NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFF DISCUSSION OF SPECIAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE/COUNTERINTELLIGENCE LAUNCHING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00171R000200070010-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 9, 2005
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 7, 1978
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 20051.03/30 : CIA-RDP83M00171 R000200070010-8
7 February 1978
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: National Security Council Staff Discussion of Special
Coordination Committee/Counterintelligence Launching
1. The following is a summary of an informal 90-minute discussion
convened on 6 February 1978 by Mr. Samuel Hoskinson, Director of Ints1-
ligence, National Security Council Staff, to brainstorm the laanchino
of the Special Coordination Committee/Counterintelligence (SCC/CI).
I attended at Mr. Hoskinson's invitation. Others present were
Mr. Robert Gates, Staff Assistant to Zhigniew Brzezinski, and
Mr. Frederick D. Baron, Special Assistant to the Attorney General.
2. Although Mr. Brzezinski had indicated a desire for an early
covening of the SCC/CI to get it launched, Mr. Gates will recommend to
him today (7 February) that Mr. Brzezinski send a memo to the communtyy
foreign counterintelligence (FCI) principals requesting summary comnwnts
on each agency's FCI program--objectives, modus operandi, resource!.
involved; on the hostile threat as perceived by that agency; on the
departmental and national FCI problemr~ experienced by the agency; nn
a suggested prioritized listing of issues to be addressed by the S(C/i"J ;
and on recommendations on how the SCC/CI should organize itself to
conduct its work. A relatively short (four- to eight-week) deadlir:e
will be proposed. The responses would be synthesized and used by the
NSC Staff to provide a basis for a first meeting of the SCC/CI prircinnals,
at which agreements on structure and of initial tasks/objectives wcula
be sought.
3. It is expected that the SCC/CI will work primarily through
working groups and/or task forces dealing with particular problems,
issues, or tasks. Mr. Hoskinson is leaning toward a principal working
group composed of FCI principals under the SCC/CI top policymakers,
with the issue/problem/task-oriented groups existing only as long as
needed for a particular project. These ad hoc groups would be i:reatei
by and report to the principal working group. (Note: This is similar'
in concept to my original national structure proposal, floated by the
DCI to the FCI community, for a top-level policy committee with a
subordinate National Foreign Counterintelligence Board.)
4. The initial SCC/CI-sponsored major effort after its organi,-iiiq
meeting is expected to be the preparation of a national net FCI asslsr-
ment, with the additional requirement that the assessment make actin
Approved For Release 2005/03/30 : CIA-RDP83M00171 R000200070010-8
 Approved For Release 20054P/30: CIA-RDP83M00171 R000200070010-8
SUBJECT: National Security Council Staff Discussion of Special
Coordination Committee/Counterintelligence Launching
recommendations with respect to deficiencies/weaknesses found. The
need for a multidisciplinary approach to the assessment was expres>ec.
(Mr. Hoskinson agreed to attend a 22 February 1978 multidisciplinary CI
briefing being sponsored by the Resource Management Staff for top !-Bi
FCI officials.) Mr. Hoskinson opined that although the net assesssier
would be assigned to a working group, the responsibility of puttino it
together would be assigned to a specific organization (undesignate1i)
as executive agent.
5. The consensus of the meeting was that action on other SCC/C]
tasks set forth in E.O. 12036 should be delayed to allow the net assfs;sment
to educate the principals, provide a common initial data base, and er