WASHINGTON 

Fu.nS:~NRO 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

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OFP'I<:£ orr THE UNDER SECRETARY 23 July 1962 

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MEMORANDUM FOR: NRO Program Directors 

Director I NRO Sta·ff 

SUBJ"ECT; ~) Organization and Functions of the NRO 

References': (a) Deputy Secreta.ry of Defense memo, for multiple address~es, subject: ~ DOD-CIA AgreementJ 

1. Purpose. 

dated 14 lune 1962 ' 

(b) DOD-CIA Agreement dated 2 May 1962 re NRO 

(c) DOD Directive 'P& 5105.23 dated 14 J"une'1962 

(d) Deputy Secretary of Defense memo, for multiple 

addressees, subject: _National Reconnaissance ," . Office, dated 14 lune 1962 . 

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This memorandum will serve to establish the basic organization 

of the NRO and functions of the individual NRO elements, and outline . the over-all concept of organization ·and operation. It is effective 

immediately and will apply until superseded by issuance of formal NRO 

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. regulations. 

2. Organizational Concepts. 

2. Although the NRO is established as an operating agency, the 

sensitiVity of its mission and the security required for its projects and 

activities make it necessary to conceal all aspects of the NRO organization behind other plaUSible, overt na,mes, organizations and functions. 

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The NRO thus~ will be a separately organized, oparating agency concealed . entirely within other agencies, using personnel and other resources of 

these agencies on a full or part time basis as required. 

b. The NRO will be kept as, small as possible in order to operate 

with the efficiency and quick reaction time required. The Office will· 

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consist of carefully selected personnel of the highest qualifications, 

a.nd will be confined to the minimum number required to accomplish the 

task under the conditions which apply. By arranging these personnel 

so that other, larger groups may be controlled through overt (additional 

duty) assignments of NRO Program Directors, the actual size of the 

NRO may be kept quite small, and thus more easily concealod, although 

the size of the personnel and resources directly controlled is necessarily 

large. Thus, in addition to personnel within the l~RO, there \vill be 

many others \vho work full time on projects of the I'iHP under the complete control of the NRO, others who v/ork part time on such projects, 

and still others who have kno\vledge of the NRO and/or some projects 

of the NRP but who are not actually involved in such work at all. 

.. c. Accordingly, the NRO is defined to consist of the DNRO, the 

NRO staff, the NRO Program Directors, and their Project Directors 

and key staff officers. (See Fig 1, attached). At the present there are 

two NRO Program Directors, vlith the Dir~ctor, Progra.m. A being 

responsible for NRP satellite effort conducted by the NRO through 

utilization of Department of the .Air Force resources, and the Director,' 

Program B being responsible for NRP effort conducted by the NRO .'. 

through utilization of Central Intelligence Agency resources. .Is Director, 

Program C is being established to be responsible for NRP effort conducted by the NRO through utilization of Naval Research Laboratory 

resources. Additional Program Directors will be established, if 

required, upon deCision to undertake development of new projects~: 

d. Necessary organizational cover for the NRO is or vlill be proVided as follows: 

(1) The activities of the DNRO are covered by his position of 

Under Secretary of the Air Force. 

(2) The NRO staff will be covered by the overt title of Office 

of Space Systems, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. The Director, 

Office of Space Systems will be the overt title of the Director, NRO Staff. 

The NRO staff will receive all administrative a.'ld logistic support from 

the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. 

(3) The activities and office of the Director, Program A are 

covered by his overt primary duty assignment as the Director of Special 

Projects, Office· of the Secretary of the Air Force, and his field extension 

of the Office of the Secreta·ry at El.8egundo, California. Through speCified 

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additional duty and specific agreements and vlritten administrative 

arrangements, he directly controls all resources of the .Air Force Space 

Systems Division which are involved in full or part time worl! for the NRO. 

(4) An appropriate and similarly effective arrangement will 

be established for the Director, Program C. 

