ESTABLISHING THE NIO PANEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R001300030013-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2003
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: September 27, 1973
• Content Type: MF

C,6=
Approved For Release 2003/09/29'.; I 6B00269R001300030013-0
25X1
27 September 1973
SUBJECT: Establishing the NIO Panel
1. Attached is the memo whose major points we covered
in our 26 September discussion. During the course of the
day you will be getting a separate note on personnel con-
siderations and recommendations.
2. As we parted on the 26th, you asked me to give you
a written reminder on the title question. At that time,
your preference was a parallelism with the IC staff head's,
i.e., Deputy for National Intelligence Officers (D/DCI/NIO).
That is precisely descriptive but clangs a bit grammatically.
Deputy for National Intelligence sounds better (grammatically)
but might be confusingly (and, to some, irritatingly) similar
to "Deputy Director for Intelligence."
3. If you want a compromise meld of euphony and
descriptive accuracy, you could try Deputy for National Intel-
ligence Affairs (or Activities). If you want completely
symmetrical parallelism, you could modify the title of Lew
Allen's eventual successor to read Deputy for Intelligence
Community Affairs (or Activities). The choice, of course,
is yours.
25X1
GeorgefA. Carver, jr;
Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs
25X1
SECRET
25X1
Approved For Release 2003109/29 : CIA-RDP86BI00269ROO1300(30013-0
 Approved For Release 2003/09/29: CIA-RDP86BoU2RQa1-X30013-0
23 August 1973
Executive Session
The Acting Chairman convened the Board in executive session
at 1115 to discuss several subjects including the following:
4. Further Discussion of National
Intelligence Officers (NIOs)
(Ref: USIB-M-646, 2 August 1973,
item 5)
Mr. Colby opened the discussion by thanking the Board
Principals for their constructive suggestions and general support
regarding the NIO concept. He noted that a modified draft of the
NIO paper, which incorporated some of the suggestions, had
been circulated to the Board Principals the previous day. 9-
In response to a number of questions, Mr. Colby pointed out
that the NIO concept was still in a flexible and developmental
stage and that many problems and procedures, e. g. , the
prevention of overlapping functions, would have to be worked
out as the program evolved. He said that it was essential, if
the program was to be a success that the best possible people
be selected as NIOs and that they receive the right guidance
from the DCI, a task which he said he had every intention of
fulfilling.
In response to Mr. Colby said that
he had no problem with slipping the 24 August deadline for NIO
nominations. He noted that he had not yet been sworn in; adding
that he also intended to check out the NIO program at the NSC
and to touch base with some members of Congress before any
final action would be taken.
In concluding the discussion, Mr. Colby said. that he
would continue.to consult with the Board Principals and that
he welcomed their comments at any time, either formal or
informal, regarding the development of the NIO program.
*A copy of this draft is attached.
STAT
Approved For Release 2003/09/29 : CIA-RDP86B00269R001300030013-0
 Approved For Release 2003/09/29: CIA-RDP86B00269 R001300030013-0
0 CONFIDENTIAL 0
Attachment
USIB-M-648
R
A
F
T
MEMORANDUM FOR USIB MEMBERS
SUBJECT : National Intelligence Officers
1. National Intelligence Officers will be appointed by
the Director of Central Intelligence for such geographical
areas or functional subjects as may be required from time to
time. Each NIO will be the Director's personal representative
and will report directly to him on his subject, but all
direction will be subject to the Director's approval and will
pass through the normal command channels of USIB member agencies.
2. The Primary function of an NIO will be to provide
contact laterally on his subject across the functionally
organized Intelligence Community and with customers and
outside consultants as required. Each NIO will be responsible
to the Director for providing Intelligence Community coordinated
products (using such panels of experts or ad hoc committees
and arranging USIB consideration as may be required) to
satisfy requirements for NIEb, NSSM responses, DCI briefings
(e. g. , NSC, WSAG, Congress) etc. He will assist the Director
in identifying customer needs for National Intelligence,
uncertainties requiring collection guidance, analysis or
production, and national policy problems on which National
Intelligence might offer assistance. He will maintain close
personal contact with NSC Staff and other principal intelligence
consumers and contributors at the departmental level. The
NIO will be charged with presenting for the Director's review
fully objective presentations of alternate views and interpretations.
3. Each designated NIO will be assigned one or more
assistants and secretarial aid as may be required from time to
time to assist him in his substantive, coordinating and
requirements duties and in drafting or editing when needed.
These assistants will be assigned on an ad hoc or extended
detail from USIB member agencies as required.
Exempt from general declassification schedule
of EO 11652, exemption category 5B(2).
Automatically declassified on: impossible to
determine.
Approved For ReleW03t09/i C1k=RBP86B00269R001300030013-0
 4. One National Intelligence Officer will be appointed
as the Senior National Intelligence Officer, with administrative
authority over the National Intelligence Officers. He will chair
meetings of National Intelligence Officers for discussion of
production standards, work schedules, quality control and product
review. He will be assisted by an Editorial Staff to provide central
editorial standards, schedules and assistance for the National
Intelligence Officers. He will keep the Director advised as to the
activities of the NIO's and be ..a central point of contact for their
activities.
