T9P_SECR£T 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE SP-ECIAL HANDLING 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 WASHINGTON 

Auguat 7 J 1961 

.. Ii >e _AlUIDI 101. DB SICII'1'AI.Y 0., DInlISI .... ~ i: IDIJZCTz ~t of ltaticmal llecomuainaee hoar .. -flS)-

liJi 

. I have proceeded in accordance with your iDatructioaa 

to .. 1a your note of J'uly 28,. 1961 relative to the r.fer-· 

-.cad .auhject. I ha'Ve bad further' d1seu •• iou OR this 

.' tter with Dr. Ull:I.aD, Dr. Land,' GeIleral Taylor, 1Ir. 'aaee 

auelllr. .i •• e11. "The COD88D8U8 18 that."e ahoald pr~d' 

at the pr •• at t1ae to 1apl..ant· what· YU ... crlbed .. opo.a1 A. 1.D ., earlier aulaia.lon to you. 

. .AccorcliDaly, I have ~.d the attached ~ .... 

f UDcIer.tacliDa which wuaU be s.ed 1ty 1Ir. Dall.. ..4 

----:y ..... 1£ COY'-iIIa tM ...... __ t .,.cts of tlli. proar-. 

It 18 18UIenteod that Ii&". :au.ell aDd 1, on the bul. of . 

thi. qr .... t, are clevelopiDa • de,tailed ,1& of ...... lGa. 

I &180' attach for your alpature • ...,r .... 'riid4 ... the clalegat10ll o£ authority iuofar .. the llepart:.iat of 

llaf .... 1. concerned • 

. 

V·~·· 

~f~ CUij~ 

Atta. 2 

1. ..., of Under.t_dlD8 I/~-

2. Del ... tlon of Authority-

!his dc~~e~t ccnsi.:.ta or __ L _ _ ~ TQP 8EGRET 

on ... _L 01' ..£.. .... SPECIAl HANDUNG 

..... __ .' . __ ._J 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 

Tbls . acreem.entrelates to a NatlOD&l BeeoJ!ft1d'8I11Ce' Propamad 

to the eat;abU.8hment of arraqements- bettrftD the Department of Del ... 

and tile C8Jltral JntellileJiee AlftCy for Ita mance .. eDt ... operatiOD. 

L The National RecODJlaJuance PrOlrUl w1Il COJUdad: of all 

aate1l1te aDd OYerfIlpt rttCOJUlat.anee projecbl wIletJler 0YVt sr ~rt. 

It w1111D.clvde all pltotcJcraph1c projects for Jntelllpnce, Itrod.., ud .-

mappiDI pupe&e8, aDd electronic JPl"al col1eeu.t ,rojecbl fer electrCJD1c 

atpal1Dte1lllence uuI commmdcatJen. lntellil .... 

2. There la es.tabl.lBhed.a NattOJl&l RecODU!MaDc._ OffIce GIl a 

ccmtri lJut8. The Director of thlJI eft1ee ww. be tIleDeJJUtT D1reetor of 

PlaIUI of til. Central Intellllence A,eDCJ. The Deputy p1rfttor w11l be 

the Ulller 1ecret&r1 at. the Air 'Force who w1l1 be ........ full MtborltJ 

by the lecretary ofDefeue lDtld8 area. The off1cewU11J1clvda a .... aJl 

apeclal JItaff whose Pft'IIGJIJI81 w11l be drawn from the ~t fIl 

Del .... aud from the CatrallDteWgace AgeDC,.. Tbls' off1c. w1I1 haft 

cU.rect cODtrol Gftr all e1ema.ts·of the total prOlftDl. ImplemntattoD. aI. 

deciaiou will be exeretsecIla the Agency by tile Dlrector·of tJae KaltMaI 

RecoD8t •• uee Office .... 1Il the Depart.-Dtaf Def-1tJ tile· D8p1ltJ· 

Dlnctor 01. tile NatteuaJ RecQ!lM.j·ppaDce Olflceunder tile .,.aaJ. ·a.u.eritJ 

U1eptecl to him by the 8eeretar,.of Del.... wtWa th. DeparbaeDt of 

Defeue, the Departmat of the Air Force w1ll be ~ operaU.enal IPDCY 

fer DIM ...... ami cOJlfluct of the National Recenat.,nce P1'"UI'ftBl, 

ad wl11 CONIuct tIda PrGlram. throulh"" ofJItNI.JIIU .... .,.taJ··m ..... - IUIlt procedures ~'fiDI direct control tram t:H ema. ef tile 8ecr,eta.r,. 

of the Air Force to Reconuaillll8llCe s,.tem Project Direct •• ill tile tt..Jd, 

wttHut fDtel'ftDiDl renews or apprOYal aetiou. 

3. It. Tecbrdcal Adn,sory Group fort .. Nat'_' Recomuttuure 

Office w1ll be eataltup'" . 

4. A lIJdform aecurltJ cODtrol .,.tem. w11l be eataltllahed for tile 

total pJ'OIram by the lfatloaaJ Reogpat88anc~Offlce. Producw frem tile 

ft1.'ioua prcrams will 'be am]ab1e to all user ... cIea1pated bJ tile 

UJdtedstat .. lDtelllleJICe Board. 

