LETTER TO ADMIRAL STANSFIELD TURNER FROM JUANITA M. KREPS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M00165A001700120019-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2006
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: August 8, 1977
• Content Type: LETTER

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THE EVAE tTMRY OF COMMERCE
Washing, n.O.C.20230
Exoi;::tive Bc-,4-try
AUG 8 197T I"-p-t.10
The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (P.L. 94-168) declares a national policy
to coordinate and plan the increasing use of the metric system in the
United States, and to establish a United States Metric Board to coordinate
voluntary conversion to the metric system. Section 6(1) of that Act
requires the U.S. Metric Board to consult with and take into account
the views, interests, and metric conversion costs of Federal agencies.
Since the Federal Government is an important participant in the metrication
effort, I believe that an interagency committee should be established to
provide appropriate Federal coordination and policy guidance in metric
activities, and to serve as liaison with the U.S. Metric Board. Such
coordination and liaison in the public interest can minimize uncertainty
and confusion concerning metric change-over plans of the Federal Government,
thereby eliminating unnecessary expenditures and other economic wastes
both by Federal agencies and by non-Federal agencies whose metric plans
need to be coordinated with those agencies. In short, such an interagency
committee would serve to increase the benefit/cost ratio of U.S. voluntary
conversion to metric usage.
As background, the Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP), which
is chartered and chaired by Commerce, over two years ago established a
Metrication Subcommittee to prepare for coordination of Federal agency
metric standards conversion programs. The subcommittee soon recognized
that standards conversion was only part of each agency's prospective
metric conversion activities. Even so, the Department of Commerce
extended invitations to all agencies interested in those activities to
designate "Metric Coordinators" to prepare their agencies for metric
conversion. To date, 43 agencies have appointed such coordinators who
have been working with the ICSP Metrication Subcommittee. (Enclosure 1
is a list of these "Metric Coordinators.") However, few of them are
believed to have broad policy-making responsibility, particularly in
the field of metrication generally.
It became apparent to the ICSP's Metrication Subcommittee and the Metric
Coordinators that they could not effectively make the high-level policy
decisions required to effectuate the overall, broad metric conversion
programs contemplated by the Metric Conversion Act. Accordingly, they
requested the ICSP to recommend establishment of an independent, high-
level Interagency Committee on Metric Policy. At its plenary meeting on
September 15, 1976, the ICSP voted unanimously to recommend the establish-
ment of such a new Committee, with the further suggestion that the ICSP
would be available for consultation on standards matters by that Committee,
if established.
IIC
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I concur with the ICSP recommendation to establish a high-level Interagency
Committee on Metric Policy. Enclosure 2 to this letter is a draft charter
for such a Committee. As this draft charter indicates, the primary functions
of the Committee are to: collect and analyze data; provide Executive Branch
liaison with the U.S. Metric Board; prepare, as appropriate, recommendations
regarding coordination of Federal agency metric conversion plans and policies
including interaction with private sector, State and local government metric
interests; seek to strengthen Federal agency metric coordination; and, with
the agreement of the agencies concerned, attempt to resolve differences among,
Federal agencies in implementing metric conversion programs.
The draft charter provides that the grade level of agency representatives
on the Committee would be "Level IV" or higher, with alternates accepted at
GS-17 or higher. Such high-level representation is desirable because of
the need to discuss and make broad policy recommendations affecting agency-
wide activities, and to facilitate appropriate interaction with the U.S.
Metric Board. (The Board's Executive Director may hold a rank up to
"Level III.") The Committee would be responsible to me and would be chaired
by my Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology, Dr. Jordan J. Baruch.
Accordingly, I request your views regarding the establishment of an Interagency
Committee on Metric Policy by the Department of Commerce. Also, any comments
you would like to make on the provisions of the enclosed draft charter would
be welcomed. I would appreciate receiving such views and comments by
August 30, 1977, if possible.
If agency responses support creation of this Committee, I shall establish
the Committee for an initial two-year period, and shall transmit to the
Heads of agencies which indicate an interest in becoming members of. the
Committee a copy of the final charter together with a request that such
agencies designate a representative (and alternate, if desired) to the
Committee.
