AGENCY VIEWS AND COMMENTS ON THE JIIRG REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85G00105R000100110005-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: August 17, 1966
• Content Type: MF

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17 August 1966
MORANDUM FOR: General John M. Reynolds
~L:33ECT Agency Views and Comments on the
JIIRG Report -
1. The Agency commends the detailed and- objective review
carried out by the JIIRG. The massive amount of detail compiled
by the Group will be of significant assistance in taking future actions
to deal with the various imagery interpretation problems.
2. The Agency in general finds no fault with the findings
reached by the JIIRG. The Agency does, however, have some
difficulties with some of the recommendations made by JIIRG.
Two of these are of particular importance.
3. For one, the Agency notes a lack of costing data pertaining
*o any of the tasking options. We believe it would be well worthwhile
to be able to present to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of
Central Intelligence' such data for Options 1 and 2. With regard to
Option 2, preferred by?JIIRG, this clearly would add substantially to
.*& support load and personnel and eou pr_ie't requirements at NPIC.
'risiS raises fundamental questions > _ych as the total cost and time
required in gearing NPIC to be ready to carry out all assigned tasks.
Such questions relate directly, als to t=ie matter of additional space
for NPIC. We need to know, for if the additional tasks
assigned co NPIC would require at the outset more space than is
currently available in Building -21'3. In rsspcct to new space, the
Agency believes that alternati--,s to nev construction are worthy of
consideration and cannot at th c!-,t additional data concur
with the recommendation that ;uc?a construction be validated.) There
is also a question as to whether the !SDP machinery of NPIC and other
Community offices is sufficiently advanced to do the job as called for
by the JIIRG report.
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In a nut-shell, the Agency cannot accept preferred
Option 2 pending the answers to these questions. So long as
there are no answers to these questions, the Agency is unable
to accept the risk of attempting to perform tasks which cannot
be performed with existing NPIC capacity. The Agency is
prepared to undertake special st;:.dics designed to provide the
answers or to support the JIIRG or any other inter-agency group
in coming up with the necessary data.
4. The Agency agrees with the thrust of JIIRG findings
relating to the need for an inter-agency mechanism to deal with
the exploitation aspects of imagery collection. -The Agency,
however, does not approve of the COMEX concept and the proposed
DCID as currently described and drafted by JIIRG. We believe that
the proposed DCID invests COMEX with too great a degree of
executive authority.
The proposed DCID, in addition, also encroaches upon
the responsibilities, in the requirements field, of existing USIB
committees, particularly JAEIC, GMAIC and SIC.
The creation of a separate exploitation committee, while
perpetuating COMOR as currently constituted, would tend
increasingly to confront USIB, and particularly the Chairman of
USIB, with a series of "Hobson's choices," arguing the pros and cons
of collection versus exploitation priorities and requirements. It
would seem logical to arrange to rna::irn.ize inter-agency staff
consideration of such matters and co minimize the serving up of
dilemma-like issues to USIB and its Chairman. It seems to us
that a consolidation of a COMEX group with a COMOR group as
parts of a single entity responsive to USIB would insure the kind of
inter-agency staff work desired. Such an arrangement, moreover,
would provide opportunity to deal with all three of the major
variabi,-s relating to the imagery interpretation problem, these
,:,eing exploitation capacity, requirements generation, and collection
capability.
With regard to the recommended standard methodology to be
employed in forecasting the needs of imagery interpreters, NPIC
advises that it has not been able to ascertain that this methodology
is in fact applicable to work- urdertak-en at the Center. The Agency
is confident and hopeful that the red?-cec projections of needs as
reported by JIIRG will come true but as a result of NPICts advice,
the Agency must reserve its ;position priding further stL.'. d
cannot endorse the propose
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The current and pressing imagery exploitation problem
is the sorting out of requirements and priorities in connection with
third-phase read-out. As a means of pressing forward toward a
solution of this problem, and of establishing the most appropriate
mechanism to deal with exploitation as well as collection for
USIB, the Agency suggests that the Executive Secretary of USIB,
the Chairman of COMOR and a senior representative from NPIC
consult with the JIIRG and submit a recommendation.
5. Because it is not possible to implement all of the JIIRG
recommendations prior to additional periods of time and study,
you and General Carroll may find it useful in presenting your study
to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence
to attach time phases to the various recommendations you make.
As currently set forth, it would appear that the recommendations
are to be implemented and all mechanisms in place and functioning
immediately upon approval.
L. K. White
Executive Director-Comptroller
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