NROARFT.R,OVD FOR 

:-iikETFASE 1 JULY 2015 

FEB 1 lase 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD 

SUBJECT: MDL/NSAM 156 Briefings to Ambassador Bohlen and 

State Department Staff Members 

On February 16, as an outgrowth of the February 14 

Space Council Meeting, briefings on MOL and NSAM 156 Ad Hoc 

Group activities were given to AMbassador Bohlen and several 

State Department Staff members (list attached). The DoD 

representatives included Mr. Nitze, Dr. Foster, Dr. Flax, 

myself, and Col Worthman. 

I gave a full MOL briefing covering the background, 

program objectives, emphasizing the need for and value of 

explained why both manned and unmanned systems 

were being developed, illustrated how the astronauts would 

use the Acquisition/Tracking,Scopes, showed some pictures of 

activities at the various contractors, plus the schedule, 

and-a summary (list of charts attached). 

Mr. Bohlen's questions centered largely on the need for 

this resolution, whether the imravement 

was worthwhile, how much the:pregram 

would cost, and how vulnerable was the. system to hostile 

action, etc. Mr. Nitze and Dr. Foster, citing examples, were 

quite emphatic that DaD felt the pbtential:inCreaSe:in 

information as needed and worth the cost.' BOhlen:waS 

rather non-committal in his reaction to the explanations. 

At one i3int, Mr. George Denney pressed as to whether 

there was any purpose for the MOL program other than 

. reconnaissance. He also seemed to feel that COMOR's 1965 - - 

study on the value of high resolution (which I had used as 

an example) was the Stated requirement for 3L. He then 

asked, "Well, if the Intelligence CoMmUnity withdraws the 

requirement, then you will stap7the programa." • MkNitZe and 

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Dr. Foster said that depended on what was meant by 

"Intelligence Community", that DoD had to make decisions on 

this information, etc. 

The MOL discussion having been completed, Secretary 

Nitze and Dr. Foster departed at this point. 

Colonel Worthman then briefed on the NRO "environment" 

and organization, touched on NRP accomplishments, and then 

dismissed US Security policy since 1960 with regard to 

overflight of denied areas. :He discussed NSAM 156 iand the 

subsequent activities of the various NSAM 156 Ad Hoc Group 

in some detail. At one point, Mr. Bohlen indicated that 

the policies and the continued- reaffirmation of those 

policies were sound. 

• The discussions ended without any apparent, follow-up 

actions required at this time on the part of SAFSLIorthe 

NRO. 

SIGNED 

JAMES T. SILWART 

Major General, USAF 

Director, MOL Program 

2. Atch 

afs 

cc: Gen Ferguson 

Col Worthman 

Tt; 

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ASST, 
NRO APPRO FOR 

RELEAS JULY 2015 

STATE DEPARTIMOIT. NEMBWAS 

Ambassador Charles Bohlen 

Dep Under Secretary for Political Affairs Phillip J. 

Farley 

Dep Asst Secretary for:Political and Military 

Affairs Herman Pollock 

Dir International Science and Technology Affairs 

Jerry Trippe 

Acting Director for Atomic Energy and Aerospace 

George C. Denney 

Dep Dir for Bureau of Intelligence and Researdh 

(Denney is Deputy' to Mt. Hughes) 

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