D/NRO AND JCS-JRC AGREEMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R001300030075-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 6, 2004
• Sequence Number: 75
• Publication Date: September 12, 1963
• Content Type: MEMO

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OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
Action Memorandum No. .A-296
Date 12 September 1963
TO : Deputy Director (Science and Technology)
SUBJECT : D/NRO and JCS-JRC Agreement
REFERENCE:
1. Attached are several copies of a proposed agreement between. D/IRO
and JCR-JRC as now proposed by Dr. rubini. The six-page annex attached is
a part of the agreement and is the Augenstein/Fubint statement of just what is
meant by the basic agreement. I have had a lengthy discussion with Augenstein
but have not had an opportunity to write a Memorandum for the Record on it.
The discussion did not, however, extend the agreement or the annex.
2. Please give me your views on whether or not we can go along wi
the agreement and annex attached. For my part, I have not analyzed It
thoroughly but see very little to complain about except the implied assignment
of the AQ-12 to the DOD which jam unable to agree to.
3. I made no commitment to Augenstein except that I would take this
under immediate advisement and discus* it with my .staff.
4. Since I am leaving for a week at noon tomorrow, please have every-
thing in readiness to discuss it with me when I return about September Z3rd
and, in the meantime, forestall any pressures to acquiesce hurriedly unless
? no problems with the agreement and annex and can clean up the AQ-1Z
matter.
OSD AND DIA review(s) completed.
JCS and NRO review(s) completed.
Marshall S. Carter
Lieutenant General, USA
Deputy Director
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D/NRO and JCS-JRC
11 Sep 63
I. This agreement formalizes arrangements for NRO utilization of
technical and operational resources of DOD for support and, in some
cases, execution of airborne reconnaissance operations.
II. The peacetime resources of the NRO and DOD covered by this
agreement include: (a) peripheral and special mission aircraft, certain
aircraft now conducting assigned overflight missions, certain drone
aircraft and advanced manned aircraft under development; and, (b) all
aircraft and ground facilities necessary for the logistic and operational
support provided other missions.
III. During periods of war or tension, as defined by the Secretary of
Defense by agreement with the DCI, or by higher authority, and over such
areas or territories as may be designated by such authority, airborne
reconnaissance missions will become the responsibility of the JCS and
necessary control and resources will be transferred from the NRO as
required.
IV. In order to ensure, inter alia, that: (a) such a transfer of mission
control,as noted in III., can be accomplished efficiently when required;
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(b) that complete technical and operational coordination between current
and future JCS and NRO missions is provided, including mission status
reporting; (c) that the Joint Chiefs are kept fully informed on all mission
planning and status; (d) that the logistic and operational support provided
other missions can be presented to and reviewed by the JCS with adequate
lead times; (e) that such technical and planning support as is directed by
the D/NRO is provided to assist him in management of the NRO related
resources of paragraph II; (f) and that vehicles under NRO-DOD control,
currently under development, which could be used for overflight purposes,
when and if such missions are assigned, are supported by mission plans
and resource allocations acceptable to the D/NRO and JCS, the D/NRO
and the JCS agree that:
1. The Chief JRC will assume appropriate staff duties for the D/NRO,
and will make the services of JRG available as the D/NRO directs, to
arrange for implementation required by the preceding considerations.
2. The duties of the JRC vis-a-vis the JCS and NRO will be in accordance
with existing directives, understandings, and arrangements concerning
resources noted in paragraph II. (a), (b), amplified where necessary to reflect
additional functions assigned to the JRC by the D/NRO.
V. Specific additional duties assigned to the JRC will reflect the above
considerations in a manner agreeable to the D/NRO and JCS.
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VI. Except as specified above, nothing in this agreement alters existing
arrangements for the conduct of NRO airborne reconnaissance missions
and the technical and logistic support thereof by the JCS and the military
Services; nor does it alter the basic NRO agreement of 13 March 1963 between
the Director of Central Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense.
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11 Sep 63
Paragraph -By -Paragraph Annotation of Numbered
Paragraphs in NRO/JCS-JRC Agreement
I. The intent of this paragraph is to bring up-to-date certain arrange-
ments which have been in effect, but whose signatories have now been
replaced. For example, there exist earlier agreements concerning these
matters, as exemplified by a 24 September 1958 agreement between USAF
and Mr. Dulles of CIA. This agreement antedates creation of the NRO,
concerns only the U-2, and needs updating in terms of the signatories
referred to. The organizational arrangement proposed herein has been
agreed to in principle by the Secretary of Defense in a memorandum to
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dated May 31, 1963.
II. The intent of this paragraph is to separate into two portions the re-
sources which are concerned. The specific and designated resources
implied are the following:
a. The DOD resources are: for peripheral aircraft, vehicles
such as the B-47; for special mission aircraft, corridor and VIP mission
aircraft; for certain aircraft now conducting assigned overflight missions,
we are concerned with AF operations in U-2's over Cuba, and 101 flights
in other areas, those missions having been assigned to DOD/JCS by
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higher authority. Certain drone aircraft and advanced manned aircraft
under development refer to the 147 drone, the AQ-12 drone and the R-12.
b. This paragraph refers to the logistic and operational
support provided by DOD resources to certain CIA missions, namely,
U-2 missions, A-12 missions, and other special aircraft missions
conducted by the CIA; but we specifically exclude from consideration the
aircraft which are being supported in this way, their operational control,
or the control of mission execution, which remains as presently invested
with the CIA.
