TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR STUDY OF USIB INFORMATION PROCESSING PROBLEMS (FINAL)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01139A000200080002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 21
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 3, 2004
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 28, 1961
• Content Type: NOTES

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coDIB-D-82/10
28 Judy 1961
'A'T ES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
of Reference for
y.~-...~~-may =
':- Tt G1 DOCUMENTATION
~~ tor, i s xr x tton are trae terms of reference for the TJSIB in-
4 the i were approved by the Intelligence Board
Icvudrta urthvi r;;,als have to date been named to the study group:
`lx:, :ur?t s L., Fritz. Acting Director
Donald ;., Higgins, USN
k. tin H u Toter
25X1
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24 July 1961
UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOAR D
MEMORANDUM FOR THE UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
SUBJECT Terms of Reference for Study of USIB
Information Processing Problems
REFERENCE USIB-M-163, item 6
1. On 11 July the United States Intelligence Board considered the
question of the CODIB-proposed terms of reference for a study of
USIB information processing problems. The Board-approved minute
of the USIB action is as follows:
"Mr. Borel referred to previous USIB discussion of the
CODIB plan for conducting a study of information processing problems
in the intelligence community (USIB-M-161, 27 June, item 8) and advised
the Board about various suggested modifications to the draft proposed,
especially regarding the provisions for staffing, that had been worked
out in the interim in consultation. with certain members of the Board.
With respect to a general question raised regarding the use by member
agencies of the term "SIGINT", the members agreed to check into
technical or other relevant aspects of the matter and consider it further
at an early meeting.
"The following actions were then taken on the CODIB proposal
(Attachment to USIB -D- 39. 7/1, 16 June):
"a, The Board approved the terms of reference for a study
of the USIB information processing problems as amended, * and indicated
their full support for the project and its objectives.
*This document, as approved by the Board, will be circulated as
USIB-D-39, 7/1, Final,
SECRET
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"b. The Chairman, CODIB, was authorized and directed
to proceed with the selection of a staff director and staff. State,
Army and Air Force each agreed to make one qualified person
available, and Defense tentatively agreed to do so also. Navy and
NSA will provide representation as appropriate to the task at hand.
CIA will supplement this effort to build up the minimal staff required
to secure the objectives of the study.
"c. It was recognized that CODIB should be given considerable
latitude in implementing the plan. However, significant departures are
to be referred to the Board for decision.
"d. The Board directed that it be kept current on progress
made in organizing the staff and in the conduct of the study. Should
problems arise which cause delay, they are to be referred to USIB
promptly.
"e. Pending completion of the study and USIB consideration
of the findings, the members of the Board agreed that, in managing their
own internal automatic data processing (ADP) developmental programs
they would take cognizance of the fact that this study is in progress.
'If. Action proposed by the staff or CODIB during the course
of the study or upon its completion will be submitted to USIB in the
form of recommendations. supported by justification. "
2. The attached terms of reference reflect the amendments agreed to
by USIB and therefore supersede the draft previously circulated (USIB-D-
39. 7/1, 16 June).
3. In the light of the above USIB decision, the Chairman of CODIB is
requested to take appropriate steps with respect to that Committee and
the USIB agencies concerned to implement the Board action.
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Executive Secretary
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UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
Terms of Reference for
Study of
USIB Information Processing Problems
Purpose of Study
1. The basic purpose of the study is to help the USIB and CODIB to prepare
"guidelines for the development of information processing facilities in the
Community" (USIB-M-115). "The study should seek to establish and define
long-range goals, with particular emphasis on considerations attending the
use of automatic data processing and the development of compatible systems"
(USIB-M-144).
2. The need for such guidelines stems from the growing complexity of the
intelligence community, and the appreciable increase in the types and amounts
of intelligence information which must be handled. The interdependence of the
individual intelligence organizations and the high cost of processing information
make it mandatory that remedial action be taken now.
3. The results of a study of the data processing requirements of the intelli-.
gence community will of necessity reflect the problems uppermost in each
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intelligence component as a consequence of providing information to, or receiving
information from, the other components of the community. Such problems
should be identified and, to the extent possible solutions for them should also
be sought during the course of the study.
4. To restate and summarize, we want to recommend guidelines for the
development of Individual information systems and services of common concern
which take full account of the potential of modern techniques for processing
information in order to improve the collective effort.
S C21)9
5. The scope of the study will be comprehensive as to sources from open
literature through "exotic" collection programs. Similarly, it will have to take
a broad view of the intelligence cycle and include in its investigations collection
and the field preparation of documents, communication, systems input and
information dissemination, storage retrieval and display, and user requirements
for additional collection.
Conceptual Approach
6, We visualize the study being carried out in various phase, with con-
siderable latitude permitted as long as the purpose of the study is kept
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clearly in mind :
Phase I: Preparation of plan
Phase II: Organizing the effort
Phase III: Fact gathering
Phase IV: Analysis
Phase V: Formulation of conclusions
Phase VI: Formulation of recommendations
VMW
7. The control of the study should remain unmistakably and firmly in the
hands of CODIB under the guidance of USIB.