Sincerely,
Juanita M. Kreps
Admiral Stansfield Turner
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505
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Robert A. Owen
Director, Special Projects Div.
Foreign Agricultural Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Room 6535, South Building
Washington, D.C. 20250
202-447-5531
Jeffrey V. Odom
Office of Weights and Measures
National Bureau of Standards
Room A209 MET
Washington, D.C. 20234
301-921-3677
Donald R. Mitchell
Deputy Director
Defense Materiel Spec. & Standards Office
Department of Defense
Cameron Station
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
202-274-7061
Floyd A. Davis
Program Manager
U.S.O.E. Metric Education Program
R.O.B. 3/Room 5640
Washington, D.C. 20202
202-245-3352
Arthur S. Newburg
Acting Director, Office of Program
Planning and Administration
Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
Washington, D.C. 20410
202-755-5530
Hollis B. Vail
Department of the Interior
Office of Management Consulting
18th and C Streets, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20240
202-343-7544
Frank Sturniolo
Security and Admn. Programs Staff
Office of Management and Finance
U.S. Dept. of Justice, Room 6523
Constitution Avenue and 10th St., 1TW.
Washington, D.C. 20530
202-739-2091
0
Bruce Millen
Senior Social Service Advisor
Office of the Asst. Secy. for
Policy, Evaluation and Research
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., R. S-2310A
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-523-6049
John C. Fry
Director, Office of Bilateral and
Multilateral Programs
Bureau of Oceans and International
Environmental and Scientific Affairs
U.S. Department of State.
Washington, D.C. 20520
202-632-0374
Robert L. Paullin
Department of Transportation
Office of the Secretary
TST-25, Room 9414
400 Seventh Street, SW.
Washington, D.C. 20590
202-426-4224
Robert R. Fredlund
Director of Administrative Programs
Department of the Treasury.
Room 2438, Main Treasury Building
15th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NWI.
Washington, D.C. 20220
202-566-2881 STAT
Chief, Developing Nations Div.
Office of Economic Research
Room 4F38 Headquarters
Central Intelligence Agency
Washin ton, D.C. 20505
STAT
Samuel L. Brown
Asst. Director for Statistical Planning
Bureau of Accts. and Statistics
Civil Aeronautics Board
Washington, D.C. 20428
202-673-5148
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Cha les H. Atherton
Sec etary
The Commission of Fine Arts
708 Jackson Place, NW.
Was ington, D.C. 20006
202 343-5324
Paul C. Redmer
Director, Administrative Division
Farm Credit Administration
490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW.
Washington, D.C. 20578
202-755-4394
(Vacant)
Comriodity Futures Trading Commission
1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-254-8955
Alan 0. Mann
Senior Management Analyst
Office of Administration
Community Services Administration
1200 19th Street, NW., Room B436B
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-254-5330
James I. Price
Bureau of Engineering Sciences
Consumer Product Safety Commission
5401 Westbard Avenue, Room 900
Bethesda, Maryland 20207
301-492-6524
Eldon I. Nowstrup
Division of Operational and
Environmental Safety
MM.ii. Stop E-201
Energy Research & Development Admin.
Washington, D.C. 20545
301-353-5641
John A. Alter
Management and Organization Division
PM-213, Room 443, WSMW
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW.
Washington, D.C. 20460
202-755-0855
Albert H. Hamilton
Government Affairs Officer
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Washington, D.C. 20571
202-382-2179
Ronald S. Stone
Technical Standard Branch
Research & Standards Division
Office of Chief Engineer
Federal Communications Commission
2025 M Street, PWW.
Washington, D.C. 20554
202-634-6624 .
