REPORT OF THE METRIC PANEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85-00988R000400060009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 37
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: February 1, 1974
• Content Type: REPORT

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Report of the Metric Panel
n - -9.0.m SOON
February 1974
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NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions
Classified by 029270
Exempt from general declassification schedule
of E.O. 11652, exemption category:
?5B(1), (2), and (3)
Automatically declassified on:
Date Impossible to Determine
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1 February 1974
MEMORANDUM FOR THE UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
SUBJECT: Report of USIB Metric Panel
REFERENCE: USIB-D-27.8/1 6 August 73
1. As directed by USIB on 6 August 1973, this report
was prepared to determine the desirability and impact of
converting to the metric system of units for intelligence
reporting (Appendix A). The USIB Metric Panel considered
the impact on intelligence collection and production
components and on their customers but made no attempt to
consider the impact on components which develop or use
hardware even though such hardware may later be built to
metric specifications. The attached discussion and
appendices present an account of the panel's activities
and analyses.
2. The term metric system as used throughout this
report refers to the International Metric System, which
is defined in Appendix B. The term customary-system refers
to the system of units commonly used today in the United States.
3. The principal findings of the USIB Metric Panel:
a,. The United States is the only major country
which has not officially adopted or committed itself
to the adoption of the metric system. (Figure 1)
b. During recent and present Congresses,
legislation has been introduced in both Houses
to commit the United States to a. 10-year program
for conversion to the metric system. The legislation
would encourage more rapid conversion but all action
would be on a voluntary basis. Support for the bill
is increasing and it is likely that the legislation
will be enacted during the present or next one or two
sessions of the Congress.
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SUBJECT: Report of USIB Metric Panel
c. A large and increasing number of industrial
organizations in the United States, especially those
involved heavily with international operations, are
moving rapidly on their own toward adoption of the
metric system. The cost of conversion seems to be
justified by future savings.
d. Considerable and increasing use of the
metric system is now being made within the Intelligence
Some producers of finished intelligence, especially
those in the scientific and technical field, now use
metric or dual units (metric and customary) in some
of their publications.
e. The collector, the producer of intelligence,
and the producer of finished intelligence should
have no significant problem in converting to the
metric system within a. reasonable period of time.
The big problem will be to gain acceptance and
understanding by consumers. Of course, all
organizations will encounter problems during the
conversion period and incur some expense.
f. Twenty-seven U.S. Government intelligence-
user organizations were polled informally to determine
expected advantages and disadvantages from conversion
to the metric system by the Intelligence Community.
(Appendix C) Twenty-five of these 27 organizations
responded. With the exception of one component of one
organization, each organization believed that the
advantages far outweighed the disadvantages and many
believed that the conversion should take place almost
immediately.
g. Certain customary units, for example,
nautical mile and barrel/day are well established
in international usage and no doubt will continue
to be used.
4. The USIB Metric Panel recommends that::
a. The Intelligence Community should begin
using the metric system almost immediately after
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Islands in a Metric World
Uncommitted to
metric system
United states-
Barbados
Sierra Leone
Liberia ,Ghana
Oman
,,4/Yemen (A
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SUBJECT: Report of USIB Metric Panel
enactment of the metric conversion legislation.
The Intelligence Community should prepare now to
implement promptly the legislation,
b. Almost immediately after enactment of
legislation, Intelligence Community reporting which
is now largely in customary units should be reported
in metric units with customary units in parentheses.
In those cases where reporting is now exclusively
in metric units, no change should take place.
c. Certain customary units, such as the
nautical mile and barrel/day, should continue in
use with no metric equivalent. Such exclusions
as well as all metric units should be consistent
with those to be set forth by the Department of
Commerce for national use.
d. Each component of the Intelligence Community
should begin now to plan for conversion to the
metric system. The planning period should last no
longer than six months. The plan should include a,
program for training personnel as may be necessary
to meet the objectives of dual and metric reporting.
