DEAR GENERAL SMITH:

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81S00991R000100430007-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 6, 2001
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: October 17, 1950
• Content Type: LETTER

determine the desirability of issuing a on is su ject. Problems
which would arise during the course of this survey and which I believe
warrant study by the agencies concerned include the following:
;'sear General Smith:
Reference is made to General Irwints memorandum of
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-agl-a:
August 16, 1950, both concerning
July 20, 1950 and to Admiral Hillenkoetter's memorandum of
of which were forwarded to t e Department for comment. nave de-
layed answering these communications because their arrival coin-
cided with several proposals on the same general subject which we
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Th current decentralization and the gaps in information on
that exist in some of the intelligence agencies,
ac ors w is ma e it difficult if not impossible - as pointed out by
the Department of the Army - to conduct effective and prompt name
checks and to have immediately available as needed
Lieutenant General Walter B. Smith
Director of Central Intelligence
Viashington, D.C.
State Dept. declassification & release instructions on file
were in the process of preparing and which it seemed appropriate
to include in my reply.
of the agencies concerned, responsibility
At resent there are several problems in the field
which warrant study. The Department of the Army has
one; t ere are a number of others. Accordingly, I ' ..~
imeh for another general sta, that made by
copies
le. the
Tes cy and un rtake
Since the lapse of originally issued on
November 1, 1946 to define elli ence activities
has had to be determined by inferenwKl ogica point o
departure for a survey, therefore, might be a review, in the
light of subsequent experience, of f order to
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2. The desirability of central registries in each agency re-
flecting and controlling information available to that agency or a
completely central registry in one agency representing name informa-
tion in all intelligence agencies.
Review of the activities of each intelligence agency in the
to determine whether each is insuring complete
coverage o ose categories in which it has primary
responsibility and whether eac is prepare to provide such informa-
tion promptly to other agencies requesting it.
4. Coordination in the collecting and reporting
intelligence at foreign posts.
Coordination in the organization
Past efforts to systematize
the activities of the intelligence e es in these two fields have
followed the practice of separating them into two distinct problems.
As the Department of the Army's memorandum suggests these problems
are related and experience has shown that the two activities require
considerable coordination.
6. The acquisition of
Once again, as the Department o e m
sugges s an as we also experienced, there appears to be a serious
gap in the collection and reporting of information on re-
quired for foreign intelligence ur oses. Any genera survey Zn o the
subject cannot be complete unless it con-
siders MRS problem and attempts coordinate it with other aspects of
intelligence.
,d ,.:.c, ttees ch
is a member\of the Intellig ce Advisor
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As I have suggested above, the foregoing represent some of the
more important problems now existing in the field
The momentum gained during
appears - o me to have stopped, and I feel there is nee to review the
entire field in the light of experience and
developments since a- time. c _ ly, I join in the Department
of the Army's recommendation for a survey and in addition, recommend
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that this survey be broadened to include other important aspects of
the problem. If there is a general agreement with this view, I
shall be glad to,outline the subjects above in more detail.
Sincerely yours,
ark Armstrong, Jr.
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