COMMENTS ON(Sanitized)CONSUMER SURVEY OF ORR INTELLIGENCE PRODUCTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81S00999R000100090001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 2, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 9, 1953
• Content Type: MEMO

25X1A
Approved For Release 2001/0gabil
Chief, Econceic Research
Chief, St/PB
Comments. on
Production
jectsagfi999R0 0 0090001-5
9 Septeiber 1953
of ORR Intelligence
25X1A 1. has mads a thorough consumer survey of am
intelligence production, and several facts emerge clearly,:tee fol-
loWst
a. There seems to be general approval of the type of
de
tailed basic study reoresented by the RR's and PR's and speel
fiOai
of the objectives that have been set of clear methodology anii fuL
documentation. The survey also confirms the impression that RR's
and PR's are considered as basic -- that if (ER does not make thm:_
accurate and complete, no one else in the intelligence community
likely to makt the corrections and fill the gaps.
b, There seems to be awidespread desire for "abstraets
lOng reports to be circulated separately.
c. Various additional types of reports, including euarterl7
or semi-annnal reviews, are guggested, of a more general Character
than the specific commodity reports.
25X1A
2. 1111Epikecolimendations, on the basis of this sunkj,
that wad a e affect St/PB's operation are, in brief,
follows:
a. That short abstracts of "principal" reports be issue
separately.
b. That the Provisional Report, PR, be d.i9cOIXttTlUed as a
pUblication category.
c. That the deeimation Working Paper, WP, be changed te
Worktn Draft.
3, The Qillef, 6090 approves of rec!tidatXiA
except for paragraph 2a, above. If theeligigileach report i3
tomprehensiw as it should loci he does not feel that an abstract
aeeesaary. CRR 's main coltribution in the intelligence comounit7
the production of its heste research program, which is widely di3a0a-
inated end, apparently, will accepted. GER should set its own 1,..)licf
in the matter of scope and length of reports and not try to sat1.357y
Tom, Melt, and Barry all at the SSMA time or please the "quick" 2eadr
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-ffelley999R000100090001-5
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-RDP813M00100090001-5
wbol after ell, will not eeceesarily make the proper use of the
wart. An adequate summery as a part of the report shoula sate
cg y reader't wishes as well se am ebstrnet. The purose of tet-
-eport in relation to its basic reeseardh is ebst arm sbeale
keep Lament. Perthermore, the Chief, St VB, vid like to poor
other Objections to the *street, as follows: he preearateee
of Abstracts vill almost Coale the amount of tine UOCGOBSI7 f04,
editing and add greatly te the cost of palliest/ (b) some abeteeets
of even excellent reeortevill not satisfy the connuner vho iu eeet-
fOr regional estimatee any more than the long report new aseleVes
hem, (e) same "erinelpale reports, by their very nature, will teeete:
defy the preparation of ae dbotract, and (41) abstracts will not nee-
essariey circulate any faster team complete reporta.
4. ef the Chit decides that abstracts ehoeld be
pale reports, it is assumed that only About o -iourb of th? crt the BR citteeary muldte Affectee. it is: also assumed. tbat31
1K's and most of the IP's and MP'S andele powers Muld co twe lee
be issued ie oaly ono foreet as at present. And vent of Were-ere
Drafts? Tint abstracts apeorentey would not be such longer that GUI?
present sumemmeas escept that tbey vould include a tabulation ee
baaic informatioa plus poesibey some graphics. But even teis teeeze-
sion would Involve much :acre work than ray appear at first conelderetion.
St/PB has always been aware of the needs of the geeerel reed= ene
has eonsistentey attecerteeto rite the euelegareeo emepletely eree
general-reeler use insofar as the-smalynts mill agree. It :twe-4 be
noted, howeeer, that sepseate silepurpooe abstract ure bolenxe VI Le
less satieftetory than spicialepurpoee eummeries, and it seeele be
stressed test an all-purpese abstract circulated by Mullet re
seat the feel repast muchimore fattbfeey than a eeecial-pureee
aummary mode for limited circulation in some office, and hence t
pay not have so much wimgemt." MA this connection, it is euggeetee
that domande for estimate' with feuer qeslifications ana more pqe
eellestioot should be treated with reserve, since there should be
at least one research orgenisatioa in the intelligence cespeentte
that is not a:blew& to aueport the prepared positions of an oeeeeetere;
agency. All of these polets, however, are incidental: they neetey
indicate that abstracts meget not in All cases neat expectetiote.
