THE NIO/IC STAFF RELATIONSHIP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R001300030005-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2003
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: June 3, 1974
• Content Type: MF

MEMORANDUM FOR THE DCI
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SUBJECT: The NIO/IC Staff Relationship
In a separate memo I have proposed the establishment of two resource
oriented NIO's in George Carver's office: an NIO for Signals Intelligence
and an NIO for Photographic Intelligence. In this paper (of which I have
made no other copies) I would like to offer some thoughts I have con-
cerning the relationship of the Office of the NIO's, expanded in this
manner, and the IC Staff.
Let me suppose that after a period of time the Office of the NIO's
would include at least four resource oriented officers to cover the areas
of SIGINT, PHOTINT, Clandestine Collection, and Tactical Intelligence,
and that the function of these officers would be to work with the
collection system managers and provide them on your behalf with the
opinions of the analysts and the consumers of intelligence concerning
requirements and priorities. This would no doubt raise the question
whether there remains a significant function for the IC Staff to perform
beyond that of its programming and comptroller activities. This thought
will be in the minds of others too and will probably lead to considerable
bureaucratic resistance.
I would expect, for example, that the IC Staff Director would urge
that the NIO's for resource affairs be located within the IC Staff. I
would urge you to resist that suggestion for two reasons.
First, it would be the function of these resource oriented NIO's
to catalyze and collate the opinion of the producers and consumers of
intelligence about certain resources. As such, they would be performing
a function vis-a-vis the production offices which is consistent with
that of the substantive NIO's. Therefore, it would be appropriate, I
believe, to consolidate in George Carver's office all the functions
concerned with developing the opinions of the production and consumer
elements of the community.
Second, I think it likely that you will find it useful for political
reasons to continue to fill the position of the IC Staff Director with a
military person, and it would be worth considering the kind of individual
that you are likely to get in future incumbents. One of the factors that
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I believe will be influential in this regard will be a declining prestige
of the position in the wake of a growing position of influence by the
ASD(I) and his staff. Dr. Hall has developed an exceedingly competent
staff and has put himself in a position of considerable authority and
leverage over the DOD portion of the intelligence resources. This cannot
help but detract from the authority and influence of the IC Staff. This
fact, I think, will be perceived by future candidates for that position
and it will become increasingly difficult to attract high caliber
officers. Second, although nominees for filling the IC Staff Director
position will no doubt be approved by you, they'will be selected in the
Pentagon, and the ASD(I) will surely have considerable influence over
the selection. In such a situation, it will take a very strong willed
and principled person to resist the temptation to keep one ear, perhaps
his best one, cocked in the direction of the ASD(I).
As you look downstream, therefore, I recommend that you consider
strengthening the office of the NIO's to include as many resource
oriented officers as may become necessary to cover important resource
issues, and that you simultaneously reduce the responsibility of the IC
Staff until it retains only the community programmingand comptroller
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