LETTER TO MR. WILLIAM J. COLBY FROM ROBERT D. MURPHY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M01133A000900160010-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 14, 2004
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: October 15, 1973
• Content Type: LETTER

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(a) the collection, evaluation and dissemination
of information from the following sources:
- open published materials
- overt reporting
- clandestine reporting
- communications and electronic penetration
- advanced technological systems
(b) the preparation through research and analysis,
and the dissemination, of studies, reports and
estimates
ApproV~ CN2094/? 3, CNA-MW8OMO1F33 86Wt 010-2 -
FOR THE CONDUCT OF FOREIGN POLICY.
2025 ,\,I STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506
October 15, 1973
Mr. William J. Colby
Director of Central Intelligence
Headquarters, CIA
McLean, Virginia 22101
As Congressman Zablocki\'and Dean Wilcox indicated in
their recent conversation with you, the Commission is looking
forward to meeting with you in November. In preparing for
the meeting, the Commission believes it would be especially
useful to have a statement setting forth the views of the
intelligence community which the members can study in advance
and thus make the discussion more profitable. We hope that
you will be able to assemble such a statement by the first
week in November to permit its distribution to Commission
members for the meeting on November 19.
To be most helpful, the statement should address all of
the major elements of the national intelligence effort in
support of the conduct of foreign policy. For this purpose,
it is assumed -- and the Commission would like confirmation
or correction of the assumption -- that this effort involves
the political, economic, sociological, scientific and
military affairs of foreign states, organizations and
individuals and that it consists essentially of three
principal elements:
(c) covert action in support of policy decisions
For each of these elements, the Commission requests an outline
of the present organization and procedures particularly in
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respect to coordination among agencies, an identification
of the principal obstacles to improved performance, and
recommendations for appropriate action.
We hope the statement, in addressing the foregoing matters,
will touch upon the following questions in addition to any
others which you consider to be of importance:
(1) Authority. Has the National Security Act of 1947
proved to be sufficiently sound as a basic authority
for the Director of Central Intelligence to fulfill
his role both witty:.,respect to the coordination of
intelligence for national security and for the
management of the Central Intelligence Agency?
In particular,
a. what are the practical effects of subordination
to the National Security Council rather than
directly to the President or a department of
the government? Should the system be altered?
b. can the responsibilities "to correlate and
evaluate intelligence relating to the national
security" be adequately delineated from the
responsibilities of departments and other
agencies "to collect, evaluate, correlate
and disseminate departmental intelligence"?
(Section 102(d)(3))
c. has the responsibility "to protect intelligence
sources" proved workable and useful? (.Section
102(d)(3))
d. is the mandate to perform "such. additional
services of common concern" (Section 102(d)(4))
adequate to the needs of the intelligence
community and the-government as a whole? Is
the mandate to perform "such other functions
and duties" (Section-102(d)(5)) too broad and
open-ended?
e. has the authority to inspect intelligence of
the departments and agencies (Section 102(e))
proved adequate and useful?
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Mr.. William J. Colby Page 3
(2) Requirements. Who are the principal users of
intelligence in support of the conduct of
foreign policy? What is the present organization
and procedure for the preparation and updating
of their requirements to guide the intelligence
effort? Are such requirements adequate and
what recommendations for improvement are suggested?
How are requirements handled in crisis situations,
and how can that process be improved?
(3) Performance and Resources. In the fulfillment of
these requirement;s.,is the most effective and
efficient use made of the resources of the
intelligence community? What is the basis for
arriving at the optimum level of such resources
and their distribution within the community in
order to give the most effective support? What
resource requirements are anticipated for the
future?
(4) Evaluation. How effective is the method of evaluating
the performance of the intelligence effort in ful-
filling the requirements in support of the conduct
of foreign policy? What changes are recommended
in t1 s regard?
(5) Other Intelligence Activities. What is the relation-
ship of intelligence activities in support of
military-tactical, counterintelligence, or other
purposes to the intelligence activities in support
of foreign policy?
(6) Special Programs. What is the institutional
mechanism for coordinating cryptological programs
among the several agencies? For managing the
advanced technological collection programs?
How does this tie in 'with other government
programs using similarly advanced technological
systems? Is there a way to economize in this
field and perhaps even produce a more effective
government-wide effort?
(7) Reports and Estimates. What is the need of the
government for coordinated reports and estimates?
How are such reports and estimates now produced?
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Mr. William J. Colby Page 4
What means are employed to assure that the
analyses are forthright, objective, useful to
policy makers at all levels of the government,
and as free as possible of institutional
biases? Should the research and analytical
functions be handled in agencies other than
those responsible for collection and operations?
For policy formulation and implementation?
(8) Emerging Needs. How is the mission of the
intelligence community changing in the 1970s?
What steps are being taken to adapt the
intelligence effort to new demands for support
in such fields as international trade, energy
matters, the environment, and narcotics control?
(9) Oversight and Accountability. What are the
institutional controls through which the
Executive Branch and Congress oversee activities
of the intelligence community? Are they effective
in making the intelligence community realistically
responsive to government authorities? Does the
public have a right to be better informed about
the intelligence business; what improvements should
be made in the process of accountabilit-3r of
intelligence activities to the public?
(l0) Controls. In respect to the activities and
operations of intelligence which may impinge upon
the conduct of foreign policy or in respect to
operations designed to support specific policies,
what is the system of guidance and control and
is it fully adequate? What is done to assure
that approving officials are fully aware of the
possible consequences of a given action? What
improvements in the sy-stem are recommended?
(11) Personnel. Are the perso,,lnel procedures for CIA
and other agencies in the intelligence community
soundly based to recruit and sustain the professional
corps necessary for the best intelligence support
of the conduct of foreign policy? What steps are
being taken throughout the community to mitigate
the adverse effects of compartmentalization arising
from security requirements in order to achieve
greater cross-fertilization of ideas and personnel?
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(12) Budgets. To what extent does the DCI have the
authority to determine or otherwise oversee
the budget and manpower needs of the various
agencies i n the intelligence com>mIunity? Should
he have greater authority in this regard? Are
the'present budget resources of the several.
components o the intelligence community
adequate, excessive or insufficient for their
contributions to the intelligence effort in
support of.the conduct of foreign policy?
(13) Overseas Establishment. What are the problems
of control, coordination, and communications in
overseas establishments as they pertain to
intelligence? How can these establishments be
made more effective and efficient?
The Commission is aware that a comprehensive response to
these questions could lead to a most exhaustive study and
a very lengthy report. We are hopeful, however, that while
giving full attention to the important implications of the
questions, you can in your report identify and emphasize the
most important elements in our inquiry.
A copy of this letter is going to the Secretary of
State, the Secretary of Defense and. the President's Special
Assistant for gyrational Security Affairs, as members of the
National Security Council, with the request that they offer
whatever comments they can on the foregoing questions to
assist the.Commission in its study.
The Commission is most appreciative of your personal
assistance and thatof other components of.the intelligence
community in the fulfillment of our.tasks.
Cordially yours,
Robert D. Murphy,
Chairman
cc: The Secretary of State
The Secretary of Defense
The President's Special Assistant
for National Security Affairs
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