MEMO TO HENRY KISSINGER FROM ANDREW MARSHALL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: March 7, 2011
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: December 16, 1971
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/03/07: LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6
NATIONAL SE9 fRri'f jOSUNCIL
MEMORANDUM
TOP SECRET/CODEWORD
INFORMATION
December 16, 1971
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
At the December 3, 1971, meeting you indicated that
-- Each NSCIC member should prepare within ten days an initial
statement of national intelligence needs.
Another meeting within two weeks be held to consider these
This meeting should be slipped to a later date.
-- While if forced the statements of needs could probably be
prepared, predictably their preparation has been difficult. The basis
for a useful meeting is not available.
Attendance problems
-- Helms will be away from late on December 16. Cushman
is leaving CIA soon.
-- Packard would be unlikely to attend and no replacement yet.
-- Proposed plan of work prepared by NSCIC Working Group
will be available later and should provide the basis for a useful second
meeting of NSCIC.
TOP SECRET/CODEWORD
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/03/07: LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/03/07: LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6
TOP SECRET/COWORD W 2
What has been happening? The NSCIC Working Group had its first
meeting on Monday, December 13, 1971, with Bronson Tweedy
(Helms' represenative) in the chair. Discussion focused upon future
work of the Working Group and upon tasks of the NSCIC. Agreed that
-- Working Group to meet again in mid-January, agree upon and
submit to NSCIC a plan of work.
-- Tweedy to undertake preparation of draft plan of work as well
as information about current Intelligence Community efforts to reflect
consumer needs.
I will work with Tweedy on preparation of draft working plan for
next meeting of Working Group.
Next meeting of NSCIC should be about February 1, 1972. At that
time, agenda would be:
-- Statements from State, DOD, and JCS on national intelligence needs.
-- Proposed work plan for Working Group, including description of
mode of operation, selected studies and surveys to be undertaken for
use by NSCIC.
-- Summary view of current efforts- of Intelligence Community to
perceive and respond to national intelligence needs.
Some Things You Should Think About
Attempts will be made to bring to NSCIC all sorts of intelligence problems,
especially evident are States' desire to bring resource program issues
there. I believe focus should be upon
-- Formulating and expressing national policy process needs for
intelligence.
-- Providing continual review and evaluation of community product
inputs to national policy process.
TOP SECRET/CODEWORD
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/03/07: LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/03/07: LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6
w
TOP SECRET/CODEWORD
You should be alert to tendency to turn every perceived intelligence
deficiency into a program for new collection. Many failures are, in
fact, the result of inadequate intelligence analysis and exploitation
of available data.
The expression of needs is a complex and intellectually difficult problem.
Comprehensive statement of needs and priorities, by region, by subject
area (military, economic, political, etc.), by policy problem are (SALT,
monetary negotiations, etc.) can be prepared. But, it is also important
to take key policy areas and study them in more detail so as to state
specific issues they involve and the resulting information needs. In
addition, a continual review process should be set up to follow the sequence
of steps:
-- Initial statement of needs.
-- Critical evaluation of product.
-- Community responds to critique with improved product.
Most organizations are best affected through a consistent monitoring
and feedback process rather than by a once and for all statement of
demands upon them.
TOP SECRET/CODEWORD
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/03/07: LOC-HAK-537-6-12-6