NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEYS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00400R000200030019-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 22, 2005
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: February 6, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2005/11/24: CIA-RDP8
6 February 1951
IAC-D-13
NATIONAL I TELLIGENCE SURVEYS / ^ Y r
1. The attached report of the National Intelligence Survey
Committee is submitted for consideration at the next IAC meeting.
The report recommends that the rate of NIS production be increased
to 15 per year so that studies on the 60 high priority areas may
be completed by 30 June 1954.
I
Secretary
Intelligence Advisory Committee
SECRET
IAC -D-13
6 February 1951
25X1
Approved For Release 2005/11/24: CIA-RDP82-0040OR000200030019-2
 Approved For Fase 2005/11/24: CIA-RDP82-00400R0100030019-2
SPECIAL REPORT OF THE NIS COMMITTEE
1,. The NIS Committee has for some time been concerned over
the general situation in respect to basic intelligence collection,
maintenance, and production for the NIS Program. In view of the
increasingly critical international situation, the Committee is of
the opinion that much greater emphasis must be given to the NIS
Program to provide the essential. basic intelligence on strategically
important world areas at the earliest practicable date.. The Com-
mittee has therefore examined this matter and has arrived at
certain conclusions, set forth hereinafter, which it desires be
laid before the Director of Central Intelligence for consideration
by the Intelligence Advisory Committee.
2. The actual operations of the NIS Program have extended,
over the past two years.. The experience of this period confirms
the essential soundness of the Program as a means of developing
the basic intelligence needed by the Government. There has been
a vacillation of support by the Intelligence Agencies, however,
which has greatly complicated the task and weakened the production
effort., Moreover, the uneven quality of NIS contributions indi-
cates a serious lack of qualified personnel available for NIS work...
The NIS Committee considers that no real measure of improvement in
the NIS Program can be realized at any level of effort without first
effecting a fundamental improvement in these aspects of the Program.,
3., Recently the Secretary of Defense has directed the Armed
Forces Agencies to assign support sufficient to maintain NIS pro-
duction at the equivalent rate of eight NIS a year on a long range,
continuous basis. At this rate of production there should be
available by the end of this fiscal year the approximate equivalent
of 18 NIS,, Considering only the 60 high priority areas contained
in the JCS list, there will still remain the equivalent of 42 NIS
to be produced beginning with fiscal year 1952.. How soon this job
should be done is determined by the national security interests..
How soon this job will be done is determined by the amount of
support which is directed toward its accomplishment..
4, At a sustained rate of production of 8 NIS a year the
NIS on all high priority areas will be completed and placed fully
on-a maintenance basis sometime during fiscal year 1957. This is
nearly 5 years beyond the original target date approved in 1948
by the IAC,.the JCS, and the NSC., In spite of the urgency of the
present situation, the Committee feels that too much time has
already been lost to make the.original target date a feasible g'al.
The Committee therefore agrees that an intermediate target date
Approved For Release 2005/11/24: CIA-RDP82-00400R000200030019-2
 Approved For Rele 2005/11/24: CIA-RDP82-00400R00030019-2
should be set on the basis of a reasonably attainable augmentation
of NIS production capabilities within the CIA and the IAC Agencies.
This is indicated in the following table and sets the completion
of the primary requirements by the end of fiscal year 1954. There
will also be needed additional capabilities for the maintenance
of published NIS.
Fiscal Year
Equivalent NIS
Total
Previous
(194
3 z
*
production
( 1950
62
10
Present authorized
( 1951
8
18
level of production
Proposed level of
( 1952
12
30,
production
( 1953
15
45
( 195+
15
6o
5. In order to achieve the foregoing NIS production schedule,
it will'be necessary to build up a competent staff in each agency
actually capable of this production at the beginning of the fiscal
years involved. To do this needs more than mere authorization. It
needs the assignment of a priority for the NIS Program in each agency
commensurate with its importance and sufficient to ensure the acqui-
sition of this staff both through new recruitment and through re-
alignment of agency capabilities. Moreover, there will be needed a
greatly increased collection effort to fill the serious gaps which
now exist and to keep the basic intelligence up to date. The NIS
Committee therefore recommends:
a. that the NIS on all JCS high priority areas be completed
and placed fully on a maintenance basis by 30 June 195+;
b. that the Intelligence Agencies assign to the NIS Program
a degree of priority which will ensure the summary attainment of
adequate production and maintenance capabilities for this task;
and
c. that the collection of NIS requirements on high priority
areas be afforded the necessary increased support,
FOR THE NIS COMMITTEE:
25X1
Approved For Release 2005/11/24: CIA-RDP82-0040OR000200030019-2
_2T