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

82. Record of Agreements and Decisions of the Senior Interdepartmental Group Meeting¹

Washington, July 26, 1966.

PRESENT

• The Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Chairman)
• The Director, CIA
• The Director, USIA
• The Acting Administrator, AID
• General Brown for General Wheeler, JCS
• Mr. Yarmolinsky for Mr. Vance, Defense
• The Special Assistant to the President, Mr. Walt W. Rostow
• The Staff Director
• Treasury—Under Secretary Barr
• O/FSI/NIS—Ambassador Kidder

A) Transfer of Duties and Responsibilities of the Special Group (CI)

The SIG approved the recommendations attached to the agenda for the 13th meeting² after making the following changes:

1) In recommendation 2 of the responsibilities assigned to the SIG, the SIG is to establish a Committee on Training, not a Sub-Committee.³ Also, there will be established a review board whose chairman will be appointed by the Chairman of the SIG, the review board to make a separate report directly to the SIG on the adequacy of training for countersubversion.

2) The language of paragraph 2 of the responsibilities assigned to the Department of State to be redrafted.

3) Paragraph 2 of the responsibilities assigned to DOD to include USIA among those agencies to be consulted.

4) In the responsibilities assigned to AID, paragraph 1, the report to be made by November 1.

The SIG also agreed to request the Assistant Secretaries of AF, ARA, FE and NEA to bring to the attention of the SIG each month those “emergent critical situations in their regions” which might require action by higher authority.⁴

“Summary of Recommendations Listed by Action Responsibility”, reflecting the changes mentioned above, is attached.

HHS
Staff Director (SIG)

Attachment

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS LISTED BY ACTION RESPONSIBILITY

To SIG:

1) Annual review of activities of the Public Safety (AID) Office. (NSAM 177—Tab D, and Point 5—Tab J)⁵

2) The SIG to establish a Committee on Training. The Committee will be under the chairmanship of the Director of the FSI and be made up of representatives of the departments and agencies on the SIG. It will include, in addition, the Coordinator of the NIS. Initially, it will have the responsibility of surveying the field of instruction in Government educational institutions in subversive aggression and internal defense, with a view to (a) possible revision of NSAM 283⁶ and (b) initiation of any action considered desirable and feasible based on a review of General Taylor’s Point 3 (“Defects in Training”)⁷ and the Taylor Committee II (Training) Report.⁸ In addition to the survey mentioned immediately above, a Review Board consisting of competent persons from within and without the government, and with the chairman appointed by the Chairman of the SIG, will be asked to review the work in this field of instruction and submit its recommendations directly to the SIG.

The Committee on Training will also draft a directive under which it will operate in its continuing responsibility for guidance and direction of training in the field of subversive aggression and internal defense. It will submit this draft, along with any recommendations concerning (a) and (b) above, to the SIG for approval, no later than October 1, 1966. (NSAM 283—Tab F, and Point 3—Tab I)⁹

3) Agencies represented on the SIG to be asked to review the Taylor Committee reports which are relevant to their responsibilities with the object of adopting any recommendations therein that they find desirable and feasible. (Taylor Committee reports—Tab N)¹⁰

To IRGs:

1) Review of DOD’s and AID’s activity in the field of Civic Action. (NSAM 119—Tab A)¹¹

2) Periodic review of country internal defense programs. (NSAM 162—Tab C)¹²

3) Give special attention to the adequacy of police programs in reviews of regional and country requirements and programs; specifically determine the basic security objectives to be met through the police programs, taking into account their relationship to the objectives of military assistance programs. (NSAM 177—Tab D; Point 5—Tab J)

To State (by assignment from the Under Secretary):

1) The Department of State, in consultation with the other agencies represented on SIG, to revise the OIDP and to submit it to the SIG for approval. The Secretary to promulgate the revised document. (NSAM 182—Tab E)¹³ Pages 7–11 and 98–100 of the Report of Taylor Committee I¹⁴ are relevant. The Department of State to have the continuing responsibility, in consultation with the other agencies represented on SIG, for keeping the revised document current. (Tab III, Annex A)¹⁵

2) Under the direction of the Under Secretary of State there will be a consolidation and integration of the presently excessive number of policy, strategy, planning or programming papers now required of or sent to missions abroad. Such consolidated or integrated papers will include a section on “Internal Defense” for appropriate under-developed countries.

3) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Politico-Military Affairs to be charged by the Chairman of SIG with the task of assuring that emphasis is specifically maintained on matters of internal defense and subversive aggression. (Point 1—Tab G)¹⁶

To DOD:

1) To review, with AID, the concept and application of civic action and report conclusions to the SIG by October 1. (NSAM 119—Tab A) Pages 100–103 of the report of Taylor Committee I are relevant. (Tab III, Annex A)

2) The responsibility for assuring progress in R & D for counter-subversion requirements lies with DOD (and CIA). DOD is to determine, in consultation with CIA, State and USIA (G/PM), (a) whether the military hardware needs for countering subversion are being adequately met and (b) whether drawing up a separate package for procurement and R & D as a way of assuring adequate budgetary support for counter-subversion needs is feasible and desirable. The DOD is to report its conclusions on those two matters to SIG by October 1 and to submit annual reports to SIG on new developments in R & D for counter-subversions. (NSAM 162—Tab C)

3) On the Chairman’s request, the Deputy Secretary of Defense to insure that General Taylor’s proposal relating to the attaché system be considered in the DIA’s current review of attaché staffing. (Point 7—Tab L)

To CIA:

1) The responsibility for assignments of qualified counter-insurgency specialists with paramilitary skills to impending crisis areas remains with CIA and AID. (NSAM 162-Tab C)

2) The agency shares with DOD the responsibility for assuring progress in R & D for counter-subversion. (NSAM 162—Tab C)

3) On the Under Secretary’s request, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency to ensure appropriate action by the Intelligence community on General Taylor’s proposal relating to NSA capabilities. (Point 7—Tab L)¹⁷

To AID:

1) To review with DOD the concept and application of civic action and report conclusions to the SIG by November 1. (NSAM 119—Tab A) Pages 100–103 of the report of the Taylor Committee I are relevant. (Tab III, Annex A)

2) Retain, with CIA, the responsibility of assignment of qualified counter-insurgency specialists with paramilitary skills to impending crisis areas. (NSAM 162—Tab C)

3) Submit an annual report to the SIG on the activities of the Public Safety Office. (NSAM 177—Tab D)

4) The problem of the adequacy of police programs including U.S. personnel to be referred to AID for action in consultation with G/PM. Regional reports to be submitted to the IRGs semi-annually. (Point 5—Tab J) Pages 60–75 of the report of Taylor Committee I are relevant. (Tab III, Annex A)

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, State Department, Senior Interdepartmental Group, Vol. I, 13th Meeting, 7/26/66, Box 56. Secret. Drafted on July 28 by Harry H. Schwartz, SIG Staff Director.
2. The agenda and attached analyses, comments, and recommendations for the consideration and approval of the Senior Interdepartmental Group, which resulted from a survey made by Randolph A. Kidder, Coordinator of the National Interdepartmental Seminar (NIS), at the request of Under Secretary George Ball, the SIG Chairman, dated July 21, are ibid. This package was attached to an undated transmittal memorandum from Schwartz to Bromley Smith and representatives of AID, CIA, USIA, JCS, and DOD.
3. In a July 25 letter to Bromley Smith commenting on the recommendations, General Maxwell D. Taylor suggested this change. (Ibid.)
4. See last sentence of NSAM 341. [Footnote in the source text. NSAM 341 is Document 56.]
5. Tabs A–N are in the Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, State Department, Senior Interdepartmental Group (SIG), Memos and Misc. [I], Box 60. NSAM 177, August 7, 1962, is printed in Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, vol. IX, Document 150. Tab J is a summary and discussion of Point 5, “Adequacy of Police Programs,” set forth in Annex 1 to Taylor’s January 17 report (see footnote 3, Document 50).
6. Document 191.
7. See footnote 9 below.
8. Not found.
9. Tab I is a summary and discussion of Point 3, “Defects in Training,” set forth in Annex 1 to Taylor’s January 17 report.
10. Tab N summarizes the reports of Committees I–III and recommends follow-up action by agencies.
11. For text of NSAM 119, see Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, vol. VIII, Document 65.
12. NSAM 162 is printed ibid., Document 91.
13. NSAM 182 is printed ibid., Document 105.
14. Not found.
15. Tab III to Annex A is the Report of Taylor Committee I.
16. This is a summary and discussion of Point 1, “Need for greater emphasis on the prevention of subversive aggression,” in Annex 1 to Taylor’s January 17 report.
17. This is a summary and discussion of Point 7, “Intelligence to Support Countersubversion Planning and Programming,” in Annex 1 to Taylor’s January 17 report; see footnote 3, Document 50.