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WASHINGTON, D.C. 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 14 00064967D 

THE NRO STAFF May 12, 1969 

MEMORANDUM FOR DR. McLUCAS 

SUBJECT: BOB Request for NRL Briefing 

Mr. Sorrels, who works for Mr. Fischer in the Bureau of 

the Budget, has asked for a briefing on the POPPY Program, 

to be given by the NRL. You will recall that within the BOB, 

there is an office under Mr. James Clark whose expressed 

purpose in life is to "monitor" the NRP. This office consists of about five people and is headed by Mr. Fischer. 

In the past and at the DNRO's direction, I have accepted 

these requests to visit field units and have made the necessary arrangements. Our instructions to the field have always 

established the requirement for a knowledgeable escort, have 

not allowed any budgetary discussions and have required that 

an exit de-briefing be sent back to SAFSS. This procedure 

has worked quite well. However, I begin to feel the necessity 

to draw the line. 

Mr. Sorrels, who is a bright young man (Ph.D., Rhodes 

Scholar, etc) and also a likeable chap, has placed himself in 

the role of an expert and I believe it fair to say that as we 

educate him he becomes the BOB advisor in technical and requirements matters impacting the NRP. Charley Sorrels does 

not have a technical background; however, he is the young 

gentleman, for instance, who provided the greatest input to 

the recent BOB-CIA and BOB-White House exchanges. Actually, 

it is surprising to me that the BOB can afford a man of 

Sorrels' qualifications to work full time on NRP matters, or 

finds it necessary to do so. 

I am hard put to say that all of this is wrong. However, 

I do believe that we ought to have greater control over this 

situation. I raise this point now since I am certain that the 

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BOB "Office for NRP Matters" is preparing itself for an ExCom 

issue on SIG INT, i.e. , the need for\ \ follow- ~-~----~--~ 

on and a question on the continuation of POPPY and the P-11 

Program I I 

I believe that, in almost all NRP matters, the NRO Staff 

can provide BOB with the information required and appropriate 

for their actions. It should be a rare circumstance when BOB 

officials find it necessary to visit contractors and field 

organizations. During the recent round of issues, the BOB did 

not add much clarity when they introduced EKC claims of future 

GAMBIT resolution into the DORIAN papers. It has also become 

true that a BOB visit to the field is disruptive and fills the 

troops with foreboding. 

Therefore I suggest that the Staff should accept the 

responsibility to work with BOB as required. We would discourage further BOB visits to contractors and field organizations for purposes of general education. When BOB wishes to 

identify an issue as requiring specific BOB staff investigation, they should describe the issue to you and request approval 

for investigative visits. Mr. Schlesinger is the right level 

in BOB to make such requests of you. When you approve a BOB 

request, your Staff will then make all necessary arrangements. 

I guess what I 1m saying is that we should stop this 

nonsense of the BOB staff running through your programs and 

your contractors, and generally acting like the GAO or selfappointed IG's within NRO areas of interest. In addition 

there should be some control over their visits to SORS and 

COMIREX. Allow them complete access to the Staff and only 

by a formalized Schlesinger-to-McLucas route will any contacts 

with our field units, contractors, etc, be arranged. 

I have attempted to draft a letter from you to Mr. 

Schlesinger establishing such a procedure. 

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