In most cases this training should be carried out
within a period of not more than two months immediately
following enactment of legislation, The amount of
Projected Schedule for Intelligence Community Conversion to the Metric System
Familiarization
and Training Period of
by Each Major Use of Dual Units
component cQ_,Re.porting
Approval of
of
Ivletric Sy-tcv1
Metric Panel
Legislation
for /C Repc>rtiog
.Report
- -
3 -
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SUBJECT: Report of USIB Metric Panel
training required for each individual should
not normally take more than a few days to provide
sufficient familiarization for the beginning of dual
reporting. Complete familiarization with the metric
system will naturally require considerable time and
effort.
e. The period of dual reporting should be no
longer than a.bout_18 months; only in exceptional
cases should this period be exceeded. Standard
conversion charts should be made available for those
who would find them useful. Each component of the
Intelligence Community should take steps to determine
when its consumers might accept the use of metric
units alone.
f. Where planning and training assistance are
needed, the panel recommends that each organization
make contact with the Metric Information Office,
National Bureau of Standards.
g. The Metric Panel should remain in being
so that it may monitor the planning for and
implementation of the use of the metric system in
the Intelligence Community. It is expected that
the panel will not meet regularly but only on an
ad hoc basis as required.
Attachment: a./s
Chairman
USIB Metric Panel
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Report of USIB Metric Panel
Discussion
Introduction I
Approach to the Problem
Impact on the Intelligence Community 2
Impact on Customers of the Intelligence Community 5
Timing and Transitional Procedure 7
Appendices
A. Charter from USIB
B. International Metric System
C. Record of Activities
D. NPIC's Experience in Converting to the Metric System
E. Panel Members and Consultant
F. Key References
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The United States is the only major country which
has not officially adopted or committed itself to the
adoption of the metric system. Such isolation from the
remainder of the world has become increasingly awkward
and costly as multinational corporations have proliferated
and international trade has expanded. Many major industrial
organizations on their own have adopted the metric system
for part of their operations. Momentum is building toward
the passage of legislation which would commit the United States
to a. 10-year program for conversion to the metric system and
some state legislatures have already authorized their state
school systems to teach the metric system.
Certain components of the Intelligence Community (IC)
use the metric system today in parts of their reporting.
This use has increased over the years as the advantages of
e recognized more widely and as more
The likelihood that the United States will adopt the
metric system males it most desirable that' a plan be
devised for community-wide conversion to the metric system.
There seems little question that the IC will convert to the
metric system, the only significant questions are when the
conversion should take place and how it should be implemented.
Approach to the Problem
The proposed U.S. conversion to the metric system
has been spearheaded by the Department of Commerce, and
the National Bureau of Standards was given responsibility
to prepare an extensive and detailed plan for such
conversion, which it has submitted to the Congress. Almost
at the outset, the USIB Metric Panel felt strongly that
whatever the IC does in converting to the metric system
should be synchronized with the U.S. conversion and should
be modeled after it.
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In order that the panel would profit from the
excellent work by the Metric Study Group of the National
Bureau of Standards, a member of that group served as a.
consultant to the panel. He met regularly with the panel
and provided important inputs.
The panel members themselves as representatives of
their respective organizations were mostly producers rather
than users of intelligence -- and many were scientifically
or technically oriented. The need for a much broader base
of information than that afforded by the panel was recognized
and opinions were obtained in writing from all major producers
and consumers of intelligence concerning the advantages and
disadvantages each organization might expect from IC
conversion to the metric system for intelligence reporting.
(Appendix C) In all cases the requests solicited only
informal opinions. Most replies were from persons sufficiently
high in each organization to give representative feelings.
Although many replies were from organizations which are
generally considered to be customers of the IC, none were
from persons of cabinet or subcabinet rank. Therefore, the
potential impact of the conversion on such high-level
individuals is not yet known and clearly must be considered.
