SUGGESTED DCI TALKING POINTS 17 MARCH 1977 SCC SUBCOMMITTEE ON PRM TASK 2

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00095A000100040013-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 21, 2005
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: March 17, 1977
• Content Type: NOTES

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SUGGESTED DCI TALKING POINTS
17 March 1977
PRM 11 is (or should be) the culmination of a 2 1/2
year period of investigating the functions, structure,
and performance of U.S. intelligence.
It should set the course and structure of U.S. intelli-
gence for some years to come.
A number of vital issues are bound up in PRM 11,
notably Task l's examination of the right way to
reconcile the legitimate needs of security with an open
political process and the rights of Americans under a
sound body of law.
Tasks 2 and 3 are essentially concerned with missions,
structure, and management of the Intelligence Community.
The role of the DCI is necessarily at the center of
this discussion because the President and Congress
have increasingly expected the DCI to take charge of
the Community.
The President desires a well and tightly managed
national foreign intelligence effort. He clearly
sees this as requiring a strong DCI. How that role
is to be defined and empowered, however, is one of
the open questions to be resolved by this PRM and
the resultant Presidential decisions.
DCI Views
Since this PPM is in large part about my job, I can
be seen as having a major vested interest in its
outcome. But I probably do not have any greater
vested interest than do the other major departments
affected by it. I am open minded as to how the role
of the DCI should be configured. But I shall have
to be making up my mind rapidly as we move toward
the deadline of 1 June.
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Moreover, there is one strong prejudice I do not expect
to relax: Namely that the responsibilities and the
powers of the DCI must be in balance. If I am to be
held accountable by the President and the Congress for
certain results, such as a rationally allocated NFIP
budget, I shall argue for the powers I see as necessary
to achieve those results.
I want to assure you, however, that I am very sensitive
to the fact that U.S. national intelligence must serve
many customers and that those customers must have means
to influence and, in some respects, control the services
they get. As a military officer, I am especially
sensitive to the needs of the Defense Department. The
essence of our problem is reconciling the need for a
diversity of services to many with tight management of
a tight budget and superlative service to our most
important customer, the President.
Task 2, the focus of this subcommittee of the SCC, is
essentially diagnostic and analytical: What is the
character of the DCI's role today, and what are its
problems? Options and decisions will come in Task 3.
To a large degree the stage will be set for them by
Task 2. What. degree exactly is something we ought to
discuss here.
Organization
In your folder there is a chart on how we are organizing
Task 2. This subcommittee will provide overall
direction and will review the product before submitting
it to the full SCC. We shall probably meet at least
two more times; once in early April and again in mid-
April.
The next element down is a large working group of
inherently flexible composition. It might better be
called an argument group. Its purpose will be to argue
out the substantive issues of the Task 2 report as they
come up. The Executive Secretariat will be respon-
sibile for pulling together the representatives and
individual experts required for a given issue. This
working group will also review draft parts of the
report as they are prepared.
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I should emphasize here that I have a good understanding
with Secretary Brown that intelligence officers sub-
ordinate to :him may participate candidly and directly
in this process of argument.
The Executive Secretariat is really a drafting group
headed by It has several officers from
the IC Staff, one from CIA, and one, I believe, from
OSD. This Secretariat will handle administrative and
scheduling matters as well.
We already have what seems to me to be a very ser-
viceable outline of the report around which we can
structure the needed work. It is, of course, subject
to adjustment as work proceeds. At present we should
not expect the deadline to slip. We must get Task 2
(and also Task 1) finished with sufficient time to
handle the contentious issues in Task 3, chaired by
Dr. Brzezinski.
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Talking points for 17 March 1977 meeting -- given to
DCI, DDCI, and D/DCI/IC only.
Mm
3/22/77
FORM
5.75 I'JI EU DITIONSI O11s
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