116. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Director of Central Intelligence Colby, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Lynn) to Secretary of Interior Hathaway1 2
SUBJECT:
- Establishment of the Committee for Civil Applications of Classified Overhead Photography of the United States
The President has noted that the Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States in discussing classified overhead photography of the United States concluded that it can find no impropriety in permitting continued civilian use of such photography and that economy dictates the use of the photographs for appropriate civilian purposes. Accordingly, the President has directed the establishment of a civilian agency committee to oversee civilian uses of classified overhead photography taken over the United States.
To implement the President’s decision, the following actions are to be taken:
- 1.
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The Secretary of Interior will form a Committee for Civil Applications of Classified Overhead Photography of the United States which will:
- —receive, evaluate, consolidate, standardize, establish priorities and transmit to the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) all requests for such photography from domestic civilian agencies;
- —facilitate civilian agencies’ use of classified systems and coordinate the incorporation of photography, derived data, and technology in performance of domestic civilian functions;
- —supply information to civilian agencies so that they may knowledgeably formulate requests and reach compromises between requests and capabilities;
- —act as the interface between civilian agencies and intelligence collectors, recognizing that the Director of Central Intelligence will not be involved in judgments concerning civil agency needs or priorities and that collection for this purpose will remain incidental to foreign intelligence collection;
- —oversee civilian agency uses of classified photography in a manner designed to avoid any concerns that domestic photographic coverage is being used improperly.
In performing all of the above activities, the Committee will be subject to guidelines established by the President.
- 2
- The committee will be chaired by the representative of the Department of Interior and will consist of representatives of the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. Membership may be expanded at the discretion of the Committee.
- 3.
- The Director of Central Intelligence will designate a representative to serve ex officio on the Committee for the purpose of liaison with the intelligence community, to assist in obtaining domestic photographic coverage, to address issues concerned with the use of classified products, and to facilitate the acquisition of security clearances for users. Since civil usage of data is enhanced if unclassified, the DCI’s representative will be an intermediary on questions concerning release of classified information from security controls, as appropriate.
- Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Subject File, Box 1, Committee for Civil Applications of Classified Overhead Photography of the U.S. Secret. Also sent to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chief of Engineers of the U.S. Army.↩
- Kissinger, Colby, and Lynn directed the establishment of a committee to review the civil applications of classified overhead photography of domestic sites.↩