Foreign Relations of the United States, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment

195. Memorandum by the Acting Secretary of the National Intelligence Advisory Board (Earman)⁰

Washington, April 21, 1947.

IAB 1

COORDINATION OF INTELLIGENCE PRODUCTION

1. Circulated herewith for consideration of the Intelligence Advisory Board at its next meeting are:

a. Recommendations contained in the report of the ad hoc committee appointed to draft a proposed N.I.A. Directive on “The Coordination of Intelligence Production” (Enclosure A).

b. Minority report from the ad hoc committee member representing the Assistant Chief of Air Staff–2 (Enclosure B).

For the Intelligence Advisory Board:

J.S. Earman

Acting Secretary, N.I.A.

Enclosure A

Washington, April 18, 1947.

Memorandum for the Secretary of the Intelligence Advisory Board (Lay)

SUBJECT

• Proposed N.I.A. Directive on the Coordination of Intelligence Production

1. The Ad Hoc Committee has prepared the attached draft of a proposed N.I.A. Directive on the Coordination of Intelligence Production. It has the unanimous concurrence of the committee except for paragraph 2 c (4) on which there is attached a minority report from the A–2 member.

2. The proposed compilations of basic intelligence will be called National Intelligence Surveys (NIS). That on the Soviet Union, for example, would be the National Intelligence Survey of the USSR.

3. In the establishment of arrangements for the production, continuing revision, and dissemination of the NIS due consideration should be given, in the interests of economy and efficiency, to the necessity of closely coordinating the NIS with the overall intelligence requirements of the individual intelligence agencies.

4. An essential preliminary to the initial planning for the production of NIS will be consultation with the JIC and the ID, WDGS, with a view to gaining their consent to merging their respective productions, JANIS and SID, with NIS.

5. It is contemplated that in working out the details for producing, maintaining current, and disseminating the NIS careful consideration will be given to the intelligence needs of the JCS and all other agencies with responsibilities involving national security. These needs should be automatically determined in the course of pursuing the following program to initiate the production of NIS:

a. Adoption of an outline of the complete contents.

b. Formulation of the procedure for producing, maintaining current, and disseminating NIS.

c. Establishment of priorities by section and country for production of NIS.

d. Allocation of production and maintenance responsibilities by agreement of CIG and the agencies represented on IAB.

6. Recommendations

a. That IAB concur in the attached draft of a proposed N.I.A. Directive.

b. That IAB go on record as desiring that members of JIC consent to merge JANIS with NIS as mentioned in paragraph 4 above.

c. That IAB recommend to the Director of Central Intelligence that he request the Director of Intelligence, WDGS, to consent to merge SID with NIS as mentioned in paragraph 4 above; and,

d. That IAB and JIC appoint an Ad Hoc Committee with representatives from CIG, ORI (SD), ID (WDGS), ONI (Navy), A–2 (AAF), JIS, and JTS to plan, with the aid of as many subcommittees as necessary, the program to initiate the production of NIS outlined in 5a, b, c, d above, the committee to make specific recommendations to the Director of Central Intelligence regarding the following:

(1) The integrating of the JANIS and SID production into the program to be produced under the name of National Intelligence Surveys, and

(2) The future production and priorities for the integrated program for NIS taking into consideration past production of JANIS’s and SID’s.

• Donald Edgar, Chairman¹
• Mr. Allan Evans
• Colonel R.F. Ennis
• Captain R.K. Davis, USN
• Colonel E.P. Mussett

Enclosure

Proposed N.I.A. Directive

COORDINATION OF INTELLIGENCE PRODUCTION

1. The following overall policies and objectives are established for the coordination of the production of intelligence.

2. In order that all facilities of the Government may be utilized to their capacity and the responsibilities of each agency may be clearly defined in accordance with its mission, dominant interest, and capabilities, the whole field of intelligence production is divided into the following four categories, and responsibilities are allocated as indicated:

a. Basic Intelligence

(1) Basic intelligence is that factual intelligence which results from the collation of encyclopedic information of a more or less permanent or static nature and general interest which, as a result of evaluation and interpretation, is determined to be the best available.

(2) An outline of all basic intelligence required by the Government shall be prepared by the CIG in collaboration with the appropriate agencies. This outline shall be broken down into chapters, sections, and subsections which shall be allocated as production and maintenance responsibilities to CIG and those agencies of the Government which are best qualified by reason of their intelligence requirements, production capabilities, and dominant interest to assume the production and maintenance responsibility.

(3) When completed, this outline and tentative allocations of production and maintenance responsibilities shall be submitted for NIA approval and publication as an annex to this directive. It is expected that as the result of constant consultation with the agencies by the Director of Central Intelligence, both the outline and the allocations will be revised from time to time to insure the production of the basic intelligence required by the agencies and the fullest possible use of current agency capabilities. Changes in the outline or allocations shall be effected by agreement between the Director of Central Intelligence and the agencies concerned.

(4) This basic intelligence shall be compiled and continuously maintained in National Intelligence Surveys to cover foreign countries, areas, or broad special subjects as appropriate. It will be distributed to the agencies in such form as the agencies agree will meet their requirements.

(5) The Director of Central Intelligence shall be responsible for coordinating production and maintenance and for accomplishing the editing, publication, and dissemination of these National Intelligence Surveys and shall make such requests on the agencies as are necessary for their proper development and maintenance.

