DEFENSE POSTURE HEARINGS BEFORE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R003400130017-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 17, 2003
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: April 5, 1961
• Content Type: MF

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OGC 61-0540
5 April 1961
M +tORANDU d TORt Director of Central Intelligence
Defense Posters Hearings Were Senate
Armed Services Committee
1. This memorandum is for inform ation only.
1. The 1esse posture bearings started yesterday sad the
entire day was devoted to Secretary McNamara testifying on the
Department of Defense posture. A copy of his statement which was
released is attached. Consideriag the Easter recess. these was full
attendance with eleven of the seventeen members present.
3. In the morning session today there were a number of items
which are of general interest to the Agency. I shall attempt to cover
most of these. Later it is hoped that we can have access to the one
copy of the traasssipt which the Pentagon will receive. No copies
can be procured from the Committee.
4. S mater Cannon asked the question. "Do we have a specific
intelligence estimate an what level of damage is considered to be
unacceptable to the USSR or Communist China? " The answer warn
that we did not.
5. Senator Russell raised the question of duplication in our
monitoring operations. He mentioned a letter he had seat to the
Department of Defense to which the response was that the subject is
so sensitive that it was hoped Senator Russell wetdd handle it in s
Subcommittee. Senator Russell commented that this was a *-
dously expensive activity and felt it should be looked into cardfully.
It was pointed out that the Department of Defense was doing a complete
OSD REVIEW COMPLETED
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review of intelligence activities generally. In fact, Secretary McNamara
indicated that this study was now being considered by the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. However, their tentative conclusion was that there should be even
more consolidation into one Department of Defense intelligence agency
and that it should be assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General
Lenu-itser discussed off the record the COMINT problem, indicating
there is a vital need for more intelligence in this field. He pointed out
the entire program was ijader NSA. Senator Russell stated that while
he was opposed to unification generally he believed there should be
unification in the fields of (a) communications (meaning COMINT and
ELINT), (b) intelligence generally, and (c) language training.
6. Senator Saltonstall refers to Admiral Hillenkoetter's
testimony before Appropriations indicating that the information on
possible attack from North Korea did not get to the top. He apparently
remembered specifically that Hillenkoetter exhibited receipt of various
reports from lower level. Saltonstall was raising this point to query
whether currently intelligence does get to the top. McNamara indicated
that he and other elements of the government get it through the normal
process but the Director of Central Intelligence calls him personally
an many items. Further, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff have frequent access to the President and the
White House. Lemnitser reported this general position. Kowever, he
referred back to the Korean situation stating that for a six-mouths'
period no intelligence agency had indicated that as attack was imminent.
Senator Russell also got into this discussion mentioning that at the
McArthur hearings it was clear that there were many reports forwarded
by combat units to General Willoughby concerning tho presence of
Chinese divisions above the Yalu. Russell also Commented on the
North Korea picture stating that his recollection was that the reports
from CIA showed significant build-up. of North Korea forcer along the
parallel and indicated that at the time CIA was worried, cone eding that
there had been no report an attack was scheduled for next Tuesday A
believed there was considerable carelessness In handling that , Patios.
Lemnitser again indicated that these facts were net consistent with his
memory and Russell suggested that Lemnitser should check into this.
7. There was a great deal of discussion on the matter of use
secrets appearing in the press. Russell, Bush, Saltonsisli, Thin
nos st g
h
- _
ers wo a
and ot
of we
4OW
was released and suggested that McNamara should err on the,
little information. They all assured McNamara he would receive full
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support from Senate Armed Services as this. McNu*ara was most
grateful for this indicating that hs felt this was a real problem and
said he had put General Carrell is charg of a new program in this
regard. In fact, McNamara said he was very switch surprised when
he saw what his Assistants had cleared for release in leis statement
to the Committee of yesterday. Senator Russell stated that he was
also surprised at hew mach was included.
a. banter S'yxreiatgtoa Mentioned his visit to Adana last Year
where in a briefing by Air Force they referred to a NASA project
at the base about which nothing could be said. Syrtisgten did learn
the name of the eaader. that is. Colonel Sheldon and when he
talked with Colonel Sheldon he was advised that as, Information could
be furnished. Sysmiagtoa used this as as example at improper briefing
by the people at Adana. His point in raisiag this was to support his
conclusion that ears of the basic troubles in retainias security information
within the military was the q estios of tatersorviee rivalry.
30l S. WARNER
Legislative Counsel
Dictated but not read - JS :mks
Distribution:
Orig - DCI yr/att
I - DDCI w/o att
1 - IG w/o att
1 - ER w/o att
2 - Legislative Counsel
OGC/ LC:JSW:mks
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