)
r-, ,1.'./?. 4'^-4)',4 Asa-_
eorge W. Anderson, Jr.
Admiral, USN (Ret.)
Chairman
Mr. Bernard Bridgewater, Associate Director, OMB
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 Approved For Release 2008/02/14: CIA-RDP
Status Briefi
79M00096AO00400040005-4
ng
Sept. 6
8:30 a.m.
Executive Session
Introductory Remarks
Mr. Morton Goulder, De
Secretary of Defense (Int
Intelligence and Warning
puty Assistant
elligence) for
Systems (I&WS)
8:50,
COINS Background and Status
COI
NS Project 25X1
4'
Manager, NSA
9:10
ASD(I) Review of COINS for the
Mr. Norman Solat, COINS Project
Intelligence Resources Advisory
Committee (IRAC)
Officer, ASD(I)
9:20
COINS File Content and Product
25X1
Review .
DCI/Intelligence Community Sta 25X1
9:30
10:00
10:15
10:20
10:30
11:00
11:10
11:15
11:30
Break
Executive Agent Role
Data Base Review
Summary of Ongoing Activities
-- retrieval languages
user support
network management
Restructuring of the COINS
Network ("COINS II''); relation-
ship to the Intelligence Data
Handling S;-stem (IDHS)
Computer Security
Management Summary
Discussion
Executive Session
Support Group
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DIA. ana
sultant, NSA
.yst 25X1
DIA analyu25X1
NSA Data ProcI25X1
 ATTENDEES
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PFIAB Science Panel
Dr. Williara O. Baker, Chairman
Dr. Edwin H. Land
Dr. Edward Teller
Dr. John S. Foster,, Jr.
PFIAB Staff
Mr. Wheaton B. Byers
Cdr. Lionel H. Olmer, USN
Agenda Participants
DCI Intelli ence Community Staff
DCI Intelligence Community Staff
DCI/Intelligence Community Staff
25X1
25X1
25X1
CIA
Mr. Charles Briggs, Deputy Director CIA for Plans, Programs & Budget
Defense
Mr. Morton Goulder, Deputy Asst. Secy of Defense (Intelligence) for
Intelligence and Warning Systems (I&WS)
a 1
Mr. Norman Solat, COINS Project Officer, ASD(I)
Mr. Albert Albrecht, ASD(I) Staff
DIA analyst
DIA analyst
Mr. Robert C. Selby, Civilian with AFINAR (Asst. Chief of Staff for
Intelligence, Air Force)
COINS Project Manager, NSA
Data Processing Sup )ort Group, NSA
Consultant, NSA
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25X1