(6) Departments or agencies to be called on for contributions to this undertaking may include agencies other than those represented permanently in the IAB.

b. Current Intelligence

(1) Current intelligence is that spot information or intelligence of all types and forms of immediate interest and value to operating or policy staffs, which is used by them without the delays incident to complete evaluation or interpretation.

(2) The CIG and the several agencies shall produce and disseminate such current intelligence as may be necessary to meet their own internal requirements or external responsibilities.

(3) Interagency dissemination of current intelligence shall be based on interagency agreement including N.I.A. Directive No. 1 and the principle of informing all who need to know.

c. Staff Intelligence

(1) Staff intelligence is that intelligence prepared by any department or agency through the process of correlation and interpretation of all intelligence material available to it in order to meet the specific requirements and responsibilities of the department or agency concerned.

(2) Each intelligence agency has the ultimate responsibility for the preparation of such staff intelligence as its own department shall require. It is recognized that the staff intelligence of each of the departments must be broader in scope than any allocation of collection responsibility, recognition of production capabilities, or dominant interest might indicate. In fact, the full foreign intelligence picture is of interest in varying degrees at different times to each of the departments.

(3) Any agency, either through the Director of Central Intelligence or directly, may call upon other appropriate agencies for intelligence which does not fall within its own field of dominant interest. Such requests shall be made upon the agencies in accordance with their production capabilities and dominant interest.

(4) The division of interests agreed to in N.I.A. Directive No. 7 shall serve as a general delineation of dominant interests, subject to refinement and adaptation to the purposes of intelligence production through a continuous program of coordination by the Director of Central Intelligence.

(5) As a part of the coordination program, the Director of Central Intelligence will seek the assistance of the IAB intelligence agencies in minimizing the necessity for any agency to develop intelligence in fields outside its dominant interests.

(6) The CIG and the agencies shall, for purposes of coordination, exchange information on projects and plans for the production of staff intelligence.

(7) It shall be normal practice that staff intelligence of one agency is available to the other intelligence agencies permanently represented on the IAB.

d. Strategic and National Policy Intelligence

(1) Strategic and national policy intelligence as defined by the NIA shall henceforth be known by the short title “National Intelligence.”

(2) The production and dissemination of national intelligence shall be the responsibility of the Director of Central Intelligence.

(3) The Director of Central Intelligence shall plan and develop the production of national intelligence in coordination with the IAB agencies in order that he may obtain from them within the limits of their capabilities the departmental intelligence upon which national intelligence is based.

(4) The Director of Central Intelligence shall by agreement with the pertinent agency or agencies receive such estimates, reports, and periodic briefs or summaries prepared by the individual departments or agencies in their fields of dominant interest or in accordance with their production capabilities as may be necessary in the production of mutually undertaken intelligence reports or estimates.

3. The research facilities required by any agency to process its own current and staff intelligence shall be sufficient to satisfy its individual needs after taking full cognizance of the facilities of the other agencies. Each agency shall endeavor to maintain sufficient research facilities, not only to accomplish the intelligence production tasks allocated to it directly under the foregoing provisions but also to provide such additional intelligence reports or estimates within its field of dominant interest as may be necessary to satisfy the requirements of the other agencies under such allocations.

4. Implementation. Assumption of responsibilities as allocated herein shall be effected progressively and rapidly under the coordination of the Director of Central Intelligence.

Enclosure B

Washington April 17, 1947.

Memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence (Vandenberg)

SUBJECT

• Proposed NIA Directive on the Coordination of Intelligence Production

1. The AC/AS–2 member of the Ad Hoc Committee is in general accord with the majority report of the Committee as presented, but dissents from that report with respect to paragraph 2 c (4) of the proposed directive.

2. Dominant interest is inseparable from mission, and the mission of each intelligence agency is determined by and must always be responsive to the requirements of the department or agency which it serves. There is no reason for attempting to delineate dominant interests, and consequently no reason for including paragraph 2 c (4) in the directive.

3. It is further considered that dominant interests should not and can not be defined by the assignment of collection responsibilities. Dominant interests flow from the mission of the particular department or agency, which is not necessarily true of agreed collection assignments; collection assignments may be based on capabilities, dominant interest never.

4. Also, in including paragraph 2 c (4) under the heading “Staff Intelligence” there is a danger that, in spite of its broad definition, staff intelligence will tend to become confused with intelligence in fields of dominant interest and consequently its production would be narrowed and restricted.

5. For these reasons, the AC/AS–2 representative is of the opinion that paragraph 2 c (4) should be deleted from the proposed directive.

6. However, if this deletion should not be favorably considered by the Intelligence Advisory Board, the following paragraph is submitted as a substitute for paragraph 2 c (4) and in desire to reach an accord. This proposed substitute accomplishes the purpose desired, and is not open to the objections noted above.

a. Proposed paragraph 2 c (4). For the purposes of par (3) above, the following division of interests agreed to in NIA Directive No. 7 subject to refinement through a continuous program of coordination by the Director of Central Intelligence, shall serve as a general delineation of dominant interests, subject to refinement and adaptation to the purposes of intelligence production through a continuous program of coordination by the Director of Central Intelligence.

• Political, Cultural, Sociological Intelligence–State Department
• Military Intelligence—War Department
• Naval Intelligence—Navy Department
• Air Intelligence—Army Air Forces
• Economic and Scientific Intelligence—Each agency in accordance with its respective needs

E.P. Mussett

Colonel, Air Forces

0. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/HC–280. Secret. Prepared for the Intelligence Advisory Board.
1. Printed from a copy that bears these typed signatures.