MINUTES OF THE CIA COINS TASK FORCE MEETING, 1 NOVEMBER 1966

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80B01139A000100130011-7
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RIPPUB
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S
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3
Document Creation Date: 
December 16, 2016
Document Release Date: 
February 23, 2005
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11
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MIN
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Approved For Reelease 2005/03/16:: LIA-RDP80B0l 139A O001 Minutes of the CIA COINS Task Force Meeting, 1 November 1966 IP Staff OCR OCS. OC ORD DD /P 1. pointed out that Col. White had signed off on Agency participation in COINS and had charged him to marshal the resources to carry this out. Although there are conflicting interpretations of what the PFIAB had in mind, indicated that the decision had been made to test a Community On-Line System; and now, 1 1/Z years later, it is too late for the Agency to question the requirement unless there is broad agreement in the Community that the decisions so laboriously reached should be reopened. F c c ;H ( , 2 . II said. that CODIB had not thoroughly evaluated the COINS Task Team's plan and that it had not yet reported. to USIB on this matter. He indicated that the plan could and should be brought into better focus and cited developments in the Community over the past months that have a bearing on COINS. These developments include I at DIA and the OCS plans for implementing on-line time sharing facilities. 3. pointed out that there has been no CODIB considera.:ion given to analyst interest in the test files and the utility of the file responses to the analyst. He thought that many of the files nominated for inclusion by other agencies were in alpha-numeric code which would be useless to the consumer until they had been laboriously decoded. Moreover, there is no resource in OCS to decode these files for the analyst and no prospect that such a resource could be made available during the course of Phase I. In contra- vention to the most elementary systems analysis, the user (analyst) of this system has never been consulted about his need for the proposed project. 25X1 4. II agreed with these observations but reiterated the fundamental proposition that COINS Phase I was designed to test the purely physical capability of the Community to organize and conduct a connection between the computers of the members over which analysts in the several agencies could query files of other agencies and secure a real-time response. The test files ought not to include garbage, but this is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition in the test which PFIAB sought to have conducted. Everyone should recognize that, when COINS was ordered to start, an on-line, cooc~ ~ Approved For Release 2005/03/1 j:14) iOtP80B0 13 1i PE'Q,?.g0100011-7 Approved For Release 2005/Q.3116.,.CIA-RDP80B01139A000100130011-7' vy.13't~ 1 "' 25X1 real-time system of any sort was a considerable achievement. Toda it is rather ordinary. LJ{,,,,, wt-1 v1 AJs -9-0 ? I 5. Ourged that an effort be made to have a separa a mee in of CODIB devoted wholly to a consideration of COINS. Such a meeting a provide an opportunity for members to look again at the overall utility of COINS Phase 1. Beyond this if we are to proceed with Phase I, CODIB should take a searching look at the files which have been proposed for in- clusion and at least seek to optimize their utility to the analyst given the design parameters of the experiment. 6. reported that OCS hardware plans include sufficient storage capacity to handle the CIA files which have been suggested for use in COINS. 25X1 7. Il agreed that the files which furnish coded output would be virtually useless to outside analysts. He indicated that there were more useful files being developed but that progress on getting them in shape and into machine language was quite slow. Six files for inclusion in COINS were discussed: 8. emphasized that the initial test phase is simply to determine if the Community can, in fact, organize itself to operate in this technical environment, regardless of the utility of the pilot system ... though this may be illogical. IT- 2' wrcc c o Sf TNc- r-00-104A A-117'11 F IT c o,Ts T -h',47 To 096hPl c, WM Ar Ari f alb Fort A Rrr~ 9 Il .'tnentioned that a CODIB status report to USIB on COINS, dated 13 September 1966 was now being disseminated. 25X1 25X1 c. c'Ai"Ah/i. i7yl AvY A L o T dFr MA046TrA7 C, o", Soi. r1Ng 10. who has been named to replace I las the CIA vAa A L2 X1 member of the COINS Task Team, summarized his understanding of the o= A5{'M7R1. Agency's position re the present COINS plan to be (1) this is not the way to proceed, but (2) we will go along to prove the technical feasibility and that the community can, in fact, inaugurate a team effort. 11. Q indicated that OC is in step on Phase 1. DIA is to furnish lines to NPIC and Headquarters. COMMO will obtain and install the crypto Approved For Release 200 ICIA-RDP80B01139A000100130011-7 MM, Approved Fore ease 2005/03/1 ,; ?CIA-RDP80B0lI 3 A 00100130011-7 devices. He said there are some questions as to what the Community crypto standards will be. OL and OS will, be involved in making the connections within Agency buildings. 13. said that the question of using DD/P files in COINS could be raised again but he saw no advantage to the DD/P analysts in COINS.. Chief, Information Processing Staff Office of Planning, Programming and Budgeting Distribution: 1 each person present 1 IPS Subject File 25X1 25X1 rr,Pi 1"T Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP80B0l139A000100130011-7