One major unit of the Intelligence Community (NPIC)
made a. unilateral decision in 1969 to convert to metric
reporting exclusively, later modified to metric/customary
reporting. In 1973 the plan was abandoned and reporting
is now generally in customary units only. The experience
of NPIC was examined in detail by the panel. (Appendix D)
Impact on the Intelligence Community
The use of the metric system within the IC is not
metric system. The Office of Weapons Intelligence and the
Office of Scientific Intelligence, CIA, frequently use metric
units in their reporting although there is no set policy
toward such use. The Defense Intelligence Agency frequently
uses metric units, especially in its scientific and technical
reports. The National Security Agency converts metric units
to customary units and presents both in their reports. Such
dual reporting has been in use for several years and has
presented no problem to NSA.
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A sudden change from exclusive use of customary units
to metric units should be avoided because it would be too
much of a shock for much of the IC to absorb. After passage
of legislation for U.S. conversion to the metric system,
the IC should be prepared immediately to take steps toward
conversion, but to ease associated problems, especially those
of the customer, a. period of dual reporting will have to be
prescribed.
Conversion to metric units in reports will, of course,
cause some initial confusion with many collectors and producers
of intelligence. With training for all persons involved,
the conversion to metric units should present no major
problem but it may be costly in lost man-hours and somewhat
expensive. The ability to think in the metric system will
take time, however, and the intelligence process will be
slowed somewhat during the learning period.
The reporting in metric units of such organizations as
NSA should present little or no problem. NSA receives most
of its raw intelligence information in metric units and thus
reporting exclusively in metric units would be considerably
simpler than exclusively in customary units or in the
presently used system of dual units.
The use of dual units by NPIC, however, caused
significant problems and a. reduction in efficiency;
the use of dual units caused so many problems that
it was abandoned recently. Detailed planning for
conversion to the dual system and the temporary use of
the system should reduce the problems to a. manageable
level although impaired efficiency is expected. On the
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Those components of the IC which produce finished
intelligence also will have training problems, especially
those components which are not normally involved in scientific
and technical matters. Such training would not have to be
extensive, though many months and the use of standard
conversion tables will be necessary until analysts learn
to think easily in metric units. A period of dual reporting
by such production units would be highly desirable in
order to phase into exclusive use of metric units most
easily.
During the dual reporting period it will have to
be emphasized that the use of both metric and customary
units is a temporary expedient and that in time customary
units will be dropped completely. It is expected that the
analytical components will have no unmanageable problems
either during the interim period of dual reporting or after
conversion to the metric system. To assure reasonable
consistency in the use of metric units, it is recommended
that training be carried out with guidance from the Metric
Information Office of the National Bureau of Standards.
All but one of the polled components of the IC
endorsed fully the changeover and stated emphatically that
the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages. Many of
the replies cited as major advantages the ease of handling
metric units, the uniformity of units, the elimination of
errors caused by conversion of the metric units received
points. The single negative
argument was based on the fact that vast stores of infor-
mation using only customary units now exist in computer
memories, but the pa.nel does not consider the problem to
be one of great importance, because the conversion is not
extremely difficult even though there will Ibe some initial
cost.
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There appear to be no problems of major significance
for collectors or producers of intelligence whether
producers such as NSA and NPIC or the producers of finished
intelligence. The panel identified no component of the IC
which should not adopt the metric system. Nor has it
identified groups which should avoid using certain parts
of the metric system.
The panel advocates use of the convention of units
to be set forth as a, national standard by the Department
of Commerce to assure that the same units are used
throughout the IC. Conversion factors for converting from
customary to metric units and vice versa. to be used during
the period of dual reporting should be uniform throughout
the IC.
The intent to convert to metric units in intelligence
reporting should be stated soon for implementation at
a later date. The plan for conversion should be publicized
far enough in advance to identify as many problems as
possible and to solve them before implementation. Each
component can best undertake its own training program,
which can include such things as conversion tables,
commercially available brochures, familiarization briefings,
and formal training courses when required.
The conversion to metric system will not be 100
percent. Certain units of measure are not in the metric
system but are accepted internationally. Such units might
include barrel/da.y, nautical mile, knot, troy ounce, bushel,
and shaft horsepower. The panel recommends that such
exclusions be the same as those to be set forth by the
Department of Commerce for national standards.
