SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW TO MANAGE COLLECTION SYSTEM TRADE-OFFS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00098A000300020036-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 3, 2006
• Sequence Number: 36
• Publication Date: June 3, 1974
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2006/111 CYO-RbF- Ab 0 6000300020036-8
DCI/IC,74_083
3 June. I'y74
25X1
MEMORANDUM FOIL
SUBJECT : Some Thoughts on How to Manage
Collection System Trade-Offs
1. In theory, and to a considerable extent in practice, the
SIGINT, C OMIR EX, and HUMINT Committees of USIB provide
coordinated requirements and collection guidance to NSA, the NR.O,
and the HUMINT community respectively. What is perceived to be
lacking is a community mechanism to coordinate collection between
and among these three separate collection systems.
2. The ability of the DCI and program managers to make
rational judgments on SIGINT/Imagery /HUMINT trade-offs will
depend heavily on a more effective system cf evaluation than now
exists but which, hopefully, will evolve from KEP. Thus, in my
view, whatever mechanism is developed to staff out such judgments
should be the same mechanism that makes the key judgments in the
KEP process. This points inevitably to the NIOs.
3. What will happen in practice is that each NIO, after an
accumulation of experience and knowledge based on the data pro-
duced by KEP, will say I need X amount of SIGINT, Y amount of
Imagery, and Z amount of HUMINT to meet the needs of my bailiwick.
George Carver will add up all the X's, Y's, and Z's and present the
totals separately to each appropriate USIB Committee. These will
be considered the highest priority, rock bottom requirements for
each collection system. The Committee will be responsible for
determining what additional requirements will have to be added to
meet "other" legitimate needs of customers. This process will
require brokering not only with the program managers of three
ccll;?ction :iy5i3 ?3 but also ron3ulta,i.on amanj 'I-la t_2 KQ __ t
chairmen and finally clearance through IRAC and USIB.
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4. It may be argued that the NIOs are not adequately- staffed
to assume this new function. In my view, it is inextricably bound
up with the function they have already been assigned with respect
to KEP. And it should take very few, if any, more people to do
the former in addition to the latter.
5. The IC Staff, as now constituted, is not equipped to do this
job. The essential ingredient, which only the N-IOs are possessed
of, is the capacity to make substantive judgments on what kinds of
collection systems are producing the required types of intelligence
to meet our highest priority needs. The IC Staff can,. however,
provide the resource cost data which will necessarily be required
by the NIOs as an input to their substantive judgments.
6. A super-committee, consisting of the chairman of the three
cognate committees, would not be in a position to make objective and
independent judgments, although this might be a useful staff element
under strong NICE guidance and direction as proposed in paragraph
3 above.
cc: AD/DCI/IC
;D/MPRR G/IC
Approved For Release 2006/11/07 CIA-RAP-79M00-o98A000300020036-8