NPIC INTERPRETABILITY RATINGS--KH-4B VS. KH-4A AGAINST GROUND FORCE TARGETS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B01709A000600040015-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2004
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: October 8, 1969
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 200 fa4'/l V P79B01709AOQ 00040015-7
1.00 -
8 Octo6 r 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Dtr4ct
slmJr CT
at Pro
C Iat rpr.tabttityr Ratings.-KH-48 vs.
}H-4A Against Ground Fore Targets
1. Recent NPIC briefings to CCWIRFX in cenaectien with the
K..4 high/low issue suggest the increased scat* and resolution of
KW.43 at 85 a vice 10? an is of so - e value to the PIrs, principally
sly strait ground farce targets. The n:+tosite
descrtbw4 as relatively toiensittvv to 100
2. 14P IC saperiaeats uttitsiog good quality Y U-48 photography
near nadir) which bad been enlarged to sirrulate lot. axr: attitude
nn-
l it not tzr preset adv*atagos of 85 nrr, vile* l o0
of the enlarger, which has been described as a
bypothestsed K8-47 trs agery frotr 85 nw should Io
ad quality H-4B photography against the negative Was
..4A r-lostans at 100 rar, (1044-1049). They cover a period
4. Six }.-48 nAoxiors at 95 ncr. (I101-1106) were compared
rl awed',
96? to February 1969, and are conveniently "late
a or so selected targets. One technical drawback to this
eaper ent is how to balance off the poettive bias resulting frorr, use
relatively better than EH-4A imagery from 100 an- against the an-All
ground force targets than against :cth.r categories of targets. I have
accordingly sorted our data bank on PI ratings contained in the BLIP
413 with 4B as was done to the NPIC expert
4A r . tssten photography actually averages an attitud+ over
NRO ,review(s) completed.
25
25X1
b other. It should be noted we are comparing 4B i
Approved For Release 2004/04/13: CIA-RDP79B017
 Approved For Release 24,4/04/13: C D 09A0006000?4015-7
SUSPECT: NP IC rpretabiitty P atia s.-fl 4 . i -4A A atast
Grc,und -'erce Targets
the Stag oviet & ac of shout 106 am. whereas the 4B photography Is
at 85 on or very close to It. KFI-4A mission 1049 was one of the
worst, It not the worst, missions flown In the last five years to to--ms
atainaaphe-rica. I have eoar ted the averages substituting I04) for
10494, this - skean a slight Ia prjaaresr eat for T(H-4A (1043 *as also a
poor r-nleston is term's of atr oopbertcs).
_%_ I have data which strongly suggests if tier Pt's were tt
tons a second t rrm. they would change their D,
y"AIp. sad JxOOR Interpretability ratings "One- notch" about 14 percent
By tawptng GOOD and !AIR t.stber we can redo this
d sav taus or iaaus 3. 5 percent. I a nee vlth
I conctualons s ld be drawn from tits type ox data.
6. When the 22, 9,59 ratings for all tar is except 7A's for the
s '" -4 missions are c .pared with 25, 760 ratings for the six
t!-4A akriarsicas, we find the GOOD and FAIR ratings of the H R
094 percent greater than tho- OWD and MR for the V1-4A.
- a-
.
When the 4779 ratings for IA's only fran IM-4B are acoatai tired with
the 4,767 from, IH-4., we find the pf-48 tar . + t cent great*
When we '#tahe out the weather", I. a., compute only ratings Invn vi
CL "AR photography, we find the FAH-4B is only+ .015 per=cent greater.
7. Thum, regardless *,I what one could (: r ab+ ld
into the data. the hypothesis is not sbataotlate4 b
the ootcorar..e of additional analyst* now *adorway.
conclude from the attached to the P s
with H-48 imagery to general.
25X1
25X1
25X1
cv 2 - C/D&AD/OSP w/att Cy 6 -
INI" I acA DIOSP whit Cy T ? f .a.':-I kj*,r W r alt
-
cy -S - v r ;r a.+ r ...N.,.--. -.. - --- -.F
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 2004/04/13 RDP7 41709A? 0015-7
U AIL