In sum, the IC should not play the role of pioneer
and attempt to implement general conversion today. On
the other hand, it should not lag behind the expected
program for U.S. conversion. It seems most logical to
the panel that the IC should prepare now and be ready to
implement the system almost immediately after conversion
has become a. policy of the U.S.
Impact on Customers of the Intelligence Community
Most of the customers of the intelligence community
think in customary units rather than metric units. In
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hand, others who do not have such backgrounds feel less
comfortable when faced only with metric units. The NPIC
program which faltered largely because of poor customer
acceptance illustrates this point very well. Such customers
should take advantage of training in understanding the
metric system, which no doubt will be widely available after
the enactment of legislation. During the period of dual
reporting, which should remain in effect no longer than 18
months after the U.S. decision to convert to metric reporting
many customers will tend to ignore the metric units and
merely read the customary ones. Therefore the fact that
dual reporting is temporary will have to be emphasized to
encourage attention to the metric units as well. Each
component must be especially alert to customer problems
and should plan a. method of feedback to assure that these
problems are known quickly and that reasonable steps are
taken to keep them to a. minimum.
After conversion to reporting in metric units, a
standard conversion chart might be provided as an appendix
in each intelligence report in which units are widely used.
Such charts would make possible conversion by the reader,
but the inconvenience of using it might additionally
motivate him to become completely familiar with the metric
system. The panel believes that the hardest impact of
converting to the metric system may be on some of our
highest level consumers. They are the ones who have the
least time to be trained in the metric system and who
may be the most resistant to conversion. Because the IC
must be consumer oriented, certain reports requested
specifically by such high-level customers might still
have to use dual units. It is hoped that the pressure
of a. national commitment to the metric system would keep
reports of this kind to a. minimum.
In sum, the panel feels that the customers of
intelligence rather than the collectors or the producers
of intelligence, will tend to resist conversion exclusively
to metric units. The needs of the customer must be
continually assessed and met, but efforts must be made to
persuade him to accept eventually metric units only.
j-n XT
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Timing and Transitional Procedure
Those parts of the IC which have not already begun
the conversion process should begin together, and the most
logical time to do so is almost immediately after the U.S.
national commitment to the conversion. Although it is
anticipated that legislation will be enacted during this or
the next one or two sessions of the Congress, the exact
date is unknown. Even with this uncertainty, plans for
implementation should be made now by each major IC component
to be complete within about 6 months. Such plans should
include provisions for training and should address all
anticipated problems associated with the conversion. The
familiarization and training plan should be implemented
by the individual component within the 2-month period
following the enactment of legislation and before
implementation of the dual reporting period. If the
familiarization period is too far in advance of the time
when dual reporting is to be used, the momentum build
up during the training period may be lost. Dual reporting
must be used to provide a. transitional period for additional
learning by the IC members and their customers. If the
period is too short, there will not be ample time for
a. smooth transition; if it is too long, many persons ma.y
not be motivated to learn the metric system well enough
to become independent of the dual system. The panel feels
that the period of dual reporting should be as short as
possible and that a. period of 18 months should be the
maximum except for unusual cases.
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OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Appendix A
USIB-D- 27.8/1
6 August 1973
25X1A9a
UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOAR D
MEMORANDUM FOR THE UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
SUBJECT Intelligence Panel on Community-Wide
Use of the Metric System of Units
REFERENCE: USIB-D-33. 1/28, 17 July 1973
1. As of 3 August the USIB approved the Guided Missile and
Astronautics Intelligence Committee (GMAIC) recommendations in
the reference document that: (a) USIB endorse in principle a policy
that would lead eventually to official community-wide use of the
metric system of units and; (b) the Chairman, USIB, appoint a panel
representing the technically oriented elements of the intelligence
community. The panel will fully investigate the desirability and im-
pact of converting to the metric system for intelligence reporting,
determine the optimum transitional procedure and timing, and
identify the elements of the community which would be affected
initially. It should report its findings and recommendations to the
USIB for Board consideration by about 31 October 1973.
