1. PROBLEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61S00750A000700070035-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 22, 1998
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: May 8, 1953
• Content Type: OUTLINE

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8 May 1953
1. PROBLEM
To augment qualitatively and quantitatively acquisition of
foreign published and documentary material for intelligence
purposes.
II. FACTS BEARING ON THE PROBLEM
(a) Present publications procurement efforts in State and
CIA are not adequate to the research needs of the IAC.
(b) The Foreign Service of the United States provides
adequate machinery upon which a program for solving present
deficiencies can be based, given adequate fiscal and personnel
support both in Washington and overseas. The Foreign Service
has been so utilized in the similar effort of geographic intelli-
gence (OLI/M), as well as in the comparable services performed
by the Departments of Labor, Commerce, Agriculture, and so
forth. (The problem of providing funds or personnel support to
the Foreign Service overseas is not considered in this paper).
(c) The recently approved NSCID-16 provides that "the
Director of Central Intelligence shall insure the coordination
of the procurement of foreign language publications for intelli-
gence purposes".
(d) Accomplishment of the objectives of NSCID-16 relating
to timely identification, cataloging, utilization and evaluation of
acquired materials is dependent to an important degree upon
effective operation of the procurement system.
III. CONCLUSIONS
In the study of the problem only three major solutions
presented themselves:
(a) Creating within CIA a new mechanism which would
augment in Washington and in the field the existing facilities of
State and the Foreign Service.
(b) Augment, by additional funds and/or personnel from
CIA, the present State facilities.
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(c) Transferring of State activities in Washington (FPB)
to CIA where, under CIA auspices, they can be appropriately
augmented to provide adequate guidance to the Foreign Service
and adequate processing in Washington.
Solution (a) creates a new competing and duplicative
organization and has been considered so violative of the spirit
of NSCID-16 and so uneconomical that it has been discarded.
Careful consideration has been given to solution (b).
The principal advantage of this solution is that the maintenance
of this function in the Department of State may contribute in
some degree to its more ready acceptance by the Foreign
Service overseas. Certain other minor advantages may accrue
from this solution, such as greater ease and flexibility in
dealing with non-IAC agencies and, as necessary, with non-
governmental libraries and organizations. However, this
solution would require augmentin State's Washin ton activities
(FPB) to the estimated extent of 25XIAla
Moreover, the separation of authoritative direction and financial
responsibility would inevitably create inefficiencies regardless
of the whole-hearted cooperation of the parties concerned. A
further disadvantage arises from the difficulty (in view of the
Department's budgetary history) of insuring continuation on a
stable basis of the Department's share of the augmented activities.
It is impracticable to propose continuing execution of this program
by periodic infusions of CIA funds in amounts varying in propor-
tion to the current status of the Department's budget.
Solution (c) appears to provide the most acceptable
solution. It has the following advantages
1. Consolidated record-keeping will afford a better
utilization of personnel.
2. Integration of the publications procurement program
within CIA will provide the Director with the means, as well as
the authority, to carry out the provisions and achieve the ob-
jectives of NSCID-16. Under this solution there will be combined
for the first time under one administrative direction, functions
relating to the collection, dissemination, indexing and recording
and exploitation of foreign publications for intelligence purposes.
The wartime experiences of OSS in this field have clearly indi-
cated that such consolidation is more efficient and economical
than decentraliz tion of the various arts of the whole operation.
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The principal disadvantages of solution (c) are (1) the
procedural difficulty of providing guidance and direction to the
Foreign Service from another agency; (2) meeting the special
needs of the Department and of non-IAC agencies for foreign
published materials.
We believe, however, that the geographic intelligence
program provides an example of the method whereby the first
disadvantage may be overcome and we also believe that the
second disadvantage can also be overcome by cooperation be-
tween the Department and CIA.
IV, ACTION RECOMMENDED
It is recommended that the Deputy Director/Intelligence,
Central Intelligence Agency, and the Special Assistant, Intelli-
gence, Department of State, approve the implementation of the
proposal that CIA undertake to augment the acquisition of foreign
published and documentary material for intelligence purposes by
assuming the functions of the Foreign Publications Branch of
the Acquisition and Distribution Division. In assuming this re-
sponsibility from the Acquisition and Distribution Division, the
following conditions shall prevail-
(a) That State?s overall responsibility for the functions of
the Foreign Service be recognized by the creation of a special
assistant for publications to the Director, OLI, similar to the
special assistant for maps. Like him, he will be designated and
paid by CIA and will direct the publications procurement program
at present directed by the Department of State.
(b) CIA will assure that the Department of State will con-
tinue to receive no less satisfactory service with regard to
foreign publications that it has received to date from its Foreign
Publications Branch.
(c) The facilities of the centralized procurement activities
housed in CIA will continue to be available to non-IAC agencies
as a supplement to their normal acquisition through commercial
and exchange channels.
(d) In accordance with NSCID-l6, CIA will coordinate its
program with those of the service attaches.
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