MINUTES OF 11 MAY 1983 COMMITTEE ON PRIORITIES MEETING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R000400600029-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 26, 2007
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: May 24, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

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The Director of Central Intelligence Executive Registry
Washington, D.C. 20505
Intelligence Community Staff DCI/ICS 83-3393
24 May 1983
MEMORANDUM FOR: SIG(I) Committee on Priorities
Executive Secretary, SIG(I)
SUBJECT: Minutes of 11 May 1983 Committee on Priorities Meeting
Minutes of Meeting
The Chairman, Mr. McMahon, opened discussion by highlighting the work
done in preparation for the meeting, noting in particular the IPC Staff
assessment of intelligence production against NITs for the quarter ending
1 April 1983. He asked that members give their views on whether any current
NITs might be eliminated, and he solicited comments on intelligence gaps.
At the Chairman's request, Mr. Richard Kerr, Chairman, Intelligence
Producers Council, explained the content and purpose of the materials provided
for the meeting, noting that development of the package was based on the
Committee's earlier guidance. He said the package was designed in a way to
elicit Committee consensus to accept or not accept IPC judgments contained
therein and to facilitate Committee attention to specific issues--not merely
to deal with form and numbers.
In response to an observation by Mr. Hugh Montgomery, D/INR/State, that
NITs and production response to them are likely to remain behind the power
curve of current events, Mr. Kerr advised that the NITs process is aimed at
policy-level needs just beyond current. D/ICS, added that
the process is not intended to reflect as - rea ing events. Mr. Montgomery
opined, however, in this regard that separating NITs into two categories (A-
six months and B-twelve months) has merit.
Mr. Ron Stivers, representing the Under Secretary of Defense, questioned
the advisability of IPC Staff judgment on whether or not a given NIT has been
satisfied; he said such determinations belong with the intelligence
consumers. Mr. Kerr agreed but underscored that the IPC Staff package is
intended as a "strawman" only and is aimed at drawing out such Committee
concerns. Mr. McMahon added that this method is meant to put forth a
"challenge" to policy-level consumers regarding the satisfaction of NITs.
Mr. Peter Oleson, representing the Chairman, JCS, expressed his view that
the formula for review needs more refinement, and noted that the review
schedule as proposed in the IPC Staff package is problematical. He added that
more specificity should be elicited from policymakers regarding each NIT,
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SUBJECT: Minutes of 11 May 1983 Committee on Priorities Meeting
i.e., knowing who is asking the question and a more precise way of knowing if
and how well a given NIT has been answered. In response, Mr. Kerr agreed with
Mr. Oleson's aim for specificity but explained difficulties of past
experiences in this regard.
The Chairman asked Committee members if any of the current NITs could be
canceled. Members suggested none for elimination. In the discussion that
followed, Mr. Stivers and Mr. Oleson addressed NIT #8 (Soviet Space Systems)
and several others which have not yet been satisfied adequately. It was
concluded that difficulties in many instances are due to lack of specificity
in the NIT statement, and that, henceforth, NITs should be cast in a way that
will make them more "doable" and permit measurable progress in each case. Mr.
Oleson said that, in the JCS area, attempts at specificity are often a painful
process, but should be tried, even to considering sub-NITs. Mr. Kerr said
sub-NITs in some cases might be useful.
Mr. Ken deGraffenreid, representing the Deputy Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs, introduced Mr. Richard Beal who is to become
Special Assistant to the President for Crisis Management and Planning. In
contrast to Mr. Oleson's concerns for specificity, Mr. deGraffenreid said NIT-
related questions from NSC staffers are often quite specific and that he has advised
his colleagues that NITs should be expressed in a sort of middle ground, allowing
for some flexibility in production response. He noted also a need for opportunity
intelligence that might serve in developing creative initiatives for U.S. foreign
policy--or ways to do more than simply react to crises.
Mr. John Walker, representing the Under Secretary of Treasury, observed
that, overall, the NITs bear a "Soviet cast" and that priority intelligence
concerns of Treasury extend to many other countries. He specified Treasury's
particular interests in international financial operations, transfer of
critical technologies, the narcotics problem, and law enforcement. He said he
would look into ways for fitting these concerns into the NIT structure, which
at the moment, does not appear to encompass these concerns well enough. In
response, Mr. Kerr suggested that Treasury present some NITs reflecting
specific concerns for Committee consideration.
Mr. Herman Roser, representing the Under Secretary of Energy, echoed the
type of specialized concerns expressed by Mr. Walker--that the Department of
Energy has a deep interest in a variety of nuclear and nuclear-related matters
in the foreign environment. Mr. Kerr noted that it would be helpful to
develop nuclear concerns that are more specific, e.g., oriented by country.
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SUBJECT: Minutes of 11 May 1983 Committee on Priorities Meeting
Mr. Montgomery, referring to Secretary Shultz's trip to the Middle East,
indicated that such trips by the Secretary may become very useful in refining
certain NITs and may enable the Committee to anticipate future NITs.
It was generally accepted that Committee review of intelligence
requirements and priorities be conducted semi-annually instead of quarterly,
that NITs be categorized (A and B) as recommended by the IPC Staff, that
statement of NITS be refined, and that the proposed NIT Schedule and Actions
be adjusted. The 15 June deadline for inputs as issued on 5 May by the IPC
Staff was viewed as unrealistic. Mr. Stivers suggested that further
refinements in the review process could be worked out at staff levels.
The Chairman expressed his appreciation for members' views and adjourned
the meeting.
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SECRET
SIG(I) COMMITTEE ON PRIORITIES
11 May 1983
Attendees:
Dep. Asst. to Pres.
State
Defense
Treasury
Commerce
Energy
Mr. John McMahon, DDCI (Chmn)
Mr. Ken deGraffenreid
Mr. Hugh Montgomery
Mr. Ron Stivers
Mr. John Walker
Mr. Sherman Unger
Mr. Herman Roser
Mr. Peter Oleson
Chmn, IPC
(Mr. deGraffenreid was accompanied by Mr. Richard Beal, Special Assistant to
the President for Crisis Management and Planning who attended as an observer.)
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SUBJECT: Minutes of 11 May 1983 Committee on Priorities Meeting
Distribution: (ICS 83-3393)
1 - Deputy Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs (Mr. deGraffenreid)
1 - Under Secretary of State (Mr. Montgomer )
1 - Under Secretary of Defense (Mr. Stiversy)
1 - Under Secretary of Treasury (Mr. Walker)
1 - Under Secretary of Commerce (Mr. Unger)
1 - Under Secretary of Energy (Mr. Roser)
1 - Senior Representative of the Chairman,
Joint rt,iPfc of Staff (Mr. Oleson)
1 - D/ICS
1 - DDCI
1 - Chmn, IPC
1 - Executive Secretariat
1 - Executive Registry
1 - SIG(I) Chrono
1 - SIG(I) Subject
1 - Chmn, FIPC
1 - Secretariat Staff Registry
1 - ICS Registry
ES/SIG(I) I (24 May 83)
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