PUBLICATIONS PROCUREMENT PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000600070003-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 7, 2005
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: April 15, 1970
• Content Type: MF

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:15 April l7O
ANDU R: Executive Director-Comptroller
:3UBJ ECT
: Publications Procurement Program
ezr0 attclun is for your background. It presents
11), considered views on the usefulness of the publications procure-
ment program and the funds allocated to it.
2. in our discussions of your memorandun on cutting the
funds far publications procurement. I felt that I was unable to
formulate a rationale effective enough to support my intuitive
judgment that the Agency's publications procurement prograr-,
is worth far more than its cost. I hope that you will take what
follows as a sincere attempt on my part to convey my feelings
on what the Ngency's policy should be on the matter.
3. There are several aspects of the program itself which
reed to be put into their proper perspective. First, the program
14 currently allocated less than ono-tenth of one percent of the
Agency's budget. Seconds some people have the impression that
n.ost of the I I earmarked for the program As for general
purpose periodicals, such as the New York Times, New.
Life. and for books like Kirkpatrick's The Real CIA. The fact
of the matter is that less than 8 percent of the money is spent
on general feriodicals of this type. Although expenditures on
popular books have not been compiled. I air certain that they
are an even smaller airiown than the spent on general
purpose periodicals.
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4. 1 cannot assure you that every single subscription to a
popular periodical Ilk. the New York Times or every copy of a
book like The Real CIA is essential to the operation of the Agency.
V hen I consider, however, that the Agency's major commodity is
information and that the cost ef eneral periodicals, both essential
and marginal, is less than I I per person annually, I doubt that 25X1
the effort to restrict even this category of publications procurement
is wise. I also believe that if hawing a New York T trait's on a
professionaliti desk every morning makes him feel important, it
is worth then?lper year. Furthermore, he may even get
some useful background information on foreign developments and
what is being said about their,. U he asks that we buy him a book
which is even remotely related to his work in the Agency or that
will improve his understanding of world affairs or new developments
in his field of specialisation, I believe it is worth the $10.00 to
$15.00 that the book costs. I am sure that the Agency spends far
more than the full costs involved in such "non-essentisr procurement
on things which have far less potential benefit for the substantive
background and morale of oar employees. This is not intended to
be a plea for fiscal irresponsibility. Rather, it is meant to be an
effort to generate a more liberal attitude toward the expenditure
of relatively small amounts of money to promote what I believe to
be a worthy purpose.
5, vaialever your decision is on these general purpose
publications, It is in that decisions on limiting expenditures
for that purpose not be extended to the rest of the procurement
program whiell is on the whole essential to the production of
finished intelligence in the Agency and the community. It is for
this purpose that the major portion--at least 35 percent--of the
publications procurement funds are expended.
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7. Cur recent s. ve of the sources Used In the finished
uiteliigence produced in the Directorates of Intelligence and
,i.eience and Technology revealed how essential to the operation
or the Agency the publications procurement program is. The
servey showed that the conclusions in over 20 percent of these
pub' i cations could not have been reached without the information
tlappited by the press and open literature. It also showed that the
press and open literature provided information of real importance
to about one-third of the finished intelligence produced in the
Agency. although only two of the other ten sources cited had
higher ratings than open literature, none had a lower total cost.
Cu *pacific topics the contribution from this source was cited
a.s easential to 7b percent on basic science, 47 percent of the
nee a on eccnornics, and 411 percent on biography.
There are two developments which affect this progran..
Firet, the curtailirent of Irk representation abroad and the
additional effort to restrict cable traffic have already reduced
reporting frs}ni ..itate and our stations significantly. One way to
compensate lor this decrees, is heavier reliance on foreign
publications. Second, the inflationary pressure has caused an
average annual increase in the price of books of about 5 percent.
F:ven if the sun.ber and types of publications we procure were
not to change significantly, we would have to increase our
expenditures for this purpce e at a comparable rate. Freezing
ou publications procurement budget at the present level will
decrease the benefits we derive from this basically inexpensive
Rource.
3. 3eause this means of acquiring Informationfor the
production GC intelligence is the least expensive *gram I know
and becaule it contributes so much to the production of intelligence,
it meet be the rnoat cost-effective.
10. I hope that this memorandum has supplied
so that sufficient funds
e'?entia1 publications
publications.
h informali
liberal att*ti.. to expenditures for general
r.DIVARD 'IN. PR
OR
BO
A tatant Deputy Director for Intelligence
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