OTS DIRECTORS REVIEW 50 YEARS OF OTS SUPPORT TO OPERATIONS

• Document Type: FOIA
• Keywords: OTS
• Keywords: OFFICE OF TECHNICAL SERVICES
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0001228350
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2011
• Case Number: F-2005-00724
• Publication Date: April 3, 2001

APPROVED FOR RELEASE
DATE: MAR 2007
S F! HE .4 //X1
April 3, 2001
(b) (1)
(b) (3)
(U) OTS Directors Review 50 Years of OTS Support to Operations
The Directorate of Science and Technology's (DS&T)
Office of Technical Service (OTS) is approaching its 50th
anniversary, and as part of the celebration, What's News and
the Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) History Staff
interviewed three OTS directors. A historian chatted with
Colonel James "Trapper" Drum, the founder of the
Technical Services Staff (TSS), OTS's predecessor. What's
News joined another historian to interview former DDCI
John McMahon, who oversaw the transition of OTS from
the DO to the DS&T; and current director Bob Wallace ( N D/OTS Bob Wallace h and
The OTS leaders explored changes in OTS personnel, former D/OTSJohn McMahon
discuss the past, present, and future
business lines, and culture. They also spoke of the evolution ofOTS.
of the office's relations with the DO, the Intelligence
Community (IC), and the private sector. Finally, McMahon and Wallace gave their views on
the future of technical support for operations.
( Building the Organization. Col. Drum drew upon expertise resident in
the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to build the personnel base required to
meet the new organization's mission. During the second World War,
technical support provided by the Research and Development Branch proved
vital in the success of many OSS missions. After the war, Agency leaders
saw the importance of possessing such a capability and gave Col. Drum a
relatively free hand in consolidating technical support within one unit. In the
mid-1970s, OTS moved from the DO to the DS&T under the leadership of
John McMahon. It was a difficult period for the Agency and OTS in
particular. Campus recruiting and OTS's relations with academia and
industry were greatly curtailed by anti-CIA sentiment in the wake of the
Congressional investigations led by the Pike and Church Committees. It
(U) TSS founder
Colonel Trapper
Drum.
news of the Agency, and o patriotism, have since evolved. Wallace
rn rca e a today, there is a resurgence of interest in serving government and working in
OTS, "where a spy can be a kid again."
( As technology evolves, so does the organization. McMahon and Wallace discussed the
transition of technical capabilities once resident in OTS to other DS&T technical
components. McMahon noted, "There's an evolution here, and that evolution took place in
technology. As the technology has moved and advanced, the sophistication of that technology
has required, I think, a specialty... and that's why the bins have changed..." OTS has
 What's News Issue 8621SH =1Z N//X I
collaborative ventures with such partners as the CIA Information Operations Center
the Office of Technical Collection and the
ice of Advanced Technology and Programs OTS continues to administer
a unified field structure for the DS&T, offering some[::~verseas posts with fly-away teams,
a capability that originated in the 1950s and was active in the McMahon era.
(!;* The Business of OTS. While OTS has always provided a full range of technical
tools in support of clandestine operations, operational requirements have driven the office to
focus resources in different disciplines. Under Drum's leadership, TSS specialized in the
creation and detection of alias documentation, disguises, uniforms, and other effects that
created local authenticity for operations officers. The McMahon era concentrated on audio
erations.
n looking forward, Wallace and McMahon noted a tecnnoFO-91MT-
change might lead to examination o is avenues for
OTS work. Both noted the important contributions In-Q-Tel can ma a in harnessing
commercial advances in information technology.
