Background Information on the Organization of the NSCIC Working Group

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84B00506R000100010017-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 30, 1998
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: July 26, 1973
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 000/09/03 : CIA-RDP84B00506RQ0010001 J/ .67
J
26 July 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Background Information on the Organization of
the NSCIC Working Group
1. The NSCIC decided at its initial meeting in December 1971
that it needed a subordinate committee to carry out Its staff work,
and that the chairman should be a representative of the DCI.
2. Shortly afterward Mr. Helms asked Mr. Tweedy, D/DCI/NIPE,
to be the chairman. No one advised the Chairman, NSCIC, of this
formally as far as can be determined.
3. Mr. Tweedy and some of his staff created the Working Group,
and to a large degree decided who the members should be. The
only agency to get a formal invitation to nominate a representative
was the Justice Department. The rest was handled by telephone.
4. The group met for the first time 13 December 1971, again
in February 1972 to consider a work program, and it was not until
the third meeting in April 1972, when the program was well underway,
that the Chairman asked the group to approve some ground rules.
These terms of reference had been prepared in the IC staff and
were handed out with a request for comments by 1 May.
5. The replies stressed one very important point: that the
group as presently organized and formalized in the terms of
reference was not really a consumer group, had too many producers
to consumers, and needed some change.
a. Dr. Proctor did not even consider Mr. Marshall and
Dr. Hall direct consumers of intelligence. He recommended
that the membership be broadened to include Commerce, Treasury
and the Council on International Economic Policy.
b. Mr. Marshall wished there were a stronger consumer voice,
thought the ratio of producers to consumers was too equal to
make consensus decisions workable, but didn't have any
suggestions about what to do and was afraid major changes
in the membership "at this point" might be awkward.
c. Dr. Hall, speaking for all Defense Department members,
also thought the consumer voice was not strong enough. He
recommended eliminating the producers and restricting the
members to one representative of each NSCIC principal.
Producers could come to meetings by invitation, and also
participate in the staffing of Working Group activities.
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6. The various comments were never circulated to other
members, adjustments were made to the terms of reference,
mailed to members, and approved at the 13 June meeting.
a. Dr. Proctor's recommendation to expand the user
membership was handled by a proviso that other users and
intelligence production managers could be invited to
meetings when the agenda called for it. [To date,
no extra consumers have been invited to a meeting.]
The staff position against Dr. Proctor's suggestion
was that since it wouldn't be appropriate to have
Commerce, Treasury and CIEP represented on the NSCIC,
it was not appropriate to have them included on the
Working Group. There was an additional feeling that
their interests were too limited.
b. Decisions were to be reached by consensus of
representatives of NSCIC principals only, although
producers continued as members.
7. In practice, these provisos were not strong enough to
prevent a domint producer voice in Working Group activities.
Among the so-called consumer members, the Justice member
was strictly an observer after the first two meetings, and
has since bowed out for all practical purposes. The JCS
sent four different people during the course of the eight
meetings,which lack of continuity limited their contribution.
This reduced active participation to three, one of whom
can hardly be called a true consumer - Dr. Hall.
8. The changes now being proposed by General Graham
respond directly and positively to the concerns originally
expressed by several of the members, both consumers and
producers, that the Working Group should be consumer-oriented
and express consumer needs and reactions.
9. Insofar as the mechanics of the change are concerned,
the Working Group exists at the discretion of the NSCIC which
can cancel it, change it or redirect it. It operates under
a terms of reference and with a membership which have never
received formal approval of the NSCIC. There is no rule which
says the Working Group must have the same composition as the
NSCIC. With NSCIC approval of a new chairman and different
members, no discussion is needed in the Working Group arena.
25X1A9a
Distribution:
orig - General Thomas, General Graham
1 - VDM
2
Approved For Release 2000/09/03 : CIA-RDP84B00506R000100010017-6