Talk with(Sanitized), Executive Secretary Subcommittee on Electronics and Telecomunications

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00283R000200100002-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 9, 2000
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: January 5, 1962
• Content Type: REPORT

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5 January 1962
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Aide Memoire
Talk with Executive Secretary
Subcommittee on Electronics and Telecommunications
This is one of the most active subcommittees of the EIC. Its
productive record, however, is mainly owing to the efforts of the
CIA and NSA members. The military representatives on the sub-
committee participate infrequently, and their future absorption into
DIA will probably have no deleterious effects. It may even improve
the situation because the present military members of the subcom-
mittee probably will not be in attendance at meetings unless there
is a genuine need for their particular technical knowledge. As it
is now, the military members are more often. than not disconcert-
ingly passive and uninterested. Their absence at such times would
be greatly appreciated.
The subcommittee has a problem that involves security and
clearance. The Commerce, State, and USIA members do not have
special clearance which excludes them from a majority of the meet-
ings. This exclusion from the more intimate family discussions
produces in them an indifference to problems that do concern them,
such as those having to do with COCOM. This situation seems to
be unavoidable and can only be made bearable by the application of
finesse and tact on the part of the subcommittee Chairman.
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5 January 1962
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Aide Memoire
on the Work of the Subcommittee
on General Economic Analysis
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votes in favor of the continuation of his sub-
committee. This he does for two reasons. The first is because
of the subcommittee's opportunity, if not obligation, to review ex-
ternal research projects. The other important subcommittee
function is to pool its information and use this to advise the Ex-
change Committee on the net advantages or disadvantages of certain
Soviet-US proposals.
The view of his subcommittee's value, despite its
infrequent activity, is shared by all the other Chairmexi''who call
only an occasional meeting of their subcommittees. The review of
external research projects, they believe, can best be handled by
an interdepartmental committee. Such a group lends at least the
appearance of greater objectivity than can be obtained in a single
agency. A community opinion about a particular research project
is designed to prevent the cry of "self-interest and parochialism. 11
Mr. Oakley is the exception.
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If you want this series continued, I can pursue the other
subcommittee moguls to their hideouts but I don't want to waste
your time with a lot of Old Hat, vintage 1953.
After talking with about half of the subcommittees, I think
it's possible to arrive at conclusions that would remain unchanged
even after a more thorough canvas of the field. In the first place
there is no desire for the dissolution of any of the subcommittees'
and even the inactive ones think they serve a useful purpose.
Secondly, the establishment and development of DIA with its im-
minent absorption of military committee members causes no dis-
may. In fact it is welcomed by most CIA personnel. Of course
this may be owing to an ignorance of what is going to happen but
it's refreshing to observe such confidence in the future, no matter
what really lies over the horizon. Thirdly, there was evident an
acute awareness of the drastic reduction in State's competence and
depth in economic intelligence. This has affected some of the sub-
committees as well as the Working Group on Sino-Soviet Bloc
Economic'Activities. Fourthly, the practice of awarding the Chair-
manship to a non-CIA member seems to stimulate interest, and two
of the most active of the EIC subcommittees attest to that (Trans-
portation and Electronics and Telecommunications).
Despite this disposition to vote in favor of keeping the EIC
structure as it is, it seems to me there has been in some of the
subcommittees a reduction in activity. This would appear to be
inevitable in the light of a greater burden being placed on CIA for
economic intelligence. If a 1962 survey of professional personnel
engaged in economic intelligence were made, as it has been in some
previous years, it would certainly reveal a further lessening of com-
petence outside CIA in economic intelligence. The effect on sub-
committee work is obvious.
The consensus of those interviewed was that the present work
of the various components of the EIC could be done more efficiently
by a single agency but not as satisfactorily. I found no evidence that
the CIA personnel want to go it alone to any greater extent than they
do now. Our record for getting out Biweeklies and Semiannuals with
maximum despatch was commented on, and I heard none of the usual
complaints about the obstructionism and delays of Committee life.
No one told me that a camel is a horse that has been put together by
a Committee.
P. S. : The only exception to these general remarks is Mr. Oakley's
Subcommittee on Requirements.
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4 January 1962
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on the Subcommittee on Industrial Machinery and
Equipment:
Thinks it would be a mistake to alter radically or ejipainate
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the Subcommittee. Membership of Subcommittee woulctbe satis-
factory if DIA and OSD, plus the civilian agencies and departments
were represented. Believes the Subcommittee has justified its
existence by (1) knocking out an unnecessary project (assigned to 25X1A
that would have cost and
(2) pooling the information of its members to appraise the value of the
proposed exchange programs in the field of industrial machinery.
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4 January 1962
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Aide Memoire
Talk with about his Working Group
on Sino-Soviet Bloc Economic Activities in Underdeveloped Areas
As the Working Group is presently constituted, Air Force
and Navy are unrepresented Air Force long ago decided it was un-
able to participate and recently transferred to Current 25X1A9a
Intelligence in DIA). Baxter Wood from Army is a valuable member
of the Group and if he were to drop out as a result of DIA's absorption
of Army Intelligence it would be a substantial loss.
The recent State Department contributions to both the Bi-
weekly and Semiannuals lack the competence and depth that existed
before the reorganization of State. According to Roy, there is no 25X1A9a
room for doubt about the deterioration of State's recent contributions.
This opinion was emphatically underlined by I realize
that for one reason or another most people in the Government are look-
ing for more bodies but there doesn't seem to be any question but that
State's abdication of its former responsibility in economic intelligence
has left an analyses vacuum.
One of the questions that General Balmer's office will pose is
whether or not the work now carried on by interdepartmen.talcommittees
could not be done better and more efficiently in one agency. When I
presented that question to the CIA members of the WG the answer was:
yes, it could be done more efficiently in one agency but not better.
Forrest of AID and Rubin of Commerce are not contributors of infor-
mation but are effective critics; Baxter Wood has been an effective
member of the committee, and Van Sant of OSD does nothing to impede
progress. The Working Group may need, as indicated, some augmen-
tation but it is basically a sound way of producing the Biweekly and
Semiannual.
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