Thomas R..Daugherty
Chief, Research Services Division
National Energy Information Center
Energy Information and Analysis
Federal Energy Administration
Washington, D.C. 20461
202-566-9025
Andrew H Weissler
Deputy Director
Bureau of Industry Economics
Federal Maritime Commission
1100 L Street, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20573
202-523-5863 --
Walter S. Lusby
Office of Energy Systems
Federal Power Commission
Washington, D.C. 20426
202-275-4806 -
John M. Denkler
Staff Director for Management
Federal Reserve System
Washington, D.C. 20551
202-452-3764
Robert H. Jones
Chief, Administrative Services
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, D.C. 20580
202-523-3699
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Grant E. Beattie
Chief, Specification Management Branch
Standards Control and Support Division
Federal Supply Service
General Services Administration
Washington, D.C. 20406
202-557-0506
Joseph A. Palank
Director of Engineering
U.S. Government Printing Office
North Capitol and H Streets, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20401
202-275-2400
Martin E. Foley
Director, Bureau of Traffic
Interstate Commerce Commission
Washington, D.C. 20423
202-275-7348
Floyd D. Hedrick
Chief, Procurement and Supply Division
Library of Congress
Building 159, Washington Navy Yard Annex
Washington, D.C. 20541
202-426-5180
Peppino N. Vlannes
Deputy Director
Scientific and Technical
Information Office
National Aeronautics and
Washington, D.C.
202-755-3551
Space
Paul E. Long
Acting Director of Administration
National Labor Relations Board
Washington, D.C. 20570
202-254-9200
Laurids Porse
Office of Standards Development
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, D.C. 20555
202-443-6927
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Richard J. Kanyan
Director
Office of Administrative Services
Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
202-523-5980
Robert J. Moffitt
Deputy Chief
Industrial Support Services Division
Office of Procurement Assistance
Small Business Administration
1441 L Street, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20416
202-653-6637
Phillip K. Reiss
Director, Facilities Planning and
Engineering Services
Smithsonian Institution
Astral Building, North
955 L'Enfant Plaza
Washington, D.C. 20024
202-381-6333
Edward H. Lesesne
Director of Water Management
Tennessee Valley Authority
448 Evans Building
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
615-852-3788
Robert P. Walker
Management Analyst
United States Information Agency
Washington, D.C. 20547
202-724-9559
Norris A. Lynch
Director, Office of Trade and Industry
U.S. International Trade Commission
Washington, D.C. 20436
202-523-0405
 ?
John J. Wise
Assi taut Postmaster General
Rese rch and Development Department
U.S. Postal Service
1171Parklawn Drive
Rockfville, Maryland 20852
301-443-6019 .
Robert W. Poe
Depi.ty Director, Supply Service
Department of Medicine and Surgery
Veterans Administration
Washington, D. C. 7-0420
202-389-2247
Henry Kelly
Office of Technology Assessment
Congress of the United States
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-0743
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Ah Attachment 2
Charter of
The Interagency Committee on Metric Policy
1. The Interagency Committee on Metric Policy (hereinafter the "Committee")
is hereby established to advise the Secretary of Commerce and the Heads of
other Federal agencies.
2. The Committee will be responsible and report to the Secretary of
Commerce.
The purpose of the Committee is to coordinate and provide policy
guidance regarding U.S. Government efforts to implement metric conversion,
and to serve as liaison with the United States Metric Board (which is to
be established pursuant to the Metric Conversion Act of 1975). The
objective of the Committee shall be to promote effective and consistent
policies in metric conversion activities throughout the public and private
sectors. The scope of the Committee's activities shall include, but not
be limited to, standards, training, education and public information,
weights and measures, consumer affairs, procurement, data collection,
and Federal administrative procedures, as these relate to U.S. Government
metric conversion activities.
The Committee, with respect to the internal operations of the Federal
Government and in order to facilitate U.S. Government conversion to metric,
shall:
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2. Provide Executive Branch liaison with the United States
Metric Board, established by Section 5 of the Metric Conversion
Act of 1975 (P.L. 94-168);
3. Prepare, as appropriate, recommended metric conversion plans
and policies for the Federal Government in those areas where more
than one Federal agency has a primary interest, such as transporta-
tion, consumer affairs, construction, procurement, weights and
measures, and data collection;
4. Prepare, as appropriate, recommendations concerning the
development of uniform Federal Government metrication policies,
plans, and actions for interaction by Federal agencies with
private sector, State, and local government interests engaged
in metric activities;
5. Seek to identify needs and actions to strengthen coordination
among Federal agencies in their metric conversion activities;
6. With the agreement of the agencies concerned, endeavor to
resolve differences among Federal agencies serving on the
Committee regarding their implementation of metrication when
in the opinion of the Committee such differences are likely
to inhibit efficient Federal Government or private sector
conversion to metric; and
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7. Take steps to eliminate unnecessary duplication of Federal
metric activities which may be performed outside the Federal
Government.
