-Approved for Release: 2023/04/03 C05140946 

NATlONAL SECURITY COUNCIL 

July 30, 1973 

The attached draft memorandum is 

provided for your information. 

~-~-: [;:__. __ ...... 

David D. Elliott 

Approved for Release: 2023/04/03 C05140946 
Approved for Release: 2023/04/03 C05140946 

DRAFT 

~SENSITN 

MEMORANDUM FOR: 

FROM: 

SUBJECT: 

The Sccreta ry of the Interior 

The Secretary of Agriculture 

The Secretary of Comrnerce 

Director, Central Intelligence Agency 

Director, Office of Management and Budget 

Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space 

Ad1ninistration 

Henry A. Kissinger 

Civil Use of Classified Reconnaissance 

Systems, Technologies, and Products 

The ARGO program was initiated in 1967 by the President 1 s Science 

Adviser for the purpose of testing, on a limited basis, the utility of 

classified/;econnaissance\products as a tool in earth resource assessment. l,,... ,, .. ....: 

The results of the study were sufficiently encouraging that an interagency 

ARGO Steering Committee was established to facilitate expanded civil use 

of these classified data[ a~d syste1ns,", and in the succeeding period a ..... . ..... 

number of projects were succefrnfully carried out. 

Experience has shown, however, that if those concepts are to be 

put into action on a considerably broader and more operational basis, a 

routine mechanism, not available now via ARGO, is required to receive, 

evaluate, and satisfy requests for new data. The present ARGO structure 

is also obsolescent with the regard to membership, and with the advent of 

e,. (/l { - {: ~ : ,. +' l' 

the,iinteragency Coordinating Com.:mittee for the Earth Resource Survey 

Program (ICCERSP), the necessity of direct Executive Office involvement 

is no longer evident. 

6I GREI /SENSJTIVE/XGDS/BY AUTH IlFNRY A. KISSINGE'R 

Approved for Release: 2023/04/03 C05140946 
.. ·· ~ ~SENSITIVE Approved for Releas~: 2023/04/03 C0514094 ,. 2 

~ 

To move the concepts of ARGO toward greater realization and to 

update the organi;::;ational structure three actions are being taken. 

The ARGO Steering Committee is abolished. 

The Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) will form a civil 

applications subconunittae to the Committee on Imagery Requirements 

and Exploitation, which will receive, evaluate, consolidate, prioritize, 

and transmit to COMIREX requests for data, and will act as the interface 

with the civil user comm.unity in obtaining standardized requests and 

reaching compromises between requests and capabilities. The subcommittee 

will be chaired by the representative of the Department of the Interior, and 

will consist of representatives of the Departments of Agriculture and 

Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The 

c:;.hnu"' ~ t: ... ;,,.~ 

of COMIREX and the DCI _representative to the Executive Committee 

Hl,1-•~~•.l-1..:.-., .. - • '( ,~l.r•<:..•.r••,"t.c .. ,·~ I I -1 I • Jl ,· , ,ct.-:, ~ . '"'\ '1\,1._ U )<;.<: • ....CL- · ~ v· ;, ""-

Of ICC ER willserv xofficio~,. '1-1 t,.. .;::~;._ i.~.l. .(•,<'...-1-, . .- <>t +l .. r ~{ _ ,p.-A•.,. y, ~ c.-..>1] """'t .. ..l' ~ 'II,-. u. .. « 4· • 

.., l 'lo.- ... \ l'i."-"·-{;\......-~S ,.-,1.;)'·{_,..), (, O'-'''-"',. 

., The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is requested 

to charge the Executive Comm.ittee of ICCERSP with the responsibility~ 

vi;--a-\ti.~ ~e C-~~L'ttce. Vl,,le.~bey a'te......,c..i~ i +o 

stimulate, facilitate, and evaluate a,r.~~~'-'ii!....C..;....~,.....,e,e,-r!~n'l!'IM"'""~f'et~~ the 

cci.orclitl4+.. tl.L '""u..\-rora+ic-4, exploitation of remote sensing by classified systems, to e.rni-•'i~• 1H1u~9;w;.J.e' 

.,t. classified feco1mais s-anc<9technology in performance of the SRS function, 

and to report annuall~ in a classified annex to the annual ERS report, as to the 

I 

status, progress, problems, and recommendations in obtaining and integrating 

classified data into the U.S. ERS program. The Executive Committee will 

be supplemented with a representative of the DCI, for the purposes of liaiso1~; 

and facilitating acquisition of clearances for member agency personnel. 

SBGRB'I /SE'NS.ITIVE/XGDS/B Y /\ UTII HENRY A. l\ISSINGER 

Approved for Release: 2023/04/03 C05140946