COORDINATING THE COLLECTION AND EXPLOITATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC COVERAGE OF INDOCHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B01709A001400030027-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 14, 2003
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: April 25, 1973
• Content Type: MF

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MEMORANDUM FOR:
m
25 April 1973
Chief, Reconnaissance Group, IRS
Chief, Regional Studies Division, IAS
Chief, Cartography Division, OBGI
Chief, Far East Division, OCI
Chief, South East Asia Division, OER
Chief, Regional Analysis Division, OSR
Chief, Imagery Exploitation Group, NPIC
Chairman, ICRS
Chairman, EXSUBCOM
Deputy Director, Satellite Operations Center
Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs
DIA Member, ICRS
DIA Member, EXSUBCOM
SUBJECT Coordinating the Collection and Exploitation
of Photographic Coverage of Indochina
REFERENCE USIB-D-46.4/52 (COMIREX-D-26.11/2),
29 March 1973, TOP SECRET,
Limited Distribution
1. The memorandum referenced above contains the national-
level guidance and requirements for collection and exploitation of
overhead photography of Indochina. This guidance has been noted by
USIB and forwarded to the appropriate organizations for implementation.
2. Of necessity, the USIB guidance is generalized. It is
designed to insure the provision of a flow of information that meets
the Intelligence Community's minimum needs for imagery-derived
information while at the same time taking account of collection
limitations imposed by system characteristics, flight path restrictions,
and weather. Built into the program is considerable flexibility that
can be used to make the collection effort more responsive to day-to-
day needs than would be the case if collection were tasked solely
against the delineated standing requirements. Full utilization of the
flexibility can only be achieved if there is good communication and
close coordination among the participating collection, exploitation,
and analytical elements.
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For DIA, OER, OCI, SAVA, OSR: Has the flow
of coverage provided in April met minimum information
needs? If not, in what areas has it been most deficient?
To what extent has the coverage provided by KH
satisfaction of the requirements as of the end of April?
What are the intervals between collection with airborne
assets and incorporation of the results in the data banks?
Please bring along a list of special taskings served on
collectors through ICRS during April. What was the
record of satisfaction of these special requirements?
How often and to whom is target and area coverage
information disseminated? OBGI, please provide
samples of area and target coverage maps and indicate
how frequently such maps can reasonably be prepared
and disseminated.
_
Are any area and target coverage needs amenable to
statistical sampling techniques? If not, why?
For OBGI and ICRS: What is the status of
satisfied the needs for coverage of China
and the non-coastal regions of North Vietnam? Are there
cases in which the provision of imagery-derived infor-
mation has not been timely enough to be useful? To
what extent have the collection assets been able to satisfy
special tasking needs? What targets are most critically
in need of coverage on the forthcoming I
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3. As a first step toward improving communication and
coordination, the COMIREX Staff is hosting a meeting of representa-
tives of the organizations involved at 1330 on 7 May in Room 4 F 21,
CIA Headquarters. The security level at this meeting will be SI/
T-KH. Participants are invited to raise questions about or comment
on the program as it has unfolded since January, but it would seem
most useful to concentrate on the record for the most recent month,
April. Participants should be prepared to address the following
questions that already have been raised:
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For NPIC, DIA, IAS: Are the exploitation
requirements now outstanding satisfactory in terms
of completeness and detail? Have there been delays
in the provision of film from airborne missions? Are
there ways in which quick-look reporting from field
elements could be sharpened? What is the value of
full-color photography relative to black/white? of
camouflage-detection photography relative to black/
white? How reliable and consistent is reporting on
whether a particular road is being lightly, moderately,
or heavily used? What kinds of records are maintained
on traffic flows and on presence of vehicles at logistics
targets?
For NRO AND DIA: Do further changes appear
feasible with regard to aircraft flight paths? How did
the weather encountered in April compare with the
weather predicted from climatology? What is the weather
outlook for the May-July period? Will the expected weather
allow satisfaction of the standing requirements? If
dificiencies are probable, where are they most likely
to be? Is special tasking levied by the Intelligence
Community satisfactory as regards timeliness and detail?
What are the most important respects in which departmental
coverage needs differ from those levied through COMIREX?
What fraction of the low-level tactical collection is flown
against COMIREX-levied requirements? What is the
availability of full-color and film, and on
which systems can each be flown at present?
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