Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXXIII, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; United Nations

197. Department of Defense Directive¹

No. 5105.23

Washington, March 27, 1964.

SUBJECT

• (S) National Reconnaissance Office

REFERENCE

• (a): DoD Directive TS 5105.23, subject as above, dated June 14, 1962 (hereby cancelled)

I. General

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Secretary of Defense and the provisions of the National Security Act of 1947, as amended, including the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958, a (S) National Reconnaissance Office is hereby established as an operating agency of the Department of Defense, under the direction of and supervision of the Secretary of Defense.

II. Organization and Responsibility

The (S) National Reconnaissance Office will be organized separately within the Department of Defense under a (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office, appointed by the Secretary of Defense. The Director will be responsible for consolidation of all Department of Defense satellite and air vehicle overflight projects for intelligence, [1 line of source text not declassified] into a single program, defined as the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program, and for the complete management and conduct of this Program in accordance with policy guidance and decisions of the Secretary of Defense.

III. Relationships

A. In carrying out his responsibilities for the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program, the (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office shall:

1. Keep the Director of Defense Research and Engineering and the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) personally informed on a regular basis on the status of projects of the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program.

2. Similarly inform other Department of Defense personnel as he may determine necessary in the course of carrying out specific project matters.

3. Establish appropriate interfaces between the (S) National Reconnaissance Office and the United States Intelligence Board, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency.

4. Where appropriate, make use of qualified personnel of services and agencies of the Department of Defense as full time members of the (S) National Reconnaissance Office.

B. Officials of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, military departments, and other DoD agencies shall provide support within their respective fields of responsibility, to the (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office as may be necessary for the Director to carry out his assigned responsibilities and functions. Streamlined management procedures will be utilized whereby individual project directors will report directly to the (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office. The (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office will be given support as required from normal staff elements of the military departments and agencies concerned, although these staff elements will not participate in these project matters except as he specifically requests, and these proj-ects will not be subject to normal Department of Defense staff review.

IV. Authorities

A. The (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office, in connection with his assigned responsibilities for the (S) National Reconnaissance Office and the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program, is hereby specifically delegated authority to:

1. Organize, staff, and supervise the (S) National Reconnaissance Office.

2. Establish, manage and conduct the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program.

3. Assist the Secretary of Defense in the supervision of aircraft, drone and satellite reconnaissance, [1 line of source text not declassified] photographic and [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] projects, and be his direct representative on these matters both within and outside the Department of Defense.

4. Review all Department of Defense budget requests and expenditures for any items falling within the definition of the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program, including studies and preliminary research and development of components and techniques to support such existing or future projects.

B. Other authorities specifically delegated to the (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office by the Secretary of Defense will be referenced in numbered enclosures to this directive.

V. Project Assignments

All projects falling within the definition of the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program are assigned to that program and will be managed as outlined herein unless specific exception is made by the (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office. Announcements of any such exceptions will be made by numbered enclosures to this directive.

VI. Security

A. The (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office will establish the security procedures to be followed for all matters of the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program, including suitable unclassified names and functions to protect all elements of the (S) National Reconnaissance Office.

B. All communications pertaining to matters under the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program will be subject to special systems of security control under the cognizance of the Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, except in those instances specifically exempted by either (S) Director, National Reconnaissance Office or the Secretary of Defense.

C. With the single exception of this directive, no mention will be made of the following titles or their abbreviations in any document which is not controlled under the special security control system(s) referred to in B. above: (TS) National Reconnaissance Program; (S) National Reconnaissance Office. Where absolutely necessary to refer to the (TS) National Reconnaissance Program in communications not controlled under the prescribed special security systems, such reference will be made by use of the terminology: “Matters under the purview of DoD TS–5105.23.”

VII. Effective Date

This Directive is effective upon publication.

VIII. Cancellation

Reference (a) is hereby cancelled.

Cyrus Vance
Deputy Secretary of Defense

1. Source: National Reconnaissance Office, P & A, PA Library, 104–01, DOP (Directives, Orders and Procedures). Top Secret.