Approved for Release: 2017102106 C05096215 

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETAR 

MEMORANDUM 

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TSP SECRETO~ 

IMMEDIATE WHIG CITE~0668 

HELIX 

1%6 APR 5 PM I 5 8 

SAFSS 

FOR OR. FLAX FROM GEN MARTIN 

1. REFERENCE YOUR 1 APR MEMORANDUM ON NEW GENERAL SEARCH ANO SURVE I LL ... 

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ANCE SYSTEM, FORWARDED TO ME BY WHIG 5037. 

2. IN SEVERA1 A.REAS COVERED BY YOUR PROPOSED PACKAGE FOR THE EXCOM, 

I BELIEVE THAT A DIFFERENT OR MODIFIED APPROACH WOULD BE HIGHLY DESIR ... 

ABLE AND GREATLY ENHANCE THE PROBABILITY OF THE MOST EFFICIENT AND 

EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT OF THIS PROPOSED SYSTE~. I Will 

NOT REPEAT MY PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED C0'1'1MENTS ON THE NUMBER, ANO SIZE, ,, 

OF RECOVERY VEHICLES, NOR ON THE SPLIT MANAGErfENT RESPONSIBIL ITV COM- .~ 

TEMPLATEO 11\l THE PRESENT PACKAGE, EXCEPT TO PO I f\JT OUT THAT MY PRE- '.::; 

VIOUS COMMENTS ON THESE MATTERS STILL APPLY TO THE PRESENT PACKAGE. ___ ·-· ~.~ --

3. HOWEVER, REGARDLESS OF THE SPECIFIC ASSIGN~AENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES - f ;/ ,;:_. ,. 

IN THE SPLIT·,~ANAGEMENT STRUCTURE, FULL CO-LOCATION OF THE WORKING l ~l'~ ~ ELEMENTS OF THE HELIX PROJECT OFFICES OF BOTH ORGANIZATIONS WILL RESULT/ ~ ,_~ IN THE MAXIMUM COORDINATION ~NO BEST POSSIBLE WORKl"JG ARRANGMENTS ANO J ~ .::j :/::, 

COOPERATION, IN ADDITION TO GREATLY REDUCING THE TRAVEL EXPENSES ANO l .J_, ,~ (J, 

CONSTRAINTS OF COORDINATING COMPLEX ANO SENSITIVE MATTERS BY TELEPHONE ~ \..;, 

AND MESSAGES WHICH WILL OTHERWISE BE REQUIHED FOR THESE MATTERS. I URGE {-t..: \11 ~ THAT THE ASSUMPTION l"J THE PACKAGE THAT THE CIA OFFICE WILL BE LOCATED ~ >') ~ · ' '-.) y 

AT LANGLEY BE DELETED ANO A STRONG RECOMMENDATION MADE FOR ITS CO- " ~ ~"-...i LOCATION WITH THE SAFSP OFFICE ON THE WEST COAST. \:-\ ~- . 

4., ALSO, REGARDLESS OF THE OTHER DETAILS OF THE SPL IT-\1ANAGEMENT STRnCT- "t:J ~~ ,: 

URE, LIAISON OFFl:ERS ARE HIGLY UNDESIRABLE AT ANY LOCATION; THEY WILL v 

IMPEDE RATHER THAN HELP ACHIEVE THE RAPPORT ESSENTIAL TO A SUCCESSFUL . 

DEVELOPMENT. UNDER SPLIT-MANAGEMENT, All OF THE WORKING TROOPS IN THE 

HELIX PROJECT OFFICES OF BOTH ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD DEAL Oli<ECTLY WITH 

THEIR ASSOCIA.TES, TO INFORM AS WELL AS TO CARRY OUT SPECIF!: WORKING 

FUNCTIONS. I URGE THAT THIS LIAISON OFFICER FEAT'IRE BE DELETED ANO 

THE COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR All LIAISON BE PLACED UPON THE ENTIRE 

APPLICABLE ElE~ENTS OF EACH ORGANIZATION. 

5. THE SCHEDULE CONTEMPLATED IN THE PACKAGE LEAVES NO ALTERNATIVE BUT 

TO EMPLOY LETTER CONTRACTS. THE INITIATION OF THIS SYSTE~ BY LETTER 

CONTRACTS WILL UNQUESTIONABLY ACCENTUATE THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN THE 

SPLIT MANAGEMENT CONCEPT. I c- AT ALL POSSIBLE, THE SOURCE SELECTIONS 

SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ANO All CONTRACTS NEGOTIATED ON A DEFINITIVE, RATHER 

THAN LETTER, BASIS FROM THE START. THIS PROCEDURE WOULD ENTAIL A DELAY 

OF ABOUT SIX MONTHS AF1ER EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS BEFORE ALL CONTRACTS 

COULD BE NEGOTIATED. HOWEVER, SINCE THE STATED REQUIREMENT IS APPARENTLY NO MORE URGENT NOW THAN IT WAS A YEAR AGO, ft.NO IN VIEW OF THE 

NON-TECHNICAL DELAY ALREADY ACCEPTED OURlr.JG THIS PAST YEAR, IT IS NOT 

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CBVIOUS TO US HERE THAT THIS RELATIVELY SMALL ADDITl"JNAL DELAY WOllO BE 

UNACCEPTABLE. UNQUE.ST IONABL Y IT WOl.lD MAKE THE PROGRAM EASIER TO HANDLE 

THAN THE SEVERAL LETTER CONTRACTS WHICH WILL BE REQUIRED UNDER THE 

ffiOPOSEO SCHEDULE. ALSO IT WOULD EASE THE FY67 AND FY68 BUDGET 

REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS SYSTEM. 