Pac. 1 -of 3, PIC'" 

Copy I of I copt .. 

--0.--0 __ '" _. ____ .. _ .. _ •. ______ ._......__ 
lOP SECRET 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE SPECIAL HAP:. 1":1 NDlr'I'N' G 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

5. The Rattona] R~aJrC. Offtc'. wm be cIlreetly 

r-.poJUdft to, uulonIr to, the )thotcrapldc .. el.ect1w1c Bi8Ul 

CollectlOD r.-.pdremeDts aD4 prlor1t1esaa eatab11sJal by the tJD1tecl 

States JDtelltgence Board. 

8. TU Nat1oIIa1 Recount_DCe OfflcewW. .... lop :.1dtab18 

cover plaaa.aad publlc iDformatlcm plau, in CQIljuBctioa with the 

AsstBtaDtlecr8tary of Defense, Public .Affairs, to' reduce ~tattlJ 

polttJcalwlD.erabllily·of these proarams. In. reprcI to ... Jl1te 

"DUJ', it will be. DeC888&1Tto JlPPly the reYlaed p\lbl1c iIlfonnatlon 

polley to .ot1ler non-seJUdtlve satelUte projects 1norder to fBaur'e 

maximum .. rotect1on~ 

'I. The Director and Deputy Director of the KatloJULl 

ReccmnuslJIUlce' Offlce \Yin eatabUsh detane.t worktaJ' proCedures' to 

bulure· that 0. •. pari1cular taleDts, experl ... ce .... capab111t1ea witJda 

the Ceatral IlltelUlftCe Ag8JlC1 ami lb. nepartmcmt of Dele .. are 

fully alii ..... effeetiyely ut11111ecl ill the IIPUlIiMaeDt aDdc .... Gf 

tJds propram. 

8. lIaJaapmeJit eantrol of til. f1elfI OJerJ&ticma til u.riouIl 

818m_tsaf Qt. program will be ezerc1aed d1reet~, iJt Ute'CUe of 0-

Ceatral Iatem,..c. Ageaey, ·from the Director of tile xatt_ Reccmnaiasaace Office te the apprQF1ate field rep~Yft.s, 1a tile 

e .. ef tlIe Department of~, from tJa DeputJ D1rector at u. 

NatkmaJ Reconat .. ance om_' to tile ••• p,ted jtrGjaet :a1'I1C8'a' fw . 

8uh procram. All procralll .!em'" awl tile o,eratt-' ef. De Matt ... .Reeomaat .. aace Of:f1ee w1ll bercrt1ewecloa a r4lplar"', awI_ 

'1QJfIC1al c1rcums tauces r84pdre, by the 5412 PeI1cy Caatrol BoanL 

lDih W. l1illiii . Director 

CeDtataI IDte1lJpace .Ageacy 

1 Att 

Chart': 81Dgle mpt for 

NatioaalBeeoa prog E'RI) 

P .... IOf3papa. 

Cow 3 of • coplu. SPECiAl HANDLING 

'FOP SECRET 
-NR:O APPROVED FOR RELEASE ' " lUisa,'" :,' DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART S LING ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 ' 

~~oo@~~ ~~OO~@~~~OOi ~@~ 

OOl\\ 1rU(Q)Wl£~\rL OOfE~@OOOOfA\n~$~OO~[E ~[R{®@~tA\ilC1r$) 

NO T£ The Nationol Reconn(Jissonce 

Progrom re~ponds onl)' loplwfogrophic 

and sIgnal col/echon requl/(.'mfJll/so! 

ffle USIB(COMAR) 

(FIG B) -ACTUAL SrrUATION .......;.... (FIG. A) - APPARENT SITUAr(ON 

Targ.' Progrllmming 01 

tla,'h """Clll, Program 

S«ur"y, Includinf Communicol/on" Co".rl 

ConlracIAdmlnnlralmn 

roooopcii FILM' 

1 CARDS, TAPES,.,C·

1

' 

" TO ALL USERS/N 

I ACCORDANCE WITH 

,USIS (COMAR) 

'I'?!SIGNATION AND I 

l!!RIORITIES _~J 

• · 

• 

rt-chniCllI ProgramMfJlPtIf"".nl 

Sch«luli/lf " _/(;/. ap.,tliltHu , 

JIInllMMI Mtmtl,.".", ! 

0"." eonlrtICI Admi",.".,., , -

p 

t, ' 

C:~ENT 

SEely OEF 

DEP SEe'y 

SEely AF 

050 

STAFF 

-SupPtJ" til ,."uir.d 

by o.p~.Y 0.1 

..... ~~.-.&..I\ ..... \ ........... 

IRECTOR 

Ol'THE 

Of 

SAMOS PROJEC 

* 

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\ 

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\ 

, \ 

, CtJIIIltItIIId 

AMill/.tlfitJn 

tlnd Support 

OI!P CMOJit Al'SC 

AFSSD 

Dir«ltI' i •• 1",,«110 S«y AF, 

mtlinloln$ fi,1d ,6,.".i_ 0111_ ' 

til AFSSO, til • ..w •• o. Vic. 

Clllllmand." AFSSD • 

. TOP SECRET 

SPECIAL HANDUNG· ······ __ ·····--·-T-- -_ .. ' ,-,-.. ,-.. ~