PROPOSED REDUCTIONS IN SERVICE ATTACHE STAFFS ABROAD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003400040008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2003
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: October 24, 1949
• Content Type: MEMO

'01 !bell
- STANDARD FORM NO. 84Approved For Release 2003/0 DP80R01731,W 03400040008-7
Office Memorandum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO : Director of Central Intelligence Agency DATE: OCT 2 4 1949
FROM Assistant Director, ORE
SUBJECT: proposed Reductions in Service Attache Staffs Abroad.
1. This Office has long been on record concerning (a) the general
inadequacy of reporting from the field, (b) ORE's difficulties in obtaining
answers to specific requirements for field collection, and (c) the need for
a basic realignment of the collection machinery in order to eliminate these
faults.
2. On 4 October 1919 the Department of State sent a circular telegram
to selected US diplomatic missions, informing them that the Department of
Defense proposed to make substantial reduction in attache personnel stationed
abroad, and requesting field comments on the consequences of this proposal.
Most of the comments have been received, a summary of which is contained in
Appendix A attached to this paper, together with a resume of the proposed cuts
and ORE comments concerning their effect on intelligence coverage in specific
countries.
3. Since the attaches have been a fruitful source of information on
political and economic matters as well as military, the Department of Defense
proposal has serious consequences for CIA. It will reduce officer personnel
available to the armed services for reporting by approximately 35%. Its
actual effect on the quantity and quality of reports will probably be greater,
because there is a certain minimum of representation and administrative duties
that must be performed by an attache staff regardless of its size. Some areas
will be left completely uncovered except for nominal reporting from neighboring
posts. Since the attache system collects information for use in the production
of national as well as departmental intelligence, it would seem improper for
the Defense establishment to take unilateral action to reduce the effectiveness
of the system without prior consultation with the DCI.
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/03/07 : CIA-RD 80R01731 R003400040008-7
 Approved For Relg?pe 2003/03/07 STUET RO0400040008-7
- 2 -
. c. In the event that the Defense proposal is implemented,
increase the strength of 00 and OSO in accordance with specific
recommendations to be prepared by ORE, OSI, 00 and OSO.
Enclosure:
Appendix A
SECRET
Approved For Release 2003/03/07 : CIA-RDP80R01731 R003400040008-7
 Approved For Rese 2003/03/07: CIA-RDP80R01731 RQ400040008-7
CIA's C011JAI SNNTS ON Ttii PROPOSED REDUCTIONS 114
Ss?.R7IC1 ATTACH R . STAN PS ABROAD
O C i- 2 4 1949
1. On 4 October 1949 the Department of State sent a circular tele-
gram to practically all US diplomatic missions, informing them substantially
of the following:
a. that the Secretary of Defense intended to make substantial
reductions in attache personnel stationed abroad;
b. that, where attache posts are to be closed entirely, service
representation at such posts will be conducted by attaches resident
in neighborin ; countries; and
a. that, by NSC decision, the Department of State is responsi-
ble for reporting on military matters where no service representa-
tive is actually present.
2. The Department of State objected to a few outs, concurred in
the remainder, and requested field comments within three days. Practically
all of those field comments have by now been received.
3. It is to be noted that the vast riajority of the field com-ants
received from US diplomatic posts abroad object to the proposed reductions.
,.'Among other reasons cited to support these objections, it is generally
indioated that the proposed cuts would be disastrous from the intelligence-
collection point of view
4. 5ihile concurrinrr in some of the proposed reductions, CIA
agrees with most of the State Department and Pornir*n Service objections
to them, CIA appreciates the spirit of bm.tgotary economy from which this
proposal stems, but feels that such sweeping outs in our service attache
system at this time would have tremendously harmful effects on the US
ntelligonce-collection effort,
b. CIA has often pointed out that both the quantity and quality
of US intelligence collection are hi.-My .nadequate, and that serious
consequences for our national security may well be expected to follow
if existin-? inadequacies in this vital prerequisite to national intelli-
ronce production are not corrected. To reduce these already inadequate
collection facilities so drastically, without at the eame time guaran-
teeing an improvement in their quality, seems particularly inadvisable
during; this most critical period.
6. Specific comments and recommendations on individual posts are
riven in the remainder of ,these comments, Some observations of a more
general nature should first be noted by way of summary:
Approved For Release 2003/03/07 : CIA-RDP80R01731 R003400040008-7
SECRET
1
 SAJe c .11
r
Approved For Re a 2003/03/07 : CIA RDP80R01731 RQ03400040008-7
a., Intellieenoe cotrorage of any one country by an attache
residing in a nei7hboritafc country is a practical impossibility&
Sa1cn covorat a is purely nominal and therefore of no help for
intelli-.enco collectiono
b.. Attaches of one service are not competent to report on
technical dsvelopments of another ?:;ervice, nor are civilians generally
competent to report on service matters of any kind, In.additiono
the rood-will and resultant accessibility to intelli'onde sources
en;ioyed by US attaches in relation to the local authorities of
their respective services would by no means be vouchsafed to
attaches of another service who mitht be doubling in brass, let
alone to civilians, whether they be ?orelrn Service personnel or
o' hog AdV-- e ".f 1 e1=orr , ovor6 a.d cover4R,
d. great and hartrteul disproportion is observed in many of the
proposed cuts at individual posts as between the attachb staffs of
the three scrvioes. Such reductions are frequently out of line
with the intallihende workload and relative value of the attache
sta1' s, and is practically