ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE INITIATION AND CONTROL THROUGHOUT ORR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61-00274A000200100017-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 13, 2000
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: December 8, 1952
• Content Type: MEMO

Approyeil. For Release 20 /0 - Mftl of dice eMorancium ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
Asst. Director, Research and Reports
FROM : Organization and Methods Service
SUBJECT: Economic Intelligence Initiation and Control Throughout ORR
1, In accordance with your approval granted in memorandum of
8 December 1952 this office has undertaken a survey to ascertain the effec-
tiveness of project initiation and control for economic intelligence through-
out the various components of ORR.
2, PROBLEM.
A. Under the present organizational framework of ORR there does
not exist any one component that is actually handling the receipt of
economic intelligence production requests, determination of basic re-
search program, determination of suitability of acceptance of production
responsibility, frame of reference, order of priority, establishment of
deadlines, assignment, consolidation, review, editing, publication, and
dissemination for all types of ORR produced economic intelligence.
These responsibilities are currently spread amongst numerous components
under the present organizational framework although it was intended, by
direction, that D/R be the controlling point for ORR produced intelli-
gence. Lack of a central facility has created confusion and frustration
in the minds of ORR personnel, who have evidenced a desire for the most
productive effort for the minimum amount of time expended, however, the
present organizational set-up precludes the possibility of proper
channelization of economic intelligence productivity,
B. Attached as Exhibit "A" are the present procedural flows of the
more important steps of economic intelligence production responsibility
assigned to the office of Research and Reports, examination of these flow
diagrams clearly indicates the small portion of ORR productivity for
which D/R exercises any responsibility, they do however illustrate the
many types of control responsibilities exercised by the various organi-
zational segments.
C, It is understood that you desire in the near future a system de-
vised whereby not only full and comprehensive knowledge of the initiation
of intelligence production can be at your disposal, but also the status
of basic or special research for any and all types of ORR activity.
Lacking a central facility wherein all intelligence requests are received,
all project initiation is controlled, and all review and handling are
affected, the fulfillment of your request would be extremely difficult
and time-consuming,
3, FACTS BEARING ON THE P1)BLEM.
A. The reports and recommendations contained within the memorandum
dated 114 February 1952 from the chairman, committee on EIC and ONE support
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tend to supplement our conclusions that the need exists for centraliza-
tion of responsibilities for project initiation and control within ORR.
B. It is our considered opinion, however, that the reports and
recommendations of the above mentioned committee should have included
that support given by the Intelligence Working Group to the Economic
Defense Advisory Committee. A great deal of heretofore allocated time
toward building the basic research floor from which intelligence is more
easily produced has been devoted to the satisfaction of requests through
the IWG mechanism for EDAC. The support given to EDAC should by all
means be considered an integral part of ORR operational activities and
as such, not only should it be planned and coordinated but allocations
should be made for this support as a part of the workloads of the
Economic Research Divisions.
IL. DISCUSSION
A. The current mechanism for instituting projects within ORR pro-
vides for the Chief of Coordination acting in his capacity as ORR - ONE
liaison officer to levy on to any component within either the Economic
Research Divisions or the Geographical Research Divisions a responsibility
for economic intelligence production either for ONE support or through
the mechanism of EIC. Both of these types of workloads are presently
not considered within the framework of the basic research program of the
Economic Research Divisions, If, by chance, these workloads consist
of cross-the-board economic studies encompassing large areas or all-
inclusive subjects, this production is handled by the Analysis Division
whose effort likewise is not reported or controlled through the mechanism
of a control system. The requests levied by EDAC to the Economic Defense
Division. are additional workloads which are not controlled so far as
project initiation or extent of activity through any centralized system.
B. While it has been stated, and is reasonably correct, that the
EDAC-IWG products are for the most part working papers and not identi-
fied as CIA productivity, there nonetheless,, remains no central facility
for the editorial format and review of all segments of ORR economic
intelligence production.
C. It is fully appreciated that there is a differentiation for the
most part, between the spontaneous type of intelligence production cur-
rently produced by or for the Economic Defense Division as compared with
the long-range type of production produced for the large part by the
Economic Research Divisions, however, this distinction does not seem suf-
ficient to justify the dispersal of analytical personnel within both the
Economic Division and the Economic Research Divisions. There is, to a
large extent, a similarity between the working mechanisms of the IWG of
EDAC and the operations of EIC. Assuming that this responsibility for
EDAC could be handled more effectively by the assignment of projects
Approved For Release 2001/08l'!' j' 61-00274A000200100017-7
Security Information
 Approved For Release 2001/08/2 61-00274A000200100017-7