NSC STATUS REPORT ON THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00400R000200100008-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 31, 2005
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: August 25, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CIA 36318-4.-
IAC-D-55/4
(Final)
Z5 August 1953
Copy N
INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
NSC STATUS REPORT ON THE FOREIGN
INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM
1. Attached for the information of the IAC agencies
is a copy of subject report as reproduced by the National
Security Council Secretariat.
2. In view of the fact that this final issue is the
same as IAC-D-55/4 (Revised), it is only being issued
to members of the IAC in the form of a single copy for the
record.
Secretary
IAC-D-55/4
(Final)
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I
NO. 9 - THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM
(Prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency and concurred
in by the Intelligence Advisory Committee)
251
ca
C119?6631$ rn
Page
Back of
Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . divider
I. Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
If. National Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
III. Political, Social, and Cultural Intelligence . . . . . . 2
IV. Armed Forces Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
V. Economic Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
VI. Scientific and Technical Intelligence . . . . . . . . 5
VII. Psychological Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
VIII. Geographic Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
IX. Basic Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
X. Warning of Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
XI. Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
XII. Support and Collation Facilities . . . . . . . . . . 12
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CONFIDENTIAL
251
For the purpose of coordinating the intelligence activities of the several
Government departments and agencies in the interest of national secu-
rity, it shall be the duty of CIA, under the direction of the National
Security Council -
(1) to advise the NSC in matters concerning such intelligence activi-
ties of departments and agencies as relate to the national security;
(2) to make recommendations to the NSC for the coordination of
such intelligence activities of the departments and agencies as relate
to the national security;
(3) to correlate and evaluate intelligence relating to the national
security, and provide for the appropriate dissemination of such intel-
ligence within the Government using where appropriate existing
agencies and facilities: provided, that CIA shall have no police, sub-
poena, law enforcement powers, or internal security functions: pro-
vided further, that the departments and other agencies shall continue
to collect, evaluate, correlate, and disseminate departmental intelli-
gence: and provided further, that the Director of Central Intelligence
shall be responsible for protecting intelligence sources and methods
from unauthorized disclosure;
(4) to perform, for the benefit of the existing intelligence agencies,
such additional services of common concern as the NSC determines
can be more efficiently accomplished centrally;
(5) to perform such other functions and duties related to intelli-
gence affecting the national security as the NSC may from time to
time direct.
-.National Security Act of 1947,
as Amended
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August 4, 1953
No. 9 - THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM
(In concurring in this report, the IAC agencies wish to point out that
the effects of recent budget cuts on intelligence activities cannot be
assess_d at this time, and are therefore not reflected in this report.)
1. COORDINATION
1. Coordination among the intelligence agencies, so essential to,
producing adequate intelligence for national security purposes and to
reducing cost by avoiding duplication, is improving. There is still some
duplication of effort which adds to the cost of intelligence, but steps
are being taken continually to reduce this to a minimum.
2. On March 7, at the recommendation of the Director of Central
Intelligence, with the concurrence of the members of the Intelligence
Advisory Committee, the NSC issued NSCID No. 16, directing the DCI to
ensure coordination of procurement and processing of foreign language
publications. No other recommendations for coordination have been made
to the NSC during the past six months; however, several improvements in
intelligence coordination have been accomplished by mutual agreement
among the intelligence agencies and others. There are at present, in
addition to the Intelligence Advisory Committee established by NSCID No,
1, nine interdepartmental committees to coordinate important intelligence
programs in atomic energy, watch pro-
cedures, economic intelligence, economic warfare intelligence, seiettific
intelligence, clandestine intelligence priorities and foreign language
publications.
II. NATIONAL ESTIMATES
1. The organization and procedures established since October 1950
for the production of national intelligence estimates continue to operate
satisfactorily. The totality of resources of the entire intelligence com-
munity is drawn upon to produce national intelligence estimates, and they
can be improved only as we strengthen these resources. These estimates
derive authority-from the manner of their preparation and from the active
participation of all the responsible intelligence agency heads in their
final review and adoption. Agency dissents are recorded where estimates
would be watered down by further efforts to secure agreement.
2. A production program for national intelligence estimates is pre-
pared annually and reviewed quarterly at which time obligatory changes
are made. This program provides for a re-examination of existing esti-
mates on critical areas or problems as well as the production of new
estimates designed to improve the coverageef.'important topics. Continued
emphasis is placed on the completion of basic estimates on the USSR in
advance of the review of US budget estimates and NATO plans.
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3. Close coordination between planners and policy-makers on the one
hand and the intelligence community on the 'other is continually being
pressed in an effort to make the intelligence produced both useful and
timely. The IAC mechanism is most useful when the NSC is furnished with
a coordinated intelligence view in advance of the time when the policy
is fixed. This is being done with increasing frequency and directness
of application to the policy issues.
L.? Special efforts are being
made to get greater precision and
clarity in estimates generally. As a particular case, considerable
progress was made in NIE-65, "Soviet Bloc Capabilities through 1957",
(16 June 1953), over NIE-64, "Soviet Bloc Capabilities through Mid-1954",
(12 November 1952):
a. Greater analytical precision it the section on political war-
fare capabilities, which concentrates upon the critical areas of the
world, and which distinguishes between' the capability to overthrow
governments and the capability to influence governments and peoples.
b. Greater emphasis on scientific and technical factors, which
occupy about a quarter of the discussion in NIE-65.
c. Greater clarity in the military strengths and capabilities
sections, with fewer figures, more emphasis on military programs,
and a more specific analysis of Bloc air defenses and of Soviet
capabilities to deliver atomic weapons in the U.S.
III. POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL INT.2LLIGENCE
1. The status of political, social and cultural intelligence has
been very good, due allowance being made for the paucity of information
on the Soviet Orbit and the difficulties of collecting it. Facilities
for the production of such intelligence, however, have been adequate
only for the needs of the NSC and the most urgent needs of the IAC
agencies. Less pressing demands have been met only partially and in-
adequately.
2. The principal deficiency in this field, which varies from
slight to serious, has been in the resources devoted to the exhaustive
coverage and research on which sound estimates and analyses depend.
The inadequacy of resources has been reflected chiefly
in an inability to prosecute sustained research programs at all desired
points. Nonetheless, there has remained sufficient flexibility to pro-
duce individual studies of considerable depth on selected major problems.
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