MEMORANDUM FOR DR. BROCKWAY MCMILLAN NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE FROM MARSHALL S. CARTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R001400040030-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 16, 2004
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: June 30, 1964
• Content Type: MF

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30 June 1964
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MORANDUM FORt Dr. Brockway McMillan
National Reconnaissance Office
1. This refers to your Memorandum for General Carter. CLA,
dated June 30th, 1964, in which you state that there are certain
actions which you must take today since contract SIC 1928 for systems
engineering of part of the CORONA system by Lockheed Missiles and
Space Company expires today. T se actions are:
a. As of I July 1964 you intend to establish a contract
engineer
for comprehensive systems
g and technical direction of this project.
b. At the same time, you will continue the work at LMSC,
now conducted under SE 1928, under an Air Force "black contract.
This work will continue under a modified work statement that will
reflect the SETD responsibilities of`1 land
will define LMBC s role as an integrating contractor.
2. You will recall that in our meeting last 'T'hursday morning,
25 June, I informed you that the Director of Central Intelligence had
stated that he desired no changes in contracts, :management concepts,
or NRO current operating procedures for the CORONA program until
the matter presently before the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory
Board had been settled, or except wtt his own personal approval in each
case. During my absence from the city on Saturday. 27 June, the Director
discussed this matter with you on the telephone, and expressed his concern
at your proposal and suggested that you discuss it with Dr. Wheelon and
myself. I understand that a cable from your office directing these changes
and indicating that the decision had been coordinated with the DCI was
subsequently suspended at the direction of the ICI. The meeting that you
NRO review(s) completed.
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had yesterday afternoon with Dr. Wiieelon and me was most constructive
in that we were apprised of your total plan for the management and
operation of the CORONA program. At that time I informed you that
I would take this matter up with the Director. The first opportunity I
will have to do this will be about 6 July.
3. This confirms my telephone conversation* with Secretary
V- nce and you indicating that for the foregoing reasons I do not concur
in the action that you propose. I recommend instead that the current
SE 1928 contract with Lockheed be extended by the CLA contracting
officer at SASFP on an indefinite basis by an appropriate letter of intent,
pending settlement of this matter.
Marshall' S. Carter
Lieutenant General, USA
Acting Director
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cc: Secretary Vance
Distribution:
Orig - Adse
1- DCI
1 - DD CI
1 - DDS&T
1 - ER via Ex Dir
1 - Mr. Bross
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ME 1 RANDU3vi FOR: Secretary Vance
Dr. McMillan
3 0 June 1364
1. After dictating the attached memorandum, 1 received a
telephone call from Mr. McCone on the West. Coast who, indepen-
dently and without knowledge of Dr. I4icMillan's memorandum of
this date, had arrived at the conclusion that the actions proposed
by Dr. McMillan should not be taken at this time.
2. Upon being apprised of my reply to Dr. I~';.:. zllan, Mr.
McCone expressed his complete approval.
Iv rshail S. Carter
Lieutenant General, USA
Acting Director
A ttachruent
cc: Secretary Vance .0-2-
Distribution:
Orig - Adse -,0'/
1 - DDCI #i
1 - DCI
1 - DDS&T
1 - ER via Ex Dir
1 - Mr. Bross
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DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
WASHINGTON
June 30, 1964
MEMORANDUM FOR GENERAL CARTER, CIA
During our discussion on 29 June 1964, I explained
in detail my proposed changes in the organization of the
CORONA project. The overriding objective is to establish
a single authoritative project office under a strong project
director whom I can hold personally responsible for the
continuing successful operation of the system in response
to NRO direction based upon USIB requirements. This
proposal was first made to the DCI in correspondence of
28 October, and elaborated further in correspondence of
10 December 1963. At their request, I briefed the
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in detail
on my proposal. This was at their meeting on 30 January 1964.
At that time the DCI was away. Soon after his return, on
11 February 1964, I gave a similar briefing to him. He
sent me a copy of his memorandum for record of that meeting.
I went into sufficient detail at that time to note that I
was considering, without then a commitment, the question
whether to install as contractor for
comprehensive systems engineering and technical direction
(SETD) on the project.
The substance of this particular briefing was reviewed
with you and Dr. Wheelon yesterday.
On 4 May 1964, the DCI, presiding as Chairman of USIB,
"expressed his serious concern and that of the Board in the
continued failure of these intelligence satellites." After
pointing out the success record of the NASA, the DCI further
stated that "NRO should not spare any effort to correct
deficiencies and to better reliability in the satellite
reconnaissance program."
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DOD DIR. 5200.10 DOES NOT APPLY
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In a restricted executive session of the USIB on
6 May 1964, "the Chairman briefed the Board on the outcome
of recent discussion of satellite failures in the search
program which he had had with Secretary McNamara." He
further stated "Over a short range it was decided that not
much could be done in the way of extensive modification to
the J vehicles to correct existing deficiencies."
In a restricted session of the USIB meeting on 20 May 1964,
"the Chairman said that he wished to emphasize to the NRO
the impossibility of proceeding with the production of these
important estimates (NIE) without results of further CORONA-J
coverage. Mr. McCone stated that unless the NRO organization
can come closer to meeting USIB requirements for the intel-
ligence inventory, something would have to be done about the
NRO itself. He said that he would have to respond to
Secretary McNamara that if the NRO failed to obtain the
necessary satellite photographic coverage in time.,USIB would
be unable to meet the (Secretary of Defense) requested
NIE schedules." At this 20 May meeting, "the Chairman asked
the D/DNRO to check with Dr. McMillan as to when he would let
the Board know the reasons for the recent failures and what
can be done to correct them."
In preparing to report to the USIB on actions taken or
proposed to improve the performance of the CORONA system,
I discussed with the DCI again on 28 May the steps I considered
necessary to put the management of the CORONA project into
proper order. I reported that I had recently reviewed in
detail inquiries into the March and April failures of the
Agena. These inquiries had been conducted at my direction
by SAFSP assisted by consultants from 25
I specifically stated as my conclusion from these inquiries
that Lockheed had not properly discharged a systems engineering
function. I stated that in my judgment it was necessary beyond
question to establish a comprehensive systems engineering
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responsibility for the project and to engage
I --
tor this purpose.
It is my considered judgment that the CORONA project
will never operate reliably and responsibly, and will never
uniformly achieve the quality of which it is known to be
capable, as long as the Government's management of it is
as diffused as it now is. This judgment is fully supported
by the findings of the President's Foreign Intelligence
Advisory Board. As long as I am responsible for the conduct
of this project in the terms established by the NRO agree-
ment, a responsibility which was clearly reaffirmed by the
DCI himself in the several USIB meetings during May, I will
continue to press for a centralization of the management of
this project under a single authoritative project director.
Meanwhile, under the injunction of the DCI that the
NRO should not spare any effort to correct deficiencies in
the CORONA system, I consider that there are certain actions
which must be taken today. As we discussed yesterday,
Contract SE 1928 provides for systems engineering of part
of the CORONA system by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company
(LMSC). This contract expires today. As of 1 July 1964,
I intend to establish a contract with
for comprehensive systems engineering gnu tecnnicai uirecu
of this project. At the same time, I will continue the work
at MSC, now conducted under SE 1928, under an Air Force
"black" contract. This work will continue under a modified
work statement that will reflect the SETD responsibilities
of and will define LMSC's role as an
integrating contractor.
Please indicate your concurrence in this action by
your signature below. If you do not concur, please give me
this fact in writing, with reasons, not later than 1600
Eastern Daylight time today, 30 JuneJ,964.
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NRO
(S)National Reconnaissance Office
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