8. Dependence on outside help should be limited to expertise needed to make
up deficiencies arising as a result of inability of the intelligence community to
staff the effort from its own people.
9. The fact finding phase should include the identification of:
- the activities which by reason of function are to be included
in the study.
- the needs of these activities for classified information and
for open literature to discharge their intelligence missions.
- the problems of (a) knowing that the required information
exists; and (b) gaining access to the information itself.
- the problems of preparing input in view of the multiplicity
of sources, variety, formats, security controls, languages;
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of the perishability of the information; and of the competition
for information.
- the problems of dissemination by receiving processing centers,
including matching receipts with requirements.
- the problem of servicing requests for information by retrieval
from storage.
- current and long-range programs affecting any of the above.
10.. The analysis phase should carefully examine questions of organization,
controls and procedures. The inadequacies of the present way in which the
intelligence community processes its information are to be identified. Possible
remedial steps should be examined, and statements made of prospective advan-
tages, disadvantages and difficulties.
Key Problems Amenable to. Analysis
11. In a further effort to make as clear as possible what we want from this
study, the following tasks relative to intelligence processing activities should
be accomplished during the analysis and subsequent phase of the project:
a. Review the present allocation of functional areas
of responsibility of individual departments or agencies
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engaged in intelligence processing activities within
the intelligence community.
b. For functional areas of common interest determine
appropriate means of direction, integration, coordination
or allocation of data processing responsibilities within
the intelligence community to ensure effective accomplish-
ment of assigned mission; consider that improved EDP
capabilities provide a tool for more latitude in allocating
responsibilities, but also that some new restraints that
must be identified are imposed by the interplay of
standardization and/or compatibility and the costs of
operating EDP installations.
c. Through a knowledge of existing and planned capabilities
of the various components of the community, including a
survey of USIB holdings and the scope and subdivisions of
the "common data base", determine means of providing
direction to ensure the effective discharge by these
components of proposed allocated responsibilities
through: I VI
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(1) Use of standardized procedures and techniques
(2) Use of compatible systems of equipment.
d. Determine an effective means within the intelligence community
to ensure a dynamic and consistent advance in the capabilities
of the various components of the community to prevent large
discrepancies in capabilities from hindering the effectiveness
of the community as a whole, including provision for evaluative-
type experiments of general community interest but too
expensive in funds or manpower for one agency to consider.
Recommend procedures by which common services can best
be provided for the community.
e. Determine the extent of standardization desirable throughout
the intelligence community in areas such as:
(1) Indexing, including re-evaluation of the ISC and
special consideration to relate any modified codes
to prior codes to allow for machine transformations
of prior coding efforts
(2) Input formating
(3) Problem oriented languages for computer usage
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(4) Compiler/translator usage
(5) Display symbolics and means
(6) Adequate security control of data within EDP syptems
(7) Document storage in hard copy and reduced image
for rapid retrieval purposes.
f. Project the evolving needs for communications in support of
intelligence information processing activities and, in
conjunction with appropriate communications agencies,
appraise the adequacy of existing and planned communica-
tion facilities.
g. Determine the extent to which EDP can assist in areas such
(1) Indications and warning
(2) Document reference
(3) N-dimensional pattern analysis
(4) Evaluation of source data content and reliability
(5) Dissemination control at all levels
(6) Coordination of collection requirements and the
matching of information as received to related
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requirements for purposes of dissemination and
feed-back to permit continuous review and
revision of requirements
(7) Analysis of economic, transportation and logistic
system constraints
(8) Target intelligence support
(9) Intelligence incident to systematic analysis of
range activity .
h. Consider the need for and practicality of having a single
agency assume the archival responsibility for the
community.
I. Establish means of accelerating progress in the above areas
in a manner consistent with the needs of the intelligence
community as a whole.
12. Major components which we can predict will be directly involved are:
a. State, including the Department and selected Foreign
Service Posts.
b. CIA, including the various reference services and research
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c. Defense, including the JCS, Unified and Specified Commands.
d. Army, including ACSI, the Tech Services Intelligence Agencies,
the Field Data System, and the Office of Research and Develop-
ment.
e. Navy, including ONI, Supporting Bureaus and Offices, Major
Fleet Commanders and the Fleet Intelligence Centers.
f. Air Force, including AFCIN, AFIC, ATIC, ACIC, AFSC, AFOSR,
ASTIA, and the AF major overseas commands,
g. NSA and associated Service components.
h. National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC).
i. National Indications Center (NIC).
j. AEC.
k. FBI.
1. Non-USIB agencies, such as USIA, NSF and NBS.
13. Numerous studies have been made over the past few years covering
various aspects of the activities and problems of concern to us in the above
components. These studies should be exploited as much as warranted in order
to avoid unnecessary efforts during the fact-finding phase. Projects such as
WALNUT (CIA's counterintelligence name check system), ACSIMATIG ;(Army's
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man-machine system), and the AIDS project (Air Force 438L system) are cases
in point. In addition, there exist many general studies which provide contri-
butions on the more theoretical aspects of our problems (e.g., NBS reports
series prepared by the Research Information Center and Advisory Service on
Information Processing).