The only Important point, as far as processing reports is COZIEle-rti
La teat age tendency to reth ebstracts into print before tee egeee
themeelves Lave been edittil 013011124. be re re ss.ec1 since, es =et! e
above, the abstract ehodIe faithiealy reflect the edited report.
Very seldom is a report revieuee er d. edited by St/PB witeout exen
sive changes in all particulars up. to the last nameet even te
extent of uedsting vital $eetwastion.
5. If the Ce/B decidrs in the future to meet the uest 't
various additional types pc reports of emcee general
the specific commodIty reverts, the eawrience of 34/PB inaicee e
that stadia reports thould te 1I4 on, as in tbe past, only to net
Important seeelfie rsqueats, as by the NBC or the OM, stem th
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-RDINVE1000100090001-5
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-RDP8M1000100090001-5
multiplication of ouch reports tends to postpone the cameletion
of the very type of basic research reouired as background aed sinee
the one universally aecepted function of OTB is basic research.
From m 4 peblications point of view, however, these additional reeorts
are feasible if put together by the Chief, D/A, together leith his
Capabilities. Branch, which to date has constituted one of the fel!
groups in am capable of doing a rapid job that would not be Ob-
viously discreditable to CIA and useless to the intelligence eoee
menity. If other divisions of CRR were: to attempt studies of Vile
sort, we eiamad be almost certain to run into major problems --
if not against a stone wall.
6. In addition to the points made above, there are other
points that should be made in connection with specific parts oi
25X1A survey, and they will be made by specific references
as follows:
a. II. e. b (le e). The argument here crosses very GE2iii-
itely into the NIB area.
b. II. c (p. in most reports there is bound to be
4 type of cataloguing or of "baked statement of isolated facts
Little more -will ever be forthcoming fran many of the ene1yeasehe
submit reports. What is: neant by evaluation here? ninterreIateone
between economic sectors'', and "relating economic: activity to ece-
nemic policy" -- these ale: above and beyond the capabilities of
most of the enelysts, with the passible exception of some in D
anti a few isolated exemples in other divisions.
c. II. ee d (r. e). The incorporation of "unnecessary,
elementary material" in ruports is a matter of judgment and perepcv-
tive are__ will always rein relative. In the drafts of report* sub-
mitted to St/PB for editing and publication, there has,certainle
been, in most instances, "unnecessary, elemente?y materl&l'." 'An
examination of the finished product, however, will disclose that in
those reports which have been edited to the satisfaction of the
Chief, Wail this extraneous matter has been deleted by competent
editors. The reports moat guilty of including extraneeus matter ere:
the Working Papers anti other issues published without benefit t).2
proper editing.
d. II. b (p. t). Let us hope that any yielding to thin
request will not result in more office-wide projects, which will
steal more time: from the basic research program.
e. III. I. (p. 5). Been though "longer research reporto"
"'peed not be printed and aistribeted in large numbers," the reperte
will still require as much time for editing thoroughlyas new.
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-Ryttr#0199R000100090001-5
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-RDPagRE912000100090001-5
III. 3 (p. 6 .
over Ilaue aucil mporti., will they
used' like NIS cantxibution0
be i D/A ejxmsthfl
ted
6). 17111 this a D/A
be easy to milk regional cow from .4, furict
7. auy of these
on the thor jmt4 of
intendqrd only toprovo4e
rect and workable ciinclusto
intended to reflec
excellent survey.
and to help us arri f
.1mbeverve do in ad:ustim:
1,xoduction o,f our resftirea program to meet the reculremeat, o'
and na;ry-faeted enosumera.? let us decide ytat re wm-1.3 to de al:
..hould de aad can do and aot fmrget the. implications of At-:?
of the man, the boy, and th.j. ass.
sib
mei
25X1A
-4-
Approved For Release 2001/05/01 : CIA-RDIFORFIR000100090001-5