2. The Acting Chairman has designated Dr. Julian C. Nall as
Panel Chairman. He also requests that each USIB Principal who
wishes to participate nominate a member to represent his organization
on the International Metric System Panel.
USIB ACTION REQUESTED
3. Accordingly, each Board Principal who wishes to participate
is requested to notify Dr. M, (Room 5F19, CIA Headquarters,
Code 143 extension 6641) of his nominee on the subject panel by close
of business 15 August.
. Executive Secretary
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24 September 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: See Attached Addressee List
SUBJECT: Use of the Metric System of Units Within
the Intelligence Community
1. The United States Intelligence Board has recently
endorsed in principle a policy that would lead eventually
to official use of the metric system of units within the
Intelligence Community. Also there is legislation before
the Congress which endorses the use of the metric system
in the US and establishes general guidelines for long
term implementation. All signs indicate that this
legislation may well be passed during this session of
Congress.
2. In light of the USIB endorsement and the impending
legislation, there has been established by USIB a Metric
Panel which will as one of its duties investigate the
desirability and impact of converting to the metric system
of units for intelligence reporting. The Panel will
carefully look into the advantages and, disadvantages of
the use of the metric system to the production components
of the Intelligence Community and to the consumers both
within and outside of the Community.
3. If intelligence reporting in the future should
be converted to the metric system, metric units alone
might be used or some form of dual reporting at least
for an interim period. No doubt certain English units
would remain even with an otherwise all metric system.
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o.
SUBJECT: Use of the Metric System of Units Within
the Intelligence Community
4. The purpose of this memorandum is to seek from
your organization preliminary and informal comments
on the significant advantages and disadvantages which
conversion to the metric system for intelligence reporting
would have on your organization. We are also interested
in your opinion on the most desirable length of a con-
version period as well as any other comments you or
others in your organization may wish to make. We are
not seeking an official response but are interested in
ideas and thoughts you have on the potential effect on
your organization as either a producer or consumer of
intelligence reporting. Of course, the responses we
receive will have a major impact on the report of the
Metric Panel to USIB which is due on or about 31 October.
5. In order that we have your response in time to
consider it carefully prior to the final report, I
would appreciate receiving your thoughts no later than
15 October.
Please send responses to:
25X1A9a Dr.
Room 5F19
CIA Headquarters
Washington, D.C. 20505
Chairman
USIB Metric Panel
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International Metric System
The metric system was developed in France at the
time of the French Revolution. This measurement system
was based primarily on the meter, a. length defined as a
small fraction of the earth's circumference. Since then
the system has been refined in many ways. The up-to-date
version, on which the nations of the world have agreed, is
called Systeme International d'Unites. In this report
metric system refers specifically to this version of the
metric system. The International Metric System at present
is founded on seven base units.
1. The unit of length is the meter.
2. The unit of mass (commonly called
weight) is the kilogram.
3. The unit of time is the second.
4. The unit of electric current is the
ampere.
5. The unit of temperature is the kelvin
(which in common use is translated
into the degree Celsius, formerly
called centigrade).
6. The unit of luminous intensity is the
candela..
7. The unit for amount of substance is the
mole.
All other units, such as those for speed and volume, are
derived from the base units. Standard prefixes are added
to give names for quantities of a. particular unit that
differ by multiples of 10, e.g., meter (m), kilometer
(1,000 m), millimeter (0.001 m).
The customary system is the predominant measurement
system used in the U.S. It includes such commonly used
units as inch, foot, yard, mile, pint, quart, gallon,
bushel, ounce (fluid and avoirdupois), pound, degree
Farenheit and, like metric, the ampere, the candela., and
the second. Some units of metric and customary measure
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are given below; they are not equivalents, except in the
case of time, for which the metric and customary units are
identical.
Unit of The metric The customary
measure system system
Length
Weight
millimeter inch
centimeter foot:
meter yard
kilometer mile
gram ounce
kilogram pound
tonne ton
milliliter ounce
liter cup
pint
quart
gal Ion
second second
minute minute
hour hour
d ay day
Temperature degree Celsius degree Farenheit
Speed kilometer per hour mile per hour
Pressure pascal inch of mercury
kilopa,scal pound per square inch
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The
USIB
Metric Panel met seven times between
23 August
and
28 November 1973. Terms of Reference
outlining
the
panel's approach to the problem were
prepared.