14. The preparation of recommendations for Community action in specific
areas need not await the completion of the entire study.
The Study Staff and Its Mission
15. The Staff assembled for conducting the study shall be a full-time working
group with no other commitments. Members are to come principally from
various Government intelligence organizations.
16. Expert consultants with skills needed to complement those of the members
of the group are to be drawn from organizations outside of the intelligence
community (some full-time, some part-time).
17. Staff personnel are to be qualified to develop long-range plans for
information processing and to establish guidelines for the introduction of
methods and equipments to achieve the long-range goals.
18. This analysis team should have within itself the capability to apply
methods and techniques of analysis to a wide variety of system problems.
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While knowledge of state-of-the-art in equipments and utilization techniques must
also be contained within the team, the primary focus should be on the operations--
the problem of the users. Specification of the mode of information transmission
is an engineering problem; determination of what information needs to be trans-
mitted and in what format is an operations problem. The efforts of the group
should be directed much more toward an operations analysis than an engineering
analysis. In this regard, one of the pressing tasks the team would face is the
identification of the information links among the various organizations and the
problems of interface between them.
19. It is apparent that the orientation of the analysis team is critical to
its success. It must be USIB oriented, its sole mission being to devise means
for improving information processing services throughout the intelligence
community. This attitude must be reflected in any system recommendations
or specifications resulting from the group's efforts.
20. As a by-product of the planning function and its orientation toward
service to the community, the analysis team could comment on the
desirability of mounting a continuing effort in its field of investigation.
Sources of Manpower for Staffing
21. Major organizations involved in the study will provide staff participation
and personnel support as agreed.
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22. In addition the stafmay be augmented, as needed, by specialized
outside assistance to be selected from such organizations as SRI, RAND, SDC,
MITRE, and PRC. Organizations approached will be invited to make competent
individuals available. We hope that the cost to the Government will not exceed
$30, 000/man/year, including expenses incidental to any necessary move.
Costs incurred over and above normal operating costs will be borne equally by
DOD and CIA.
Staff Control
23. The staff shall report- to a staff director, who shall be responsible to
the Chairman of CODIB and report regularly to CODIB itself. Arrangements
will be made for interim reporting by the Staff to USIB.
Advisory Panel of Experts
24. Individuals in the Government having special competence in a field of
the Staff's responsibility will be identified and, with their consent and that of
their superiors, will constitute a panel of consultants to furnish advice and
assistance.
Security Clearances
25. All members of the staff shall be cleared for special intelligence;
a selected number shall be cleared into the NPIC; part-time experts will be
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Prospective Results
26, If properly organized and carried out, helpful results from this study
may be expected In four general areas:
(1) Clarification of responsibilities (see para. 27);
(2) Clarification of compatibility goals (see para. 28);
(3) Inauguration of "system of systems" concept (see para 29);
(4) Creation of an integrated research support program (see para. 30).
27. Responsibilities. Here we should get some clarification of how to
allocate responsibilities for performing processing services in support of
individual systems charged with carrying out specific missions. For example,
biographic information is a general category of intelligence; query, should
processing be centralized in support of a number of other components such as
NIC (early warning) or SAC (targeting and air defense analysis), or should
processing be decentralized?
28. Compatibility. We should get help in firming up concepts, now rather
loose, about the need for common coding, common formating, compatible
computer programming (an extension of the COBOL approach), compatible
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remote systems input equipment, and compatible processing equipment. The
entire business of planning data exchange programs, which is a corollary of
the biographic example mentioned above, should be clarified. This effort
should A'include the examination of dissemination and requirments control
practices. The study should not only identify desirable goals but recommend
means for their attainment.
29. "System of systems" approach. The existence of a multiplicity of
separate but interdependent systems requires a broader look than is usually
required when a single system is under study. There are certain baeic
processes common to all our systems (see Attachment A), and there are also
certain operations common to all mechanized information storage and
retrieval systems (see Attachment B for one such scheme including both
textual and diagrammatic information). Moreover these processes and
operations are performed on a data base much of which is common to the
major intelligence components. A "system of systems" approach would
therefore seem to insure an integrated intelligence effort as a minimum
result.
30. Research program in support of USIB. The study will probably result
in identification of problems which will require exploratory research in areas
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of common interest. Projects meriting community sponsorship should be
referred to a mechanism through which the several interested agencies would
support and direct a single development effort, or a group of closely related
or parallel efforts (see Attachment C).
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airman
USIB Committee on Documentation
Attachments:
A: Basic Process in Utilization of
Intelligence Information
B: A Mechanized Intelligence Information
Storage, Search and Selection System
C : Integrated USIB Research, Development,
and System Planning
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INTEGRATED USIB RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, & SYSTEM PLANNING
U.S. DOCUMENTARY
INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION
PROCESSING SYSTEM
COMMON RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS
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