`~ Central to the success of OTS throughout its history has been the relationship
between its officers and the DO. Colonel Drum depended on the geographical Division
Chiefs in the Directorate of Plans (the DO's predecessor) for information. Following an
initial period of getting to know the capabilities of TSS professionals, DO case officers soon
viewed them as full partners in operations. McMahon observed that then-DCI Schlesinger's
decision to move OTS into the DS&T caused concern among personnel, who worried that
loss of "integrated input...on a daily basis" with the operations officers in the DO might result
in reduced effectiveness. Moreover, McMahon believed he was perceived as an outsider in
OTS, as he was imposed [as D/OTS] on it with 10 minutes notice and without prior
consultation with OTS regarding the organizational change. These concerns were short-lived,
however. DO and DS&T officers ignored wiring diagrams, and worked on getting the job
done. At more senior levels, then-DDO Bill Nelson brought McMahon to all staff meetings,
and DO Division Chiefs continued to view OTS as part of the solution to their operational
problems. McMahon noted that it "didn't take too long" for OTS to find the DS&T to be a
secure source of funds where development did not have to compete with operations, as well
as an "...organization that was devoted to R&D, so that (OTS) could take that R&D and
fashion it toward DO needs." McMahon concluded that "...after a while, it became a very, I
think, smooth operation."
 primary mission, one of three primary missions of the S&T...support to Agent Operations,
...technical collection, and ...advanced technology - R&D. Those are three core elements of
the S&T, and, clearly, OTS plays right into that." Wallace alluded to the role that OTS
sustains in providing technical support to the Agency's clandestine mission, concluding that,
"Virtually no important clandestine operation in the last 50 years occurred without some OTS
support."
rrem inc puim 01 support, 1/ncewiawc icvci
support, S&T continues to see this as a
(S) The "can-do tradition" continues
today. Wallace noted, "Although more than
90 percent of current OTS officers were
never part of the DO, most of us think of
ourselves as operations and DS&T officers.
We continue to stay engaged with the
operational divisions at all levels in an almost
spiritual linkage." Wallace noted OTS'
obvious connection to Strategic Direction, in
support of Clandestine Agent Operations, and
its role in the DS&T's vision for the future,
(QE) Throughout its history, OTS has concentrated on the usability of its technology.
Wallace observes "It doesn't matter if it works great on the bench. We have to make sure that
the device suits the capability and personality of the asset. If they're uncomfortable with the
device, they won't use it. A noted Soviet asset, for example, tried one of our devices once,
didn't like it, and gave it a burial at sea." McMahon agreed, noting, "Agents don't want to be
a beacon with sophisticated gear that doesn't fit in with their lives."
OTS partnerships with other organizations have changed over the years. Drum
developed ties in the industrial sector and with individual specialists within other
government organizations that strengthened his organization's ability to support operations.
Many of those commercial contacts survive today. The relationship has been a two-way
street; many of the technologies developed for/with OTS have become commercial successes.
I a ace noted that, "Government no longer drives technology--we do
eve opmen and specialized engineering, more than breakthroughs. Companies work with us
for patriotism, not dollars. My purchases are in the dozens, not millions, of units."
Partnerships with the Intelligence Community have gone from nonexistent to
symbiotic. McMahon remembers the IC as being viewed as "untested, and certainly not up to
our security standards. DCI Schlesinger pressed for an IC Staff, and DCI Bush set it up." The
relationship has evolved rapidly since then. Wallace noted "NRO, NSA, FBI, DHS, SOCOM,
you name it, all are engaged in tech development and shared operational thinking and
planning with us. It's now second nature to us."
( Looking to the future of OTS, McMahon observed that, "It's thrilling to be in this
business now. It's a wide-open world, and technology is foremost. We're getting clever
 people in to make use of this technology against progressively more difficult targets. There's
a great opportunity to do things and make a difference." Wallace added that, "Few jobs are
more interesting than OTS jobs. I'm incredibly fortunate to be here. The 50-year history of
OTS is one of remarkable success and contribution to the national interest. The country can
take enormous pride in the work of TSS, Technical Services Division, and OTS officers."
For further information on OTS 50th Anniversary activities, check out the OTS
CIALink website 1 -1 ou'll
also soon see a history of written y a member o the CIA History Staff at
CSI.
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