5. National Intelligence Officers (tentative):
USSR and Satellites
Europe, EC and NATO
Northeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Moslem World
Latin America
Economic Intelligence
Strategic Weapons and Advanced Technology (SALT)
General Purpose Forces (MBFR)
As requirements change, these assignments may also vary and
ad hoc assignments may occasionally be made. The NIO's will
work together to resolve apparent gaps or overlaps.
6. USIB members are invited to nominate candidates for
the tentative positions in paragraph 5, from their agency or
from other sources. Final selection will be made by the
Director of Central Intelligence according to individual
qualifications. Any individuals selected from outside CIA
will serve on reimbursable detail. NIO's will normally
serve approximately three-year tours, followed by return to
their parent agency.
- 2 -
Approved For ReleaCeONSd `~`ICA~EUB86B00269R001300030013-0
 V'
CONFIDENTIAL
7. The NIO's will replace the present Board and Office
of National Estimates, the Special Assistant for Vietnamese
Affairs, and other units as appropriate. No change will be
made in the present USIB Committee structure or functioning
by reason of the establishment of NIO's, although that
structure may be independently reviewed for possible change
after some experience with the NIO concept.
DRAFT
W. E. COLBY
Approved For ReleaCONFI112 11 AL86B00269RO01300030013-0
 ApprovWor Release 200
V
National Intelligence Officers
Memo for Record
646th USIB Meeting
2 August 1973
Executive Session
Mr. Colby, Chairman designate, distributed a draft for consideration
by USIB Principals regarding his concept for National Intelligence Officers.
Be requested comments on the draft by 9 August 1973 and nominations
for the positions as NIO's at a later date. Mr. Colby's e a -follows:
I feel that the Director is functioning on two ladders. One is vertical--
the functional approach of organization of the intelligence community. There
is another way of looking at the substantive business i. e. Soviet Union,
i4 T0,5 llerq i?u ('1l or,.2 c..?7' )
China, Military, Economic etch On the substantive level each of the
different functional elements play a partjbut the only person who puts
these together is the Director. The way we have been doing it is assigning
Ti~juJ pG T`f;,lp y-~ t
one of these parts to the functional areas. Y-ozti have an over stress of that
particular functional fellows approach to a particular problem. You have
no one who looks at that substantive problem from the point of view of the
Director. There is a gap in overall look at the intelligence problem for
example., China. I have a concept for appointing Wational Intelligence Officers
for specific substantive problems. These national intelligence officers would
work directly for the Director as staff officers. They would report to the
Director and make recommendations but have no line authority in agencies or
subordinate elements of agencies. Formal requests would go through the
intelligence officers. He would circulate them through the community. Be
assembles then-i and assigns them to task groups or working groups. When
the paper is corn )lete e res
Approvd For el~'ase igj/d~/1g -Lb A- 2&66'B0D219R8D'i 30003001 330 I I S ! B
 We have I feela very heavy stress on coordinated position of NIE's,
but not on the other things the Director is supposed to come up with.
(for example answers to Dr. Kissenger, M M-s answers dtc). Lots of
papers go out of here from elements of CIA; but a i I would like to see anything
that the Director says on a substantive matter benefit from the substantive
knowledge of the community. The Director doesn't have to agree with
what is presented to him but he should be able to see the differences of
opinion that would be surfaced. The Yational Intelligence Officer will
go around the community and coordinate items and bring the coordinated
response or recommendations back to the Director. He will be in personal
human contact with the experts in all of the agencies. He doesn't produi--~
intelligence of his own he just puts the intelligence inputs together.
He will not create a great staff of his own and employ everybody. The
idea is to keep the intelligence officer as lean as possible, one executive
assistant and a secretary. The intelligence officer will establish groups
to work on problems for a set limit of time. The job of intelligence officer
is, 'a full time job.
Included in this job is the tasking function. What do we need to know?
Lets go out and ask the defense attache from Moscow for example, to come
Las
in and work on a particular problem. Tell the stz?i=n what questions=we have,
ICY
Go to NSA and s*a-we have something we want to know, could you give us
I/c G'v s f/C /J /J I_r /~/(i ~r (? t-.; _,a ~.c >Y~?! ."
help by covering a articular problem? _
p Y g p ~'a`skiazg and coIlectioii-ieview_process-
evaluation. -- how well are we doing our job? I hope to keepthe intelligence
Ap roved For Release 2003/09/29 :/ lA-RDP$f B0O 69f 001$~10D30013-0
offiCC1's out o the resources business, T'Ire siihstantive r1T9t~ rV~tn~finn ~i~n~ n~rh
 to -n-tip whether one collection system is valuable and another isn't
To accommodate the /lational Intelligence Officers the office of
r/I
BNE and ONE will be eliminated. The. job will be a 2-3 year term.
I will fight against it becomming a retirement place. Either military
or civilian nominations are welcome. I expect the intelligence officers
to be customer men--find out what people whac want.
Proctor
My concern is finding the right people. I would hope that we would
get the best candidates possible and not try to have a balance between
J41 14 (_ 1/- F r //1 Z
agencies just for the sake of balance. -,J-Africa-was'd Meted from list aF' /ox
because there is no point in having a group of people generating work
A /tg.F9t,v,:cy .
for air insignifaant problem.' L ~r .~ ./ e' fry ,~ l~'
fl T~/4,/r A/ 1"14, re r,
Approved For Release 2003/09/29 : CIA-RDP86B00269R001300030013-0