III. This paragraph is self-explanatory and needs no additional comments.
IV. This paragraph is intended to state a representative set of reasons
for formally implementing the NRO/JRC agreement in accordance with
subparagraphs "a" through "f".
a. and b. reflect the following typical situation which needs
to be explicitly recognized. Present agreements existing between USAF
and the CIA have the background noted in the comments relating to para-
graph I of this Annex. The agreements concern only the U-2 explicitly,
in the covert overhead reconnaissance area. There exists, however, a
SAC OPORD 1009, dated September 1, 1963, and signed by General Powers,
which assumes that the A-12 falls in the scope of the existing U-2 agreement;
but there appears to be no explicit CIA concurrence or contingency plan for
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such use of the A-12. This could lead to some rather pressing problems
rather quickly; if, for example, the overt military overflight of Cuba
by U-2's were to be seriously inhibited by Cuban use of the SA-2 defenses,
one of our responses might very well be to begin to operate with A-12's over
Cuba, in accordance with a contingency plan proposal discussed earlier
this year. The question then arises as to whether the existing arrangements
concerning the U-2 imply that SAC would operate the A-lZ's over Cuba or
that CIA would operate the A-12's over Cuba. The intent of subparagraphs
"a" and "b" is to insure that, whatever final decisions are entered into in
these matters, adequate pre-preparation has been done to insure prompt
and responsive operations (which conceivably could result in SAC operation
of the A-l2's prior to any CIA operations, if Cuban overflights are requested
using the A-12's).
d. The support referenced in this subparagraph is that explicitly
provided to the CIA for the use of vehicles under its control, as referenced
in paragraph II. b. of this Annex. It should be noted that the A-12 support
requires that much more massive DOD resources be committed than did
U-2 operations, in this connection.
e. The intent of this subparagraph is to provide directly and
locally to the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office such technical
and planning support as he requires for his personal review of mission plans;
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for example, those presented for his signature and transmittal by
Program B, CIA, including CIA A-12 mission plans. This provision for
review is in accordance with the March 13, 1963, NRO directive agreed
to by Mr. Gilpatric and Mr. McCone; and, explicitly, does not imply any
transfer of operations and mission execution responsibility currently
assigned to the CIA via Program B. In addition, this provision will make
available to the Director of NRO such other technical and planning support
as he requires in the aircraft operations field, particularly in connection
with the last part of paragraph II.a.
f. The vehicles under NRO/DOD control, currently under
development, refer specifically to the DOD vehicles being developed within
the NRP, referenced in paragraph II. a. of this Annex; explicitly the 147 drone,
the AQ-12 drone, and the R-12. We are explicitly excluding in subparagraph
"f", in accordance with paragraph II.b. of this Annex, the A-12; this is
covered by subparagraph "d" of this Annex. It should be noted that in
connection with the 147 drone, the AQ-12 drone, and the R-12, which could
be assigned overflight missions in the future, the CIA Air Op Center has
no present responsibility for these, and the Director of the NRO must make
provisions for possible use of these vehicles by a staff component completely
familiar with aircraft operations.
IV.2. The existing directives, understandings, and arrangements referred
to include agreements previously entered into vi.s-a-vis the operation of the
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CIA Op Center (which is noted in Mr. Carter's (DDCI) letter of August 20,
1963, to Dr. Fubini as being "under the operational control of Director,
NRO. "), and includes the Director, NRO letter to Dr. Scoville, concerning
the CIA Op Center, where there is an explicit re-affirming statement
regarding the continuance of the functions and duties of the CIA Op Center
in conducting operations presently assigned to the CIA. Likewise, such
arrangements as currently exist for direct transmittal of requests, etc. ,
from the CIA Op Center to Air Force components providing support to the
CIA air operations will continue to exist.
V. The intent of this paragraph is to make explicit the fact that the duties
assigned to the JRC will alter nothing in the way in which NRO or JCS
missions are conducted, including those operations conducted or to be
conducted by the CIA Op Center with the support of DOD resources, except
as may be mutually agreed to by the JCS and the Director of the NRO in
accordance with the present responsibilities assigned to the CIA Op Center.
VI. The existing arrangements referred to include the present assignment
of operational control of those assets currently in use or planned for use in
overflight of denied areas during peacetime to CIA, including the execution
of A-12 missions, if conducted, as referenced in paragraph II.b. of this
Annex, except as may be otherwise assigned in special cases agreed to by
the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence, or as
otherwise assigned by higher authority under paragraph III.
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In reference to the NRO agreement of March 13, 1963, it should be noted
that provisions of this agreement give the Director of NRO explicit
authority to enter into an agreement, with the provisions noted, between
his office and the JRC.
Considerations of this annotated Annex reflect explicitly those areas in
which such an NRO /JGS agreement must be consummated.
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