Mr.
Jeffrey V. Odom, National Bureau of
Standards, briefed the panel at its first meeting on
the status of the plan for conversion to the metric
system in the U.S. He also agreed to become a. consultant
25X1A9a to the panel. Mr. , NPIC, discussed the
problems that NPIC encountered during its program to use
the metric system in its reporting. (Appendix D)
Letters were sent to 27 U.S. government organizations
which are producers of intelligence and consumers of the
IC product to solicit views on the advantages and dis-
advantages of using the metric system for reporting by
the IC. Responses to the letters are available upon
request.
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Terms of Reference For USIB Metric Panel
Scope: Investigate the desirability and impact of
converting to the metric system for intelligence production,
determine the optimum transitional procedure and timing, and
identify the elements of the community which would be affected
initially.
Assumptions: That the intelligence community will at
some time adopt the use of the majority of the metric system
of units in its production. That the intelligence community
will adjust its use of the metric system of units to that of
US government agencies which are important consumers of its
product.
I. Desirability of Use of the Metric System:
1. Widespread use elsewhere in the world and
increasing use in the U.S.
2. Movement of most of the other users of the
English system of measure to the metric system
3. Greater ease of computation with the metric
system
4. Intelligence target countries employ the metric
system, thus reporting units would be identical
with object units eliminating the need for
conversion and much error in estimation
5. Much of the sophisticated technology used in
advanced intelligence collection systems is
built on the metric system and produces data
in that system
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II. Disadvantages of the Metric System:
1. Difficulty of "thinking" in the system
2. Cost of conversion of data from English to
metric system or dual reporting
3. Change always brings disorganization and
surprises
4. Other
III. What will be the impact of the conversion to
reporting information in metric units:
1. On the understanding of the reports by major
consumers?
2. On the cost of production of intelligence reports?
a. Should include additional computation
requirement
b. Comprehend the delay in production occasioned
by trying to express data in drafting
3. On the analyst who must reorient his or her
system of reckoning yet sacrifice nothing in
volume, analytical effectiveness or accuracy
a. Will this mean any change in the numbers of
people We shall need to do the intelligence
job?
IV. What will be the optimum timing and transitional period
for the installation of the use of metric units in
intelligence production?
1. Can we accept the proposition in the assumptions
that optimum timing would be coincident with
other government agencies who are our major
consumers?
-- Is there any experience that would indicate
that we might be better off to adopt metric
system of measure before general adoption
begins elsewhere in the government?
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-- After, i.e. lag the adoption elsewhere in
the government?
2. What factors will be critical to the transitional
period?
-- Several experimenters suggest that the
transition period be as short as possible
-- May we not again be constrained by the
transition established for government
agencies as a whole
V. What elements of the Intelligence Community would
be affected initially, subsequently, etc.?
1. Do we seek to begin the use of the metric system
of units with collection facilities and personnel
or do we begin with analysts and their super-
visors so that they may participate in the
redefinition of collection requirements?
2. Perhaps in fact it may be desirable to impose
the new system simultaneously (or in simultaneous
steps) over the community as a whole.
3. Can we identify any reasonably self-constrained
units which should not adopt the metric system
of units? Which would avoid certain components
of the metric system which other units will be
adopting?
VI. How important will planning be to the timing and
transition to use of metric units?
1. Do we foresee a need for a set of detailed plans
to guide us through the transition to a metric
system? Will they need to be developed and
agreed upon well ahead of their implementation?
Will they require the unambiguous endorsement of
management before implementation will begin?
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2. Should such plans be stratified so that
individual elements of the plan are tailored
to the activity of participants at each
level from the individual collector-analyst-
processor to the DCI?
VII. The panel should approach the consumer agencies as
well as canvassing its own membership agencies
on many of these problems.
