OAG GUIDELINES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91M00696R000300050001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 16, 2006
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 28, 2001
• Content Type: MF

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S.?:CRET/
July 19, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
en's t S ou, 'croft
SUBJECT: OAG Guidelines
Attached are the Guidelines for the conduct of OAG business. If
after a suitable trial period the Guidelines are found to be lacking
in some significant respect, appropriate modifications will be
made.
cc: Attorney General
Director, Office of Management
and Budget
NSC review(s) completed.
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Executive Order 11905 of 18 February 1976 provides:
Membership: The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
(Designated Chairman by the President)
The Secretary of State
The Secretary of Defense
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Director of Central Intelligence
Observers: The Attorney General
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Responsibilities:
1. "Consider and develop a policy recommendation,
including any dissents, for the President prior to
his decision on each special activity in support of
national foreign policy objectives. "
2. "Conduct periodic reviews of programs previously
considered by the Operations Group. "
3. "Give approval for specific sensitive intelligence
collection operations as designated by the Operations
Group. "
4. "Conduct periodic reviews of ongoing sensitive
intelligence collection operations. ""
Procedures: Responsibilities 1 and 3 above are to be discharged "only
after consideration in a formal meeting attended by all
members and observers; or, in unusual circumstances
when any member or observer is unavailable, when a
designated representative of the member or observer
attends. "
Support: NSC Staff (Office of Director for Intelligence Coordination)
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CHAIRMAN'S
GUIDELINES FOR OPERATIONS ADVISORY GROUP (OAG)
1. Attendance:
a. The President expects members and observers to attend meetings.
A member or observer will be represented by a designated senior
representative only if authorized by the Chairman.
b. With the exception of executive principals-only sessions, members
may be accompanied by senior aides who will attend only while the
subjects for which their assistance is deemed essential are being
discussed.
2. Jurisdiction:
a. Special Activities
(1)
(2)
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Operations subject to OAG review shall include those for which
certification (a Presidential Finding) by the President as
"important to the national security of the United States" is
required by Section 662(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, as Amended, or similar operations conducted by agencies
other than CIA.
In accordance with Responsibility Number 1, new initiatives
and significant changes ' (in terms of money or political impact
or operational direction) in previously approved special
activities will be submitted to the OAG as proposals and will
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be considered in a formal meeting. The OAG's policy
recommendation, including any dissents, will be submitted
to the President prior to his decision.
b. Sensitive Intelligence Collection Operations
(1) OAG advance approval is required for all missions conducted
by the National Underwater Reconnaissance Program. In
accordance with Responsibility Number 3, these missions will
be approved only after consideration in a formal meeting.
The Chairman or the OAG may designate other sensitive
intelligence collection operations to be included in this
category.
(2) OAG advance approval is required for specified ongoing
sensitive intelligence collection operations reviewed periodically
in accordance with Responsibility Number 4, These include
the monthly schedules submitted by the Joint Reconnaissance
Center (composed of airborne, surface and subsurface sensitive
collection operations), and the National Reconnaissance Office.
These monthly schedules will be distributed to all members
and their votes registered with the OAG Executive Secretary,
who will report them to the Chairman for final actipn.
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(3) The Director of Central Intelligence will insure that the
OAG periodically reviews any other sensitive intelligence
collection operations which he deems are of unusual political
or operational risk. This category includes operations
which the DCI cites in his periodic briefings of the oversight
committees of the Congress, and those human source intelli-
gence collection efforts which in his judgment could result
in unusual embarrassment to the U. S. Government should
they be exposed. The Chairman or the OAG may designate
specific collection, programs or operations to be included in
this category. Appropriate provisions will be taken by the
OAG to insure protection of intelligence sources and methods
from unuathorized disclosure, and that the program's
implications for U. S. relations with the country in which it
is being conducted are properly assessed.
c. Reviews
(1) CIA will submit reports to the OAG on its special activities
for consideration at the NSC semi-annual reviews of foreign
intelligence activities. The Department of Defense will submit
similar reports on its activities which are under the jurisdiction
of the OAG. The Executive Secretary will provide specific
guidance on the content and format of these reports as well
as due dates for OAG review. ? In general, these sexxii--annual
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reports will be broad-based and highlight significant
problems and issues.
(2) In addition, the OAG will receive from CIA and the
Department of Defense annual consolidated reports on
all on-going activities and programs under their jurisdiction.
These reports will include specific performance. data on all
continuing special activities, sensitive intelligence collection
activities, and other operations and programs under the OAG's
jurisdiction. These reports will constitute the vehicle for an
annual periodic review and their acceptance by the OAG will
constitute authority for continuing approved activities. The
Executive Secretary will provide guidance. on specific. format
and due dates.
3. Working Group:
a. An OAG Working Group will be established under the chairmanship
of the Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
(In his absence the NSC Director for Intelligence Coordination will
chair the Working Group.) Each OAG member will designate a
senior official to represent him as a member of the Working Group.
OAG observers may be represented at Working Group meetings,
if they so desire.
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b. The OAG Working Group will not be a decision-making body.
It will meet at the call of its chairman to review proposals, reports
and other presentations prior to their consideration by the OAG.
