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Approved for Release: 2017/01/25 C05096216 

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. CENTRAL. ;;\:TEL.LIGSNCS AG!::NCY 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505 

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7 April 1966 ., 

MEI\IORANDUM' FOR: Director, National Reconnaissance Office 

SUBJECT: HELIX Program Proposals 

1. I have received your memorandum of 1 April, together 

with the package of documents relating to the HELIX Program. 

I have certain views on various proposals which you have made, 

but at this time I want to limit my comments to one aspect 

which I consider to be of fundamental importance to the 

successful execution of the program. I refer to your proposal for a management plan and organization responsibilities. 

I believe this proposal raises a problem of such magnitude 

that it must be resolved before other aspects. of the program 

can be meaningfully reviewed. 

2. Specifically, I am concerned about the problem of 

interface between the responsibilities assigned to SAFSP 

(Air Force) and CIA. If I understand your proposal correctly, 

the Director, SA7SP, as System Project Director, is assigned 

overall responsibility for an integrated engineering system, 

including the definition of interface specifications. At 

the same time in your rationale paper you have stated that 

the SPD "in exercise of his interface responsibility is 

required to meet the basic structural, dynamic and thermal 

requirements of the sensor sub-system". I assume the latter 

is intended to imply the primacy of the sensor system requirements in interface relationships; however, your enacting 

directive does not make this point clear and could be subject 

to a contrary interpretatio~. In any case, I believe the 

concept of an integrated system with two partners in a project 

as complex as the HELIX Program elevates the interface 

problem to one of major proportions involving continual 

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negotiation between the SPD (Air Force) and the SSSPO (Sensor 

Sub-System Project Office, C:A) in matters ranging from those 

of minutest d~tail to those of basic importance. If the 

SSSPO (CIA) ~~ tb obtain for the sensor system the priority 

of roqui1,omonts it shoiild. h:i.v-::1, I c:in :fo:r·osf;Jo thnt mn.ny 

conflicts will evolve at the working level and could result 

in repeated appeals at higher level. Such a situation not 

only could impose an intolerable strain on the fabric of 

cooperation between the partners; it would also raise the 

serious risk that the sensor sub-system would be subordinated 

to other requirements of the overall system. Further, I feel 

that the multitude of interface problems which your proposal 

brings with it will seriously jeopardize an effective working 

relation between CIA and t~e contractors. 

3. I strongly ~rge th~t you reconsider your decision 

on the assignment of management responsibilities and that 

you adopt in its place a plan based upon the module concept. 

Such a plan would conform to the recommendations of the 

Technical Tas~.;: Group and ~he Management Task Group convened 

at your direction last fall. It would continue to permit the 

assignment of a single project director if you so desire. At 

the same time the division of the space vehicle into modules 

for the assignment of responsibilities would reduce the interface problem to a minim~m. It would enable assignment of full 

responsibility for the sensor to a single partner, in this 

case, CIA, from the cevelopmental stage to full operation. 

:t would assure that the requirements of the sensor system are 

in no way degraded. I cannot emphasize this last point too 

strongly. 

~ The successful implementation of the HELIX Program 

is of vital importance to the future security of the United 

States. I am sure you will agree that the very heart of this 

program is the sensor system and that the degree of success 

the program may achieve will depend primarily upon the 

technical capabilities and proficiency of that system. The 

basic NRO Agreement of last August states explicitly that 

"design ;..~equireme:::its of the senso1~s will be given priority 

in their integration within the spacecraft and reentry 

vehicles''. Wa will be gui~ed by the terms of this agreement 

in working towards a success~ul implementation of the NRP. 

It is my conviction, therefore, ~hat the HELIX management 

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plan must ~nequivocally recognize the fact that the requirements of the system are dominant. I have discussed this 

matter with Admiral Raborn and he believes that the module 

concept would.be ~uch more workable and further that the 

element of the NRO Agroernant m@ntionod nbove should be 

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5. In co~clusion, I wou:d like to point out that with 

CIA's in-house technical personnel and its relationships 

with contracto:s built up over the years, it possesses a 

capability of program management which, in all modesty, is 

at least cosmensurate with that of SA?SP. This capability 

has been am?lY demonstrated in the management of the CORONA, 

as well as ot~ar NRO programs. ?herefore, I cannot accept 

your statement that "SA:FS? is the only NRP component of the 

N~O possessi=g the personnel, faci~ities, operational resct::.~ces, experience, a.nd tech~1ical cor:ipete11ce' 1 to be 

~esignated as S?D for the ~ew general search and surveillance 

sa~ellite sys~e~. I would ho;e that any of the decisions 

ref erred to in ~he foregoing 9aragraphs were not influenced 

by a depreciation of CIA capa~ilities indicated by this 

statement. 

this 

6. : would 

ma tteY wi-~h 

appreciate an early opportunity to discuss 

you personal:::..y. 

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