1. The approach to the agencies should be at a
sufficient level to assure an authoritative,
thoughtful response.
2. It should not however seek agency "positions"
because of the need for prompt reporting and
the difficulty we would have in presenting
? sufficient scenario to permit agencies developing
a definitive reply.
3. A letter has been prepared to use in this approach
and individual members have been assigned
specific agency responsibility for coming up
with people to whom the letter will be addressed.
VIII. To what extent should the Panel design a plan for
the transition to the metric system and what
should the end-product of the Panel's deliberations
be?
1. A report to the USIB which sets forth our major
findings and recommends how to proceed.
2. A report to USIB which sets forth our major
findings, recommends how to proceed and presents
documentation for a general plan required for
implementation.
3. A report to USIB which sets forth our major
findings, recommends how to proceed and presents
documentation for a. detailed plan required for
implementation.
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Addressee List
Mr. Don Paarlberg
Director Agricultural Economics
Room 214 A Administration Building
Department of Agriculture
Fourteenth Sts. and Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Mr. Richard. L. Durham
Intelligence Advisor (D/I)
US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Room 6510A New State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Major General Edward B. Giller (Ret.)
Assistant General Manager for National Security
Atomic Energy Commission
Washington, D.C. 20545
Mr. Robert P. Beshar
Director, Bureau of International Commerce
Department of Commerce
Washington, D.C. 20230
Mr. Dean Hinton
Council for International Economic Policy
Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20500
Mr. Alexander J. Tachmindji
Deputy Director
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
1400 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Virginia 22209
Mr. Samuel E. Clements
Executive Assistant to Director
of Defense Research and. Engineering
Room 3E1006
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
Colonel Edward. A. Dinges
Executive Officer
Assistant Secretary of Defense (International
Security Affairs)
Room 4E810
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
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Mr. David L. Solomon
Deputy Assistant Secretary (Operations and
Engineering)
Room 3D158
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
Mr. John D. Christie
Principal Deputy Director
Defense Program Analysis and Evaluation
Room 2E812
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
Brigadier General J. R. Brickel
Deputy Assistant to the Secretary (Atomic Energy)
Room 3E1074 The Pentagon
Washington, D. C. 20301
Lieutenant General Gordon T. Gould,,Jr.
Director, Defense Communications Agency
Room 4125 General Office Building 12 NSC
Eighth St. and S. Courthouse Road
Arlington, Virginia 20305
Dr. J. W. Rosengren
Deputy Director for Science and Technology
Defense Nuclear Agency
Room 530 Thomas Building
Washington, D.C. 20305
Lieutenant General George M. Seignious II
Director, Joint Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Room 2E936
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
Mr. John Warner
Chief International Intelligence Division
Drug Enforcement Agency
14th and. I Streets
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Virgil L. Krohn
Chief Operations Liaison Staff
Office of Air Transportation Security
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20591
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Mr. L. F. Schwartz
Liaison Supervisor
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Triangle Building
Washington, D.C. 20535
Mr.
Acting Deputy to DCI for Intelligence Community
DCI /I C
CIA Headquarters Building
Washington, D.C. 20505
General Bruce K. Holloway, USAF (Ret.)