In addition, the OAG Working Group will constitute a forum to
consider international situations for which special activities or
sensitive intelligence collection operations might be appropriate,
as well as to consider the level of capabilities needed to support
such special activities and sensitive collection operations.
cc. A member or observer may request the OAG Working Group to
consider any topic which he feels needs interagency coordination
and review prior to its consideration by the OAG, including the
review of on-going sensitive intelligence collection operations and
special activities, or consideration of possible new initiatives,
d. The OAG Executive Secretary will insure that members and
observers are advised of scheduled meetings of the OAG Working
Group, topics to be considered, and that they receive copies of any
papers distributed. The stipulations governing OAG records
(see paragraph 5, below) will also apply to the Working Group.
4. Proposals:
a. Proposals to be considered at an OAG meeting will be distributed
to members and observers if at all possible at least 48 hours in
advance of the meeting.
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b. Proposals for special activities to be recommended to the
President and proposals for approval by OAG of sensitive
intelligence collection operations shall include:
(1) A brief opening summary paragraph;
(2) Succinct outline of the proposal and the need or justification
for the proposal;
(3) Statement and analysis of expenditures required;
(4) Statement of alternatives, risks, and previous coordination
in developing the proposal (including OAG Working Group
consideration);
(5) If proposal involves a special activity, references to all OAG
and Presidential documents or records of each operation
previously approved by the President that is related to, or
will be changed or expanded by, the proposed special activity;
and
(6) If proposal involves a special activity, believed not to require
an additional finding or reports under Section 662 of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as Amended, a statement of
the reasons.
(7) A statement of whether the proposal if adopted should be
followed by consultations with members of Congress or reports
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to committees of Congress other than under Section 66Z of said Act
and the extent and nature of such consultations or reports.
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C. The original and six copies of each proposal will be sent to the
OAG Executive Secretary for distribution to members and observers.
The OAG Executive Secretary will forward the copies to the point
of contact designated by each member and observer. (See
Attachment A for a list of the points of contact for distribution
of proposals and other OAG papers. )
d. If a special activity is to be recommended to the President, the
recommendation shall include a copy of the proposal andthe dissents
and comments of OAG members and observers, and in the absence
of a statement under subparagraph (6) of paragraph 4. b. acceptable
to the Attorney General, the recommendation shall also include:
(1) A statement on which the President may -base- a finding-that
the operation recommended is important to the national security
of the United States;
(2) A description and scope of the operation (including in every
appropriate case a statement of the necessity for activities
and expenditures to effectuate an orderly and safe withdrawal
from the operation if circumstances should require its termi-
nation or substantial curtailment) as found by the President
to be important to the national security, which is to be the basis
of reports to the appropriate committees of the Congress; and
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(3) A form for the President to sign if he accepts the
recommendation, which shall include the required finding,
cite the documents reviewed by the President, and delegate
to the Director of Central Intelligence the authority and
responsibility to make the required reports in a timely fashion
to the appropriate committees of the Congress with a direction
that the Director provide to the President and OAG a record
of the time, manner and content of each report made (including
the time and nature of each offer or attempt to report which
may have preceded the actual report) and the reactions or
responses received.
5. Records:
a. The office of the Executive Secretary is the OAG office of record.
All formal and official queries (Congressional, judicial, press,
declassification, Freedom of Information, etc.) relating to OAG
affairs and materials will be directed to the OAG Executive
Secretary. Under no circumstances will members or observers or
their staffs release OAG documents outside their organization
without prior written approval from the Chairman of the OAG.
b. Members and observers may temporarily retain OAG documents
to meet their current needs and will return such documents to the
OAG Executive Secretary when they are no longer required. The
OAG Executive Secretary will respond on .a timely basis to the
request for any information pertaining to documents he maintains.
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c. To insure appropriate security, the following special security
controls will be required for all OAG documents temporarily
retained by members and observers:
(1) Staff access will be on a strict need-to-know basis and
appropriate controls will be maintained.
(2) No historical files on completed special activities will be
maintained, except for the files of the organization charged
with operational responsibility.
(3) All security records and OAG documents will be subject to
immediate review upon request by the Executive Secretary.
6. Reportin
The executive agent for each special activity or sensitive intelligence
collection operation reviewed or approved by the OAG must inform the
OAG promptly of:
a. Significant or major changes in the operations, and
b. Any untoward incident, security problem, or potential "headline"r
event connected with it.
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POINTS OF CONTACT FOR OAG MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS
Members:
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Chairman
Rob Roy Ratliff
Executive Secretary, OAG Phone: [phone]
Room 300-1/2 Secure: White House
Old Executive Office Building
The Secretary of State
William McAfee
INR/DDC Phone: [phone]
Room 6635 Secure: 5211
Department of State
The Secretary of Defense
Rear Admiral M. Staser Holcomb
Office of The Secretary of Defense Phone: - -.6-95-5261
Room 3'E 880 Secure: 2236
The Pentagon
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Amos C. Good
Office of The Chairman of the Phone: [phone]
Joint Chiefs of Staff Secure: 2172
Room 2 E 865
The Pentagon
The Director of Central Intelligence
B. C. Evans
Office of the Director
Room 7-D-60
Central Intelligence Agency
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Observers:
The Attorney General
Douglas Marvin
Office of The Attorney General
Phone:
739-3892
Room 5111
Secure:
2248
Department of Justice
The Director of the
Office of Management and Budget
Donald G. Ogilvie
Office of Management and Budget Phone: [phone].
Room 246
Old Executive Office Building
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EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Routing Slip
TO:
10
20
21
DDI
D/DCI/NI
Compt
Asst/ DCI
AO/DCI
For information and appropriate action.
3'],(5-76, 19 Jul 76
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