Membership
1. The initial members of the Committee shall be:
Central Intelligence Agency
Civil Aeronautics Board
Commission of Fine Arts
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Community Services Administration
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Energy Research and Development Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
Export-Import Bank of the U.S.
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Federal Communications Commission
Federal Energy Administration
Federal Maritime Commission
Federal Power Commission
Federal Reserve System
Federal Trade Commission
General Services Administration
Government Printing Office
International Trade Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
Library of Congress
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Labor Relations Board
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Technology Assessment
Postal Service
Securities and Exchange Commission
Small Business Administration
Smithsonian Institution
Tennessee Valley Authority
U.S. Information Agency
Veterans Administration
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Y~aa L Gr
2. Other Federal agencies may become members of the Committee upon
application to or by invitation from the Secretary of Commerce.
3. The Head of each Federal agency serving on the Committee shall appoint
a responsible official whose rank shall be not less than a "Level IV" of
the Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5312-15, 5317) to serve as that Federal
agency's metric policy official and representative on the Committee.
Alternates, whose rank shall be not less than GS-17, may also be
appointed. Exception to these grade level provisions may be authorized
by the Secretary of Commerce upon request from the Head of the agency
concerned. The Head of each Federal agency serving on the Committee
shall inform the Secretary of Commerce of his appointed representative,
and alternate if any. Appointments to the Committee shall be for an
indefinite term.
Administrative Provisions
1. The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Science and Technology shall
be the Cummittee Chairman. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce
for Product Standards shall serve as the alternate to the Committee Chairman
and, where requested by the Chairman, will carry out specific respon-
sibilities of the-Chairman as assigned.
2. Meetings of the Committee shall be conducted only when a quorum is
present at the commencement thereof. One-third of the membership of the
Committee shall constitute a quorum.
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3. The Committee may establish an Executive Committee, subcommittees,
and working groups as deemed appropriate. A Committee representative
may bring experts from his Federal agency to Committee meetings to
participate in discussions of particular items on the agenda. Upon
receiving prior approval of the Chairman, Committee representatives
may invite individuals who are not employees of their Federal agencies,
including nor_government consultants or observers, to participate in such
discussions on an ad hoc basis.
4. The Committee may draft other administrative or operating procedures
as necessary, consistent with its purpose and functions.
5. The Department of Commerce shall provide support services for the
Committee, including the Executive Secretariat.
.6. As may be necessary for carrying out the functions of this Committee,
member agencies shall cooperate fully in endeavoring to furnish appropriate
assistance to the Committee.
Annual Report
The Committee shall submit a progress report to the Secretary of
Commerce at 12-month intervals after its establishment. This report
should summarize the Committee's activities during the previous 12-month
period and include a description of all recommendations formulated by
the Committee and actions taken in response to such recommendations
during the period covered.
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?DRAFT
Duration
The Committee shall terminate two years from the date of this
charter unless the Secretary of Commerce determines that continuation
of the Committee is necessary.
Signed
Secretary of Commerce
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EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Routing Slip _
ACTION
INFO
DATE
INITIAL
1
DCI
2
DDCI
3
D/DCI/IC
4
DDS&T
5
DDI
6
DDA
7
DDO
8
D/DCI/NI
9
GC
10
LC
11
IG
12
Compt
13
D/Pers
14
D/S
15
DTR
16
Asst/ DCI
17
AO/ DCI
18
C/IPS
19
DCI/SS
20
D/EEO
21
f-.-_
F!5i
22