Acting Assistant Administrator for DOD and
Interagency Affairs
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20546
Mr. Andrew Marshall
Director Net Assessment Group
National Security Council
Room 302A, Old Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20500
Mr. Arnold Donahue
Chief Intelligence, International Affairs Division
Office of Management and Budget
Room 8215, New Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20500
Mr. Wheaton B. Byers
Executive Secretary
Presidents Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
Room 340 Old Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20500
Mr. William Deeter
Deputy Director Office of Investigations and Security
Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Foster Collins
Office of National Security
4328 Main Treasury Building
Department of the Treasury
Fifteenth and Pennsylvania, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20220
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Capt. Walter C. Ochman
Chief Intelligence and Security
United. States Coast Guard
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Mr. Walter Roberts
Foreign Information and Cultural Services Division
Office of Research and Assessment
Room 530D
U.S. Information Agency
1776 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20547
Mr. David Y. McManis
Director White House Situation Room
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
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CONFIDENTIAL
APPENDIX D
NPIC's Experience in Converting to the Metric System
BRIEFING OUTLINE
II. Brief history of NPIC's transition from customary
to metric units (June to August 1969)
* -Rationale for conversion
-Cart-before-the-horse planning
III. Metric usage confusion (August to September 1969)
-Customer resistance
-Interface with rest of Intelligence
Community
IV. Metric customary phased transition (September to
October 1969)
V. Preparation of metric customary reporting guidelines
(October to March 1970)
VI. NPIC metric customary reporting (October 1969 to
July 1973)
* -Problems encountered with dual
reporting system
VII. Transition from metric customary back to customary
with metric option
VIII. *Results of NPIC PI/Customer preference survey
IX. *Conversion implementation suggestions (NPIC viewpoint)
*Briefing notes attached
CONFIDENTIAL
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Rationale for Conversion to Metric System (20 August 1969)
-Objects measured and/or reported on are constructed
in Metric units.
-Metric units were more compatible with the Ground
Resolution capability of System Photography.
-In rounding off numbers, there was less error when
dimensions were expressed in metric units.
-National Installation and Object Data. Base files
were in their formative stage.
-Metric units are easier for photogra.mmetrist to work
with (i.e., divisa.ble by 10).
-Foreign literature - Metric units
-Forerunner for rest of Intelligence Community
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Problems Encountered with Dual Reporting System
-Metric customary units are not compatible with one another.
Round-off errors are always present when
converting from one system to another.
Example:
2.9
meters =
9.51'
(10')
2.8
meters =
9.18'
(9')
Difference
.1
meter
(11)
-Photogrammetry Division - - - - - - PI
Prime Measurements - Metric units
Secondary Measurements - Customary units
-Photo interpreter - - - - - - Customer
In the majority of cases, customary units
were considered prime measurements.
-Errors encountered in:
Round off
Conversion from one system to another
Dimensional accumulation
-Customary units -- "Crutch" units
-PI reporting -- Increased time and bulk with dual system
-Incompatible with other Intelligence Community reporting
methods
-Accuracy statements were given in Metric units only
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NPIC PI/Customer Preferences
-Approximately 70% of those NPIC PIs who use mensuration
data. prefer to work with English units.
-Approximately 20% prefer Metric units.
-Remaining 10% feel comfortable using either system.
-Approximately 70% to 75% of NPIC customers prefer
customary units.
-Metric/customa.ry preferences are sharply divided
along functional intelligence responsibilities.
Example: Communication/Electronics - Metrics
Nuclear - Metric 70% Customary 30%
Missile and Space - Customary
Industrial - Customary
Ground Order of Battle - Customary
-NPIC PIs are currently responding to customers
preferences.
-NPIC's current reporting system flexible to change.
Not locked into any one system.
-95% of NPIC PIs in favor of eliminating dual Metric/
Customary usage.
-PIs prefer sharp transition as opposed to phased
transition.
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Conversion Implementation Suggestions
-Intelligence Community directive to include:
Conversion Objectives
Time Schedules
Responsible Authority (Governing Body)
Involved Organizations
-Organizational Impact Study if required - (To be completed
as outlined in directive)
-Policy guidelines compilation by various intelligence
organizations performing similar functions
-Suggested lead time -
Six months - Minimum
One year - Maximum
-Suggested phase in conversion - (3 months)
(Auxiliary crutch methods)
-Follow-on adjustments procedures
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C'fNFTfl?TMT AT
USIB Metric Panel Members and Consultant
Members
Lawrence L. Fisher, Air Force
Charles J. Stim, Army
Ernest F. Blase, Navy
David A. Palmer, State
Executive Secretary
Jeffrey V. Odom, NBS
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Key References
1. Report to the Congress - A Metric America., National
Bureau of Standards (US), Special Publication 345,
July 1971.
2. Report of the DOD Metric Study by the DOD Metric
Steering Committee, January 1971.
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~lll A Nr? A'
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