LETTER TO WILLIAM E. COLBY FROM HENRY A. KISSINGER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-45-6-16-8
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: November 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: April 22, 1974
• Content Type: LETTER

No Objection to Declassification in Part 2013/03/22 : LOC-HAK-45-6-16-8
THE ~1~IItT~ ITbU5~ .
WAAIIIN(iTON
for. as a follow-on to his November 5,:1971
letter.revi~alizing the.lntellig~nc.e Commu--
nity, This set.: of questions and ~ the' pi~.at
evaluation process should form., the basis for
t~ri evert route uses"ul set az" ri:GQs ,for. the
cani~.ng year.
l wou~:d .appreciate the opportunity to review
with you the. comments on these KTQs submitted
by the other members of the National Security
Councix xntel.lJ.gence Committee,..
promising beg~.nning in your effort to iden~-
tify intoll~.gence topics of importance to
policy makers, 'phis process is prec3:sely
the sort.. of step which the Prosident,l.ooked
Apxil.22, 197
The Key~Intelligence Questions referred to
in your memorandum of March 9, 197~'are a`
Warm regards,
Henry A. Kissinger
Mr. William E, Co3:by
173,ractar of. Central xnte~:7.i.gence
Washington, D.C. 2050
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 .~,~
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,viEMORANDUM . f~,` ~ ' ~"'~ * ~ - ~ `"
~?"~
NATIONAL SEC~RTTY C UNCIL
SECRET ACTION
March 21, 1974
MEMORANDUM FOR: SECRETARY KISSINGER
FROM : RICHARD T . KENNEDY~y~'~~~~
RICHARD OBER ~s
SUBJECT: Key Intelligence Quest~.ons .for ~'Y' 1g74
BAC KGROUNl7
The DCI has circulated to NSC Intelligence Committee members
the Key Inte113gence Questions (KIQs) for FY 197 (Tab B).
He has chosen this route to obtain concurrence and comments
of the Chairman and Members of NSCIC, since it has not been
feasible to hold an NSCIC meeting on the KIQs a.s we had hoped.
wa coirir~iexi~eu Wiz] ~~ie n.i.Qs as Arley wez'e devel~,~eu as ~r~e .u~..I
Hated. (Tab C ) . A gaol start Y,as been made.. We believe that
an indication of your interest.in the KIQs will help to keep
viable the support needed far the DCI from NSCIC and the
direct Presidential concern and support your chairmanship
represents.
We therefore recommend that you commend Mr. Colby for the
effort to date, and ask that he review.w3.th you the comment s
on the KIQs submitted by the other NSCIC members.
Mr. Kennedy has discussed this approach with Mr. Colby who
agrees ~.t would be very helpful in continuing to assert
White House concern for, and direction of, the Community
Intelligence effort.
RECOMMENDATION
Tha'c you s~.gn the letter at Tab A.
Sl?,CI;ET -- CDS
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!~ SECft~T ~ ~ Q 4~.~
THE DIRECTGR ?F CENTRAL INTELliGENCE
WASHINGTON, D. C. Z05Q3
9 March l97~
MEMORANDI~I PCR: The Chairman and Members, National Security
Council Intelligence Committee
SUBJECT: Key Intelligence ,Questions for FY 1974
1. Reference is my letter of 9 January 1974, subject as
above, which forwarded a copy of the "Key Intelligence Questions
(KIQs)" and commented on the inputs which had been received from
each NSCIC membex. I noted, in the letter that the KIQs would be
considered at an early NSCIC meeting.
2. Since it now appears that the Chairman's schedule will
preclude holding an NSCIC meeting, I am writing to request the
individual concurrence and camanents of each member an the KIQs.
3. As the fiscal year was mare than half over before the
key questions had been compiled, I considered it necessary to
start the evaluation process as soon as passible. The USIB
agencies alxeady have been tasked to respond to selected KIQs
as a test of the system. This really xepresents a "shakedown
cruise" on a program which I am hopeful will provide a goad
management tool far measuring the effectiveness with which the
Intelligence Community responds to intelligence topics identified
as being of major current ampartance to policy levels of the
Government. What I am seeking, as you are aware, is a better
linkage between the substantive functions of intelligence and
the allocation of resources.
n~d~l~l~"~'
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1i~~11l~,,,
4: During the summer, we will review the "Key Intelligence
Questions" and develop a revised list for FY 1975. By that time,
our evaluation process should provide a basis both for improving
the statement of questions and for evaluating the Commcmity re-
sponses. Any coQmnents you may have as to the kinds of questions
on which to focus in the next iteration would be most appreciated.