(5) The activities and office of the Director, Progr2m B 

are covered by his overt dUty as Deputy Director/Research, CIA. 

e .. As appropriate, and within the limits of the established strength 

of the NRO, the DNRO will inVite nominations from appropriate Services 

and .Agencies for well qualified individuals to serve in the NRO. Selection 

of personnel for such duty will be on the basis of individual qualifications 

for the NRO tasks concerned.. These qualifications v/ill include, in 

addition to education and over-all experience, kno\vledge of both the 

principal problems of the parent Service or .Agency of concern to the: 

NRO, and the key personnel concerned \vUh these problems. .Although 

personnel selected for duty in the NRO will accomplish liaison and ' .. 

coordination in the course of their NRO duties, they will not be liaison 

officers as such, or representatives of their parent Service or .Agency; 

they will be full time members of the NRO, serving a full tour on-an 

inter-agency transfer basis, and responsible solely to their NRO supe;rvisors for the duration of such tour. . 

f. Streamlined management procedures approved by the DNRO 

will be used throughout all aspects of the NRO management. Program 

Directors will be responsible directly and solely to the DNRO. . 

g. Necessary personnel and resources will be made available to 

Program Directors by the applicable Service or Agency • .All such 

normally required support of the I'lRO will be covered by suitable documentation, prepa.red by Progra.m Directors in conjunction with the 

Service or Agency concerned, and approved by the DNRO. , 

h. Services and AgenCies supporting the NHO and NRP will make 

no reference to such support outside NRO channels except to identify 

the total of supporting manpower and resources as r 'committed in full 

(or part) support of work assigned under the prOvisiOns of paragraph 

ill B, DOD Directive No. TS 5105.23. " 

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i. The DNRO is responsible for all funding of the NRP •. All covert 

funds required for DNRO programs or projects \vill be budgeted by the Air 

Force, and all covert NRP contracts 'vill be let by the CIA as Executive 

.Agent for the DNRO. In cases ,vhere the teclmical management of covert 

NRP contracts is assigned to Directors of Program A or C, the CIA may 

co-locate procurement personnel with the Director concerned. Funds 'will 

be provided to program directors/contracting officers through channels 

established by the NRO Comptroller, based upon specific approval of 

assigned Nap work by the DNRO. , 

j. .Although the Program Directors will be responsible for carrying 

out the operational phases of assigned NRP projects, certain specific 

operations functions will be carried out within the NRO in \Vashington. 

In general, these functions ,vill be those tasks v/hich -directly concern 

the NRO interface with the usml which determines program rc\::uirements, targets, and priorities, and with the principal users of program 

results. To the maximum extent possiblel 2.11 ta-slts concerning these 

interfaces will be accomplished \vithin the \Vashington part of the NRO 

under the close personal supervision of the Dl'l'RO. These tasks ,t/ill 

include establishment of the mission' schedule for all NRP projects, . -. . the approval of specific mission -plans, and the obtaining of appropriate 

clearances where required from higher authority. 

(1) Subject to the above provisions, the DNRO vlill assign 

operational control for aircraft projects to the appropriate Program 

Directors. The NRO staff will keep the DNRO currently informed of . the status of such operat ions. 

(2) In the case of satellite projects, the NRO staff will be 

responsible for actual mission planning from the standpoint of specifying desired targets to be covered, desired on-orbit target program 

options (to the extent that such options exist within the system capability 

of individual projects), and approval of the actual mission target program 

and options ,vhich are programmed into each flight vehicle. The staff \vlll 

also make all on-orbit selection between target coverage options, based' 

on v/eather or intelligence factors. The staff vlill utilize direct comlllunications links with the Satellite Test AIll'ex (ST4~) at Sunnyvale, California, 

and vlill be assisted in this task by personnel and computer resources 

of the STA. Where.computer programs are required to assist in mission 

programming, such programs will be developed to provide the maximum 

flexibility and chOice to the staff, and vlill prOVide for efficient re-cycling 

to meet specific target requirements identified after- initial mission 

programs have been computed. 

