LETTER TO THE HONORABLE CLARK CLIFFORD FROM W. F. RABORN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R000500010074-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 21, 2002
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: January 29, 1966
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2002/08/21 : CIA-RDP80B01676R000500010074-7
,
Dear Clark:
29 ry 1966
I appreciated so much the opportunity to appear before you
and the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board this week
and feel that it was moat helpful to me in my current responsibilities.
There is one point which I believe, however, needs to be
tinsphasised sind I regret that time went by so fast that I did not make
It during the formal meetings.
This is in regard to the thought expressed by some members
of the committee that there should be a Mr. China, a man who
could be expected to prOdUCO any and all kinds of information regarding
the intelligence efforts against China.
Just let me say that we do have such a person and he is at the
correct level to assure an integrated and task force approach to the
problem. This took force functions at an authoritative level where it
can work most effectively to achieve a coordinated effort and provide
integrated to -total guidance to the collection and supporting analytical
activities necessary to produce the essential information for final
evaluation. At the level at which we now have this task force leader,
he is the task force leader for the entire intelligence effort insofar as
it relates to collection and analytical support activities and is in a
position to exorable carefully the many collection requirements, to
note areas which should be strengthened andier to detect actual gap
or deficiencies in the total acquisition program for the many elements
that go into the intelligence picture. Ibis involves, of course, the
collection and collation of information across the board from hard
science* to political sciences, including economics and, of course,
the military posture of China.
This information then is fed into estimative and evaluation
components which have trained analysts in many fields who are in a
position to assist each other in the final appraisal of the significance
of the information obtained and to put out coordinated substantive
intelligence utilising mature judgments of the Directorate of Intelligence.
the Board of National Estimates and, finally, to the top U. S. Intelligence
Board. The latter serves as the DCI. s top staff for the community.
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cl? Copy
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We have looked again at the problem and feel that this task
force concept is a very good one. The problem here, of course, is
how to ensure a concerted intelligence effort against a priority
intelligence objective, in this case China, with a view to achieving
optimum results from available collection analytical or support
This is of course, different from the problem of formulating
substantive intelligence judgments. These judgments are complex
and diverse and cover the entire spectrum of human knowledge,
including science, technology, politics, economics and military
activity. It would be asking too much to expect any one man to provide
the answers in all these fields. We do however provide the mechanism
to get this accomplished.
So it is that the DCII sitting on top of the entire intelligence
community. is the best person to go to if you want an answer on any
or all questions pertaining to a country. Directly subordinate to
him is his Deputy Director for Intelligence, one of our most seasoned
and best informed men, who has the entire analytical, evaluative and
substantive intelligence Directorate at his command to deal on a
continuing basis with matters of concern. The Directorate of
Intelligence, which includes the Office of Current Intelligence, provides
the principal analytical and evaluative basic information type studies
for CIA proper and also provides the basic support for the Board of
National Estimates. The Chairman of the Board of National Estimates
is also immediately subordinate to the DCI and has available to him all
the competence which the Board represents. This Board normally
prepares the basic papers for US1B consideration. The activities and
output of the Directorate of Intelligence and the Chairman of the Board
of National Estimates as you know are very closely coordinated. These
are the appropriate officials, next to the DC1, to respond to requests
for any type of information or composite information on a subject such
as China.
I trust that this will give you assurance t
one place for a composite answer and that this 1
to you and to members of the Board.
U Can go to
will be Of interest
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Please be assured that we are grateful for your most helpful
suggestions and continued guidance and that we welcome at any time
you or members of the Board coming and working with us because
we are most eager to improve our performance.
Most ? nceraly,
IS/ W. F. "Red" Raborn
W. F. Reborn
/CC Each member of PFLkB
Icc - Exec. Secretary, PFLkB
The Honorable Clark Clifford
Chairman
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
Washington, D. C.
WFRirnib - Coordinated WI DDI and D/NIPE
Orig and 9 copies to 3. Patrick CoyneExecSecty, PF1AB by hand 1/31/66
lcc - DCI official chrono
lcc - DCI PFIAB file
lcc - ER
lcc - D/NIPE
lcc - DDI
lcc DAWIT\Troveoll' For Release 2002/08/21 : CIA-RDP80601676R000500010074-7