SECC~~T
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 ~~~ ~~' ~ No Objection to Declassification in Part 2013/03/22 : LOC-HAK-45-6-16-8
THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
WASHINGTON, D. C. 2Q305 I)C I~~ C 7 4" 0 9 0 5
9 January 1974
MEMORANDUM r:OR: The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger
Chairman, NSCIC
SUBJECT: Key Intelligence Questions far ~Y 1974
1. Attached is a copy of my Key Intelligence Questions for
FY 1974 which, as you and I have discussed, is being submitted to the
NSCIC for approval. In the interim, T am distributing copies to the
United States Intelligence Board so that we can be getting along with
the many tasks which face us in the evaluation effort for which the
Key Intelligence Questions are the basis.
2. The set of questions sent to you on 30 October has been
revised on the basis of proposals received from your staff, from
other (vSCiC~ members and from the ii53B pri nci poi s. ' T hi s f ~ na l 115
accommodates many of the changes and additions your staff proposed
in the response which General Scowcroft forwarded on December 10.
3. I was very pleased to note the care with which the original
set of Key Intelligence Questions was reviewed and the thoughtfulness
of the proposed changes and additions. The total number of proposed
additions was so great, however, that accommodating all of them would
have changed the character of the listing. I wanted to keep the total
number of questions small enough to be manageable, so the problem was
to identify proposed additions of sufficient importance to substitute
for some of those on the 30 October list, or to revise the wording of
the original questions to accommodate ideas presented in recommended
additions. The list, as it is being submitted to the NSCIC, actually
has fewer questions than were included in October, but 23 of the
questions are new and 38 are revisions of the original questions.
4. The essential criteria applied to each question were that
it identify a problem of major current importance to policy levels
of the government, and that it provide a basis far measuring the
effectiveness of the functioning of the intelligence community.
Overall, an effort was made to keep the list relatively short and to
include questions dealing with matters on which a considerable amount
of resources are being or are likely to be devoted.
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5. As I reported to the President in my National Forei n
Intelligence Budget Recommendations, Fiscal Year 9 5:
"I intend that these questions serve as the primary near
term guide to national intelligence collection, analysis,
and production. They will be followed by an evaluation
~? process to determine the degree to which various elements
of the intelligence community contribute to answers. Future
resource decisions will then be influenced by these Key
Intelligence Questions and the comparative effectiveness of
various intelligence community elements in~answering them."
6. In my opinion, fundamental obstacles to the achievement of
the related goals of improved product and better resource management
have long been the separation of the substantive functions of
intelligence from the allocation of resources, and the absence of
a system for evaluating performance. Overcoming these obstacles
will be difficult and any approach will have to be evolutionary,
but I am initiating the effort through the articulation of the Key
Intelligence Questions.
7. The evaluation system which will be used in following
through on the Key-.Intelligence Questions effort is being described
it separate cui'resp~tiiueiice to the members of the U5i8.
8. In order to take full advantage of all of the ideas which
were contained in the material submitted in response to my
request for comments an the 3O October version of the Key Intelli-
gence Questions, I am making a complete set of the inputs available
to my National Intelligence Officers and to my Intelligence Community
staff. I want the NIOs in particular to be aware of the various
topics which all of those who reviewed the first listing considered
were candidates for addition, so that the NIOs can use this information
in development of their own programs.
9. Again, may I express my personal appreciation far your
contribution?to this project.
-2-
_., m~
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2013/03/22 : LOC-HAK-45-6-16-8
 ?~ ?r _- No Objection to Declassification in Part 2013/03/22 : LOC-HAK-45-6-16-8
Secret
Na Foreign 1"~~ssern
~IRE~TOR o~ CRNTRAL INZ`E:LIrIOENCE
Key Intelligence Questions
For
Fiscal Year 1974
Secret
4 January 1974
DCI/IC 74115
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2013/03/22 : LOC-HAK-45-6-16-8