CIA PARTICIPATION IN THE MONTHLY JOINT STAFF BRIEFING OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00022R000200040057-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2000
• Sequence Number: 57
• Publication Date: January 17, 1949
• Content Type: MEMO

Transcribed for AD) by cem
28 August 19533
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17 January 1949
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Assistant Director, R & E
Chief, Global Survey Group
CIA participation in the monthly joing Staff briefing of the Secretary
of Defense.
1. On 31 December the Secretary of Defense called on the Joint
Chiefs of Staff for a monthly briefing, to be an integrated presenta-
tion of the best thought of the three Services on the military aspects
of the world situation and the military implications of political and
psychological developments. Mr. Forrestal noted that the Services
must depend on CIA and State for information with respect to political
and psychological developments. That he wished this briefing to be
strictly from the military point of view, with CIA having no responsi-
bility for the views expressed, but.only to assist the JCS by supplying
required information, is further indicated by the fact that he
simultaneously proposed a CIA briefing of the NSC on matters outside
the primary cognizance of the three Services.
2. This buck was passed by the JSC to the JIC, which on 4
January agreed that the briefing should be an integrated JIC presenta-
tion prepared by the JIG with the assistance of the Service intelli-
gence agencies, and that the Director of Central Intelligence should
be invited to assist the JIG by designation of a representative to
furnish advice and information (but to have no voice in or responsi-
bility for the military interpretation of the information provided).
3. On the morning of 5 January attended
a meeting of the JIG at which it was Wagree Ott the first draft should
be prepared in five sections by five ad hoc committees each composed
of four men representing the three Services and CIA.
4. On the afternoon of January and a
ranking members of ORE
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participated in these working
subcommittees. Composition by committee is a notoriously inefficient
process. It was made more so in this case by the fact that these ad
hoc groups had no responsible monitors or chairmen and no preliminary
draft as a basis of discussion. On this haphazard basis texts were
finally evolved and submitted to Dr. Craig, whose task it was to pre-
pare and present an integrated draft.
On the afternoon of 11 January ten ranking members of ORE
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attended a dry run before the JIG. Only the
most general comment could be made on the basis of this hearing. Dr.
Craig's text was not available until the conclusion of the proceedings,
and then only one copy for CIA.
6. On the morning of 12 January Dr. Craig's text was reviewed
the ry run to review Craig's draft. Actually, only one member
of the JIG was present and the group was essentially a higher level
ad hoc committee of the three Services and CIA. So far as concerned
the General sections of the briefing (introduction and conclusions),
this meeting struck out the text submitted by the lower ad hoc committee
and adopted instead the CIA contribution submitted to that committee.
In short the position with respect to those sections on the evening
of 12 January was what it could as well have been on 6 January had a
less cumbersome and inefficient procedure been adopted,
attended what purported to be an adjourned session o
in ORE and constructive proposals were prepared.
25X1 U the afternoon of 12 January two members of ORE
8. On the afternoon of 13 January there was a dry run before
the JIC and the Director of Central Intelligence.
were present from ORE.
9. The presentation was finally made on the morning of 15 January.
The only persons present, apart from those who had participated in the
preparation of the paper and sundry secretaries and aides, were Mr.
Forrestal, Gen. Bradley, Gen. Everest (for Gen. Vandenburg), Gen.
Gruenther, and Gen. Lemnitzer. The Director was present, as were
10. Except for a few military statistics, the presentation was
simply a general review of the situation predominantly political in
character (i.e., it was not particularly responsive to Mr. Forrestal's
specifications or distinguishable from the sort of presentation to
be expected of CIA before the NSC).
11. Although the presentation was supposed to be prepared by the
Joint Intelligence Group, that body actually contributed nothing what-
ever to it, the burden devolving entirely on the Service agencies and
CIA and on Dr. Craig.
12. The procedure adopted for developing the presentation was
appallingly cumbersome and inefficient. CIA, in its merely contributory
role, was required to put at least 165 man-hours of P-8/P-7 time into
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the preparation of a 30-minute briefing. That figure should be multiplied
by four to cover the contributions of the Service agencies. At a rough
reckoning, each minute of briefing cost the Government 22 man-hours
of preparation,, not counting Dr. Craig's time.
13. The efficiency of the proceedings would be considerably
enhanced if CIA could make its contribution directly to Dr. Craig
for adaptation by him as a basis for comment by the Services from
the military point of view.
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