ABM SPECIAL STUDY GROUP, MINUTES OF MEETING, JANUARY 17, 1968

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01138A000100050053-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 7, 2002
• Sequence Number: 53
• Publication Date: January 17, 1968
• Content Type: MIN

Approved Fo elease 2002/05/20 ' CI'P80BO1138"A000100050053-1
ABM SPECIAL STUDY GROUP
Minutes of Meeting Held January 17, 1968
Central Intelligence Agency
Room 6E 60, Langley
0900 - 1130 hours
25X1A
25X1A
25X1A
25X1A
i
Mr. John A. Bro'ss*
RADM Donald M. 'Showers
Ivir. Clifford ummings
Dr. William Wollenberg
Mr. Frank Perez
*Part of the meeting
NIP E
Consultant
DIA
DIA
DDR&E
OSD(SA)
State Department
NSA
CIA
CIA
NIPE
DIA AND OSD REVIEW COMPLETED
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1. The first meetli g, of the ABM Special Study Group was
held on 17 January 1968. TI;c neeting Nva, begun by distributing
folders that contained backgroi nd for the ABM Study. Various
documents were briefly reviewed and discussed during the course
of the meeting.
2. Consultant to the ELINT Evaluation
Working Group (EEWG)) gave a brief presentation on the methodology
being. used in the current ELINT Study. iscussed a
probability matrix of collectors versus o bserva es. Each entry in
3. Mr. John Bross (.VIP.E) stressed the high priority.being
given to the ABM Study by various top government officials. He noted
the dynamic nature and complexity of such a study effort and how such
a task would have been very difficult to initiate only a few years ago.
For one thing the intelligence product is very ambigious and answers
to questions being posed are not readily available. Also, the' intelligence
targets have dynamic characters in that a priority target may be ABM,
say, and then suddenly shift to the Soviet presence in the Mid-East. He
cited the need for an organizational approach to the study that would
organize the consumers and suppliers of intelligence in an effective
relationship.
4. Mr. Bross went on to state that the Bureau of the Budget
(BoB) has officially requested that an ABM Study, be undertaken. Origi-
nally, the BoB request was for study results to be applicable to FY 69
planning, but this was later amended to a desire for results available
for FY 70.
5. Questions were raised on exactly what the BoB Terms of
Reference requested. Considerable discussion followed the opening of
this topic, and it was finally decided to request I o redraft a
Terms of Reference to eliminate possible misinterpretations.
6. The applicability of the Ballistic Missile methodology to
the ABM effort was. discussed at length. It was generally agreed that
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the existing methodology appeared relevant: (with possible modifications)
to the ABM Study. However, there was general agreement to utilize the
simplest possible methodology that would produce valid conclusions.
7. I Idistributod a paper showing the start of a
representative breakdown of the ABM problem into.its components.
Dr. Wollenberg, I _j Mr. Cummings, and were
requested to evaluate this breakdown for its possible use u Hess in
arriving at a set (or sets) of information needs and values and for
relating the needs to collectors through observables. However, another
approach exists to arrive at observables. That is, one could iake the
list of ABM collectors and list tie .ABM-related observables with which
each collector is associated. .The Study Group? members agreed to give
further thought to this latter method to arrive at observables.
8.. The next meeting of the ABM Special Study Group will be
held on 19 January 1968 at 2:00 p.m.
Executive Secretary
Approved For Release 2002/05/20 .'CIA-R OP80B01138A000100050053-1