Key Intelligence Questions for FY 1974

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84B00506R000100040052-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: January 9, 1974
• Content Type: MF

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Approved For Rele,~e 2000/09/03 : Cf~=1~ 84B009~R000100040052-4
DCI/IC 74~Cf9D5
N~~MO?~A~~~1UM ~D~: The t-fanarat~les t#e*nry A. Kissinger
Chairntan, t~SCIC
SUBJECT: Key Inte~lliigence t~uestians for F~l 1974
l . attached i s 'a copy ai' my Key Intel l igeetae ~~aes ti cans fair
FY i 974 which, as you ar~d ~ have d1 sc?a~sed ~ i s being sbmi tteei to the
TlS~GIC far apprcvai . In then interim, I am distributing copies to the
United Statres Intelligence E3oard so that we can b+~ gettir~q slang with
the many tasks which face uc- in the evalu~atian effort for which the
Key Intelligence Qaae's~ians r-re the basis.
2. The set of questiatas sent fia you an 30 October-has been
re~tised on the basis af' prvj~sals received from your staff, from
other NSCIC members and frrn~~ the USIB principals. This-final list
accommodates many of then cht~nges and ad~iitians your staff' proposed.
in the respti>se w~rfch Gereraa] Scowcroft forwarded orgy December lI}.
3, T was very pleased ts~ Hate the care with which the original
set of Key Intelligence due=~tians was reviewed and the thoughtfulness
of the proposed changes and eldditians. The totarl number of proposed.
additfor~s was so greats. hc~we~ver, that acca?~dating all of them woulrt
have changed the character t~f the listing.. I wanted to keep the fatal
number of questions small- enough tt~ be manage~able3, so the problem was
to identify prc~pased additions cif sufficient importance to substitute
for same of thr~se3 an the 3D tlctaber list, ar to revise. they wording of
the ariginal questions to ac:cammadat+e ideas: presented in reecamrrtenc#ed
additions, The list, as it is being suhrnitted tQ the NSCIC, actuallye
has fewer questions than weY~e i r~cl ud~d in f]ctaber, but 23 of the
questions are new and 38 are=. rev9sians of the original questions.
4. The essential criteria applied to each questic+n were that
it identify a problem of rna~(or current importance to policy levels
of the ga~~ernrrnt, and that it provide a; basis far measuring the
e~ffectivesness of the functi~5ning of the intelligence carra~unity.
t~verail, an effort wa$ spades ~a keep the list. relatively shtart and to
irsclude questions dealing with matters +~n. which a cc~nsi~lerable amo~snt
of resources are being ?ar ar.e likely to be devoted.
Approved For Release 2000/09/03 : GaA-R B00506R0001 (#Q~~,Q~~~4~~;~yG~;~i
 Approved For Relea~2000/09/03 : ~~k'~84B0050f~00100040052-4
5. As I repcarted to! tae President in my rational ~crei,~ln
I~atell~nce I~us~gst Recocr~e~~dations, F#scal Yea~~a.~..'
i6I inteTlC~ that b.lJ~;~~ ~~~~i#.r~Qns ~~~ a~ ~3!'~ ~~~?~'y ne~~
team gu#de tea national intelligence ctallectio~, analysis,.
and praduction. They ~~ill be i~~allcwed. by ara evaluaticara
process: tca determine t~+ae degree tea which various el~me~tts
taf the intelligence ct~ii"A9'fUnity contribute tt~ answers. Future
resource decisions e,till then be influenced toy these Key:
Intelligencs Questions and the comparative effectiveness ~ai~
various intelligence community elements. in answering them."
In my opinivn~, fup~~a~ntal obs~les tai the achie~er~e~at of
the related goals ~~' improvad prod~sct and better rescaunce management
have long been the separation ~~ the. substantive fursctions ~~
intelligence from the alloc~atican of resources, and the absence tai:
a system for evaluating performance. Overcoming these obstacles
will tae difficult .and any- approach grill have tca be evolutionary,
but I am initiating the effort through the articulaticm a~' the tCey
Intelligence.Questions.
F. The evaluation system which will be used fn following
through on the Ivey Intelligence Questions effort is being described
in separa~Ce correspondence tta the members taf the USIB.
8. In order tot take full advantage of all of theideas which
were contained in the material submitted in resg~onse to my
request for c nts on the 3G ~lctober version of the ~Sy Intelli-
gence Questions, i am making a ct~mplete set taf the inputs available
tv my ~aticanal Intelligence Officers and tra my Intel3lgenc~ C~srra~unity
staff. I want the 3ilt3s in particular to be aware of the var#ous
topics which all. of those who reviewed the first listing con.sidere~d.
were candidates fear addition, so that the ~tltls can use. this infomaation
in development of their own programs.
9. Again, may I express my personal appreciation for your
contribution to this pro,~ect.
S! G~I3
25X1A9aDCI/IC/CS/~ hko 9 plan 74
Distributi
orig -addressee.
7 - DCI
1 - DDCI
1 - ~R
lat. ~. Co't try
1 - IC subject (filed IC Registry)
1 - MPRRG
1 -CPAG -~-
Approved ~ F~~t~ease 2000/09/03 :CIA-RDP84B00506R000100040052-4
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