COORDINATION OF ORE 41-49

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00022R000200040063-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2000
• Sequence Number: 63
• Publication Date: February 21, 1949
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP84-00022R000200040063-0
Transcribed by cem "ter abed.
19 January 1953 C:.
THE ASSISTii1'1T is I RuCTO RR, 1?. & E
Chief, Global Survey Group
Coordination of ORE 41-49
21 February 1949
1. ORE 41-L9 was requested by the Office of the Secretary of
Defense as a matter of the "highest priority". The requestor, however,
also indicated that thorough coordination was desired. The estimate,
therefore, was produced with scrupulous regard for consultation and
coordination with the departmental agencies at each stage in its
preparation. The cooperation received from those agencies must be
assumed to have been the optimum, in view of the importance of the
subject, the distinguished sponsorship of the project, and the priority
assigned. Experience in this case, therefore, may be taken as a fair
example of the best to be expected in the execution of DCI 3/1.
2. A detailed chronology of the preparation of ORE, 41-49 is
appended hereto. It may be observed that, although this project was
regarded as a matter of the "highest priority", three weeks elapsed
between our receipt of a definite statement of the problem and the
final coordination of the desired estimate. Yet actually the essential
estimate was produced in the course of 30 hours (2000, 1 Feb., to
0200, 3 Feb.). Subsequent discussion produced no substantial change
in this draft, although the expression of its intent was considerably
improved in the revised version completed on 5 February. All the
discussion that occurred in the two weeks between LG and 18
February neither altered the substance of the estimate nor significantly
improved its expression. The real work was done, then, in one week,
but its publication was delayed for two weeks longer by the procedure
of "coordination."
3. It is to be noted also that most of this delay occurred in the
process of final, formal coordination, after we had taken special care
to insure that the text submitted would be agreeable to all the agencies
concerned. We had not-only revised the first (3 Feb.) draft to satisfy
the designated representatives of those agencies, but had submitted
the revised (7 Feb.) draft to them to make sure it was satisfactory.
The third (10 Feb.) draft, submitted for formal action, had the explicit
concurrence of all the designated representatives, yet eight days were
required to complete action on it. Actually, three agencies were
reasonably prompt in returning formal concurrences. The difficulty at
this stage arose from the fact that, in the normal procedures of the
Air Intelligence Directorate, the third (10 Feb.) draft was the first
to receive nigh level consideration in that agency..
4. This experience, I believe, will support the following conclusions:
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 Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP84-00022R000200040063-0
a. Except in special cases, consultation with the agencies
prior to preparation of a first draft is substantively profitless.
b. Working level consultation with substantive specialists
from the agencies on a first draft is profitable in clarifying ex-
pression, if not in modifying the substance of the estimate.
c. By this procedure a substantially coordinated estimate
can be produced in about four days.
d. Further consultation at this level is likely to result
only in unnecessary delay over issues of literary taste rather
than of substance.
e. All schemes for quick "coordination's (e.g., DCI 3/1),
being written by persons without practical experience, ignore
practical consideration of what happens after a coordinating
meeting has adjourned. It may take a day's hard work to reintegrate
a text that has been hacked over in committee. It may also take
most a day to reproduce a revised text, even by ditto, and to 14
distribute it.
f. Even with the utmost endeavor (as in this case) to effect
complete coordination in advance, the present procedure of final,
formal coordination is haphazard and cumbersome, an obstacle to
true coordination. The only remedy in my opinion, is that
previously proposed by me (memoranda of 16 Oct. 1946 and 15 April
1947), coupled with a complete reindoctrination of the members of
the IAC and their designated representatives.
LUDiIVELL L. MONTAGUE
cc AD/ORE
S/pp
G/SI
GIGS
Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP84-00022R000200040063-0