6. THE 0 I SCUSS I JN OF SE/TD CONTRACTORS, AND OF THE ROLE OF THE SPO IN THE 

OJERALL SE/TO FUNCTIONS IMPOSES RESTRICTIONS WHICH SEEM MOST UNREALISTIC AND UNNECESSARY. I AGHEE THAT THE SPD SHOULD NOT GIVE ANY TECHNICAL 

DIRECTION TO THE SSS PO CONTRACTORS, BUT I DO NOT AGREE THAT HE SHOULD 

l\DT DO ANY SYSTEM ENGINEERING ANALYSIS CONCERNING THE SENSOR. WHILE 

THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR INTERNAL SENSOR SYSTEM ENGINEERl\JG IS ASSIGNED 

TO THE SSS PO, THE SPD ANO HIS SE/TO CONTRACTORS ALSO SHOULD DO SYSTEM 

ENGl'lEERING STUDIES IN ORDER TO INSURE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF COMPETENCE 

IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND DELINEATION OF ALL INTERFACE AND SYSTEM 

INTERACT I ON PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS SUCH RELATED MATTERS AS SATELLITE 

CPERATIONAL COUNTERMEASURES, ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX INTERACTIONS AND TRAOECfFS WHEN MALFUNCTIONS OCCUR IN FLIGHT t ETC .. THE SPO SHOULD BE ALLON£0 

TO MAKE RECOMMENOAT IONS TO THE SSS PO, ALTHOUGH THESE WOU..D NOT BE 

01 RECT IVE EXCEPT IN REGARD TO INTERFACES, SUBSYSTEM INTERACT ION OR 

OIERALL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. I \I ALL REFERENCES TO H£ SPD, THE SSS PO, 

At\IJ THE SE/TD CONTRACTOR, I URGE THAT THE PRESENT PROHIE IT ION ON EITHER 

SPO OR SE/TO CONTRACTOR BE I NG AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT SYSTEM ENG l~EER I "JG 

ANALYSES OF ANY ASPECT OF THE SENSOR I NCLUD 1 l~G INTERNAL ASPECTS OF THE 

SENSOR SUBSYSTEM, BE DELETED A1'D THIS AUTHORIZATION EXPLICITLY l\JCLUOED, 

RETAININ~ mtv THE RESTRICTION OF THE SPOOR THE SE/TO CONTRACTOR GIVING 

ANY T::CHNICAL DIRECTION OT THE SENSOR SUBSYSTEM CONTRACTOR. 

7. SIMILARLY, I RECOMMEI'{) THAT THE RESTRICTIVE LANGUAGE CONCERNING THE 

AUTHORITY OF THE SPO DURI~ AN OPERATIONAL MISSION BE CHANGED TO MAl<E 

HIM FULLY RESPONSIBLE, REGARDLESS OF THE TIME AVAILABLE, FOR THE OVERflL ANALYSIS A~ SUBSEQUENT DECISION AND ACTION CONCERNING ANY ASPECT 

0:- THE HEALTH OF THE SATELLIE, INCLUDDlG THE SENSOR SYBSYSTEM, USING 

THE ASSEMBLED TECHNICAL ADVISORS PRESENT IN THE HELIX COMMAND POST 

AT THE STC FOR ANALYSIS Al\O ADVICE ON THE BASIS OF WHICH HE NILL MAKE 

SUCH DECISIONS Ai'll DIRECT SUCH ACTION AS NECESSARY. THIS WILL il~SURE 

THE PRESENCE IN THE COMMAND POST OF A FULLY REPRESENTATIVE AND COMPETENT 

TECHNl:AL ADVISORY GROUP; IF SUCH A GROUP IS PRESENT, THERE IS NO NEED 

TO RESTRICT THE SPD (AS IS DONE ON PAGE 9 OF ATTACH 4-5). 

8. ON THE BASIS OF A VERY QUICK REVIEW, THE SENSOR RFP SEEMS OK IN 

ffil'!CIPLE AND ADEQUATE FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXCOM REVIEW, BUT IT SHOllD 

RECEIVE A MORE CAREFUL REVIEW IN DETAIL BEFORE BEING SENT TO PROSPECTIVE 

CONTRACT ORS. FOR EXAMPLE, T Ht::li'E ARE SEVERAL INSTANCES WHERE THE NUMBERS 

t.BEO ARE QUESTIONABLE, AND 1::- USED AS WRITTEN, COULD FORCE SENSOR REr:£SIGN FOR WHAT APPE.l\RS TO BE Ot\lY MARGINAL GAIN, IF AT ALL. For~ 

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Approved for Release: 2017102106 C05096215 

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CFN: 0668 Ha IX Will RERUN ON REQUEST 

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