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(3) The NRO staff also will be responsible for NRO interface 

with the usm I and for NRO coordination of all peripheral reconnaissance 

activities. 

3. Program Directors. 

a. Program Directors will be "second in command" of the NRO 

for matters assigned to them. The Director, NRO Staff will be responsible for notifying the appropriate Program Director in case emergency 

actions are required during the temporary absence of the DNRO. (In 

case of a long absence, an acting DNRO will be apPointed.) 

b. Each Program Director will submit for DNRO approval at the 

earliest: 

(1) Diagrams, names of personnel, and brief identification 

of the duties of all of their personnel coming \vithin the definition of : 

the NRO, as outlined herein. Two separate diagra,ms and duty descrip-; 

tions will be submitted: one showing the actual NRO organization and , 

duties, and the other showing the overt organization and apparent duties. 

(2) Similar,identification of all other personnel involved in ' 

full or partial support of assigned NRO matters. In case of partial 

supportl the proportion of each individual's work in support of the N.RO 

will be shown. '. 

(a) A list of key non-NRO personnel who are absolutely 

essential to the conduct of assigned NRO vlork. Upon apllroval of this: .. list, the DNRO will make arrangements v/ith' the parent Service or 

.Agency so that these personnel will not be transferred or re-assigned 

without his prior approval. 'Normally, such personnel will be transferred only when a qualified replacement can be in place for suffiCient 

time prior to departure of the incumbent to assure no seriOUS effect on 

NROwork. 

4. NRO Staff. ' 

a. In addition to such other'duties as the DNRO may asSignl the 

principal responsibilities of the NBO staff will'be to: 

(1) Assist the DNRO to maintain current knowledge of the 

status of each project of the NR:J? 

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(2) Assist the Program Directors by accomplishing all 

project matters v/hich require action above the Program Director's 

level in Washington. 

(3) Establish and maintain the NRO interface with the USIB 

and with the principal users of NRP results. 

(4) Carry out the operational responsibilities described 

elsewhere herein as functions of the NRO staff, including satellite 

mission planning from the pOint of view of selection of targets and 

target options, and exercise of aU on-orbit target options. 

(5) Coordinate all peripheral reconnaissance activities of 

the U. S.. with the missions of the NRP. 

(6) Keep designated personnel in each Service and specified 

.Agency completely informed on the content a.lld status of the NRP in : 

order that they may take the action necessary to prepare for adequate 

explOitation of the collected intelligence products. 

(7) Conduct studies of the over-all I~RP to determine the 

most reasonable combination of projects and number of missions· that 

should be plalUled to meet the total requirements and priorities establ:ished 

by usm. Monitor detailed studies of individual projects conducted or 

contracted for by Program Directors. . 

(8) Monitor and take all necessary staff action to handle 

state Department, UN, DOD, JCS, and Congressional m~tters vlhich ·affect 

the NRO or NRP. 

(9) Assist the DNRO in establishing 2.nd maintaining effective 

streamlined management procedures appropriate to the mission of the 

NRO and consistent with the security considerations \vhich a~ply. 

(10) Provide staff support to the DNRO for any matter required 

in connection with his duties, including preparation of reports, illustrations and briefings covering any aspect of the NRP. 

b. The organization and functional composition of the NRO staff 

is shown in Fig 2, attached. 

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(1) The A ssistant for Plans and Policy will be responsible 

for over-all assistance in establishing and maintaining NRO management procedures and the interface of such procedures v/ith -all 

\Vashington offices and agencies ,concerned. _ Iie will also be responsible 

for handling state I UN, Disarmament, and DOD matters affecting the 

NRO or NRP. 

(2) The Assistant for Plans and Policy will also be responsible for the continuous study of L'1e over-all NRP, v/it..lt particular . attention to the determination of the numbe:r; and type of projects required 

to assure the most efficient and effective over-all program. He will be 

assisted in this responsibility by a Deputy Assistant (Photo Plans) and . 

a Deputy Assistant (SIGINT Plans). 

(3) In order to assure that his responsibilities are discharged 

in critical appreciation of the present stahl of I~RP capabilities, limita-. 

tions, and difficulties, the Assistant for Plans and Policy will dra\'1 upon . other members of the NRO staff and members of the Program Directors' 

staffs for approariate part time assistance. Detailed studies of specific 

projects will be assigned to the appropriate Program. Director, as well 

as all studies for which contractual action is required. 

(4) The Deputy for .Aircraft Projects vlill be responsible foJ;' 

assisting appropriate Program Directors in obtaL"ing necessary support 

for all aircraft and drone projects of the NRP, and for Iteeping the. D!olRO 

currently informed on the status and capabilities of such projects. He 

will also be responsible for coordination of U. S. peripheral reconnaissance missions with aircraft and drone missions of the N~P. . 

(5) The Deputy for S2,tellite Projects will be responsible for 

assisting appropriate Program Directors in obtaining necessary support 

for all satellite projects of the NRP, and for keeping the DNRO currently 

informed on the status and capabilities of such projects. 

(6) The Deputy for Operations will be responsible for all 

satellite operations tasks herein assigned to the NRO staff (ref. pa.r. 2 j). 

He will be responsible for coordination of U~ S. peripheral reconnaissance missions with satellite missiOns of the. NRP. In addition, he will 

be responsible for the NRO working interface- with the usm in regard 

to target requirements and priorities. 

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Program Directors will determine need-to-tmo,v for all persons 

who are actively working on assigned NHO matters under their 

jurisdiction. The DNRO v/ill determine need~to-Imo,v for all other 

persons for all projects of the NRP. . 

6.· Exploitation Planning • 

. In order to permit adequate preparation for exploit~tion of the 

results of NRP projects while necessarily restricting the number of 

persons having lmowledge of the actual collection projects, the following 

procedure Will be followed. The NHO staff will brief and keep current 

the Intelligence officers of each Service and three of their selected 

"workers If, the Director, DIA, and his designated personnel of the DIA . 

Special.Activities Office, the Director, NPIC, and his designated : . personnel, and the Director, NBA and deSignated personnel. Except 

for the DIA, the designated personnel will not exceed thl·ee officers in. 

addition to the Chief or Director. These persons will be supported 'by 

adequate cleared secretarial and clerical personnel, and vlill be completely briefed on all applicable collection projects of the NRP. A s a 

result, they will be expected to revievi the exploitation capabilities of . their Service or Agency I and direct the necessary preparatory action. 

Although such direction will be based upon their speciiic Imowledge of, 

L'1e collection programs of the NRP, the action vlill be directed by 

virtue of the organizational authority of the directing official without 

requiring any further disclosure of specific NRP project <;lata. Normally, . 

no other operational clearances will be granted on the ba·sis of need to 

prepare for explOitation. Necessary technical data will be released in 

timely fa.shion under the product clearance to enable full exploitation of 

the collected products·. 

7. Project ResponSibility Documents • 

. Prog;ram Directors~ in conjunction with the NRO staff, will prepare 

a separate document for each NRP project for which they have been 

assigned primary responsibility. This document 'will identify the 

specifiC assignment of responsibilities for all as~ectsof the project, 

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including pertinent agreements that have been made. Such documents 

will be signed by all Program Directors concerned and submitted to 

the DNROfor approval. 

8. Processing of NRO Matters. 

Prior specific approval of the DNRO will be required for any 

matter of the NBO or NRP to be processed to higher authority. 

Joseph V. Charyk 

. ~ Director, National RecoIUlaissance Office 

2 Atch: 

1. Fig 1- NRO 

2. Fig 2 - NRO staff .. 

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Director, National Reconnaissance Office 

(Under Secretary of the Air Force) 

NRO Staff 

(Office of Space 

Systems, OSAF) 

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-;;ECTOR, PROGRAM A I DIRECTOR, PROGRAM B DIRECTOR, J PROGRAM C 

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Key Staff and I r I{ey Sta.ff and 

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Deputy for Opel'tations 

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