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WASHINGTON 

February 3, 1967 

" MEMORANDUM FOR 

The Honorable Stewart L. Udall, Secretary of the Interior 

The Honorable Orville Freeman, Secretary of Agriculture 

The Honorable Alexander Trowbridge, Secretary of Commerce 

The Honorable James E. Webb, Administrator, NASA 

The Honorable William S. Gaud, Administrator, AID 

During the past year, more and more interest has been developing in 

potential use of satellite borne sensors for earth resource and economic 

surveys and there has been discussion about satellite systems to collect 

data in support of agency mis s ions. I think it goes without saying that 

before proceeding with any experimental or oper ational systems, you 

will want to establish that the data to be acquired is truly useful and 

worth the system costs, or -- for experimental systems -- that there 

is a sufficient potential for deriving such-data. 

It is relevant then to take note of the fact that photographs already 

exist in the files of the intelligence agencies which cover great portions 

of the earth's surface at resolutions up to 10 feet and certain areas at 

resolutions of 3 feet. A very small portion of the photography is in 

color. I do not thir:k that any of us will be willing to make a program 

decision in the future without first reviewing this data. Nor does it 

seem sensible for your agencies to plan for future systems without the 

benefit of the iniormation contained in these files. 

In recognition of this, the Director of Central Intelligence has agreed 

to permit a small number of specialists from your agencies to be cleared 

and given aCcess to the available photogr aphy. Although the intelligence 

community is not able to provide space for this purpose in the facilities 

of NPIC or AMS, the Corps of Engineers has offered the use of the fully 

cleared facility of its contractor, Autometric/Raytheon, in Alexandria, 

Virginia. (In this facility, GIMRADA, a mapping R&D agency of the 

Corps of Engineers, has already used the satellite photography to make 

a geographic survey of Africa and it is planning a similar effort in Central and South America.) The Director· of Central Intelligence and the 

Secretary of Defense have therefore agreed that the Autometric/Raytheon 

facility be used to support the civil agency evaluation and that GIMRADA 

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be the coordinator and interface between the agency teams and the intelligence community. 

Under this agreement, a team from each of your agencies, consisting 

of specialist9 in the earth resource disciplines of interest to you, 

would work at the Autometric facility with GIMRADA as its host, receive advice and guidance from the experts from the intelligence agencies 

and participate in an evaluation of the data. Each agency would be 

expected to reimburse GIMRADA for the cost of services rendered its 

team by Autometric. I propose that after an orientation period each 

team conduct its own separate evaluation under the supervision of its 

parent agency, and produce a classified technical report describing its 

findings. Periodic progress reports in the form of classified seminars 

Can be conducted at appropriate intervals. 

In addition to its potential contribution to future systems, we should 

recognize that resource information derived from existing satellite 

photography may be immediately useful to AID. In view of this and the 

fact that your teams will not be able to plan their evaluation until they 

have some experience with the data, I propose that as part of their 

orientation they work with GIMRADA in a survey of selected Central or 

South American regions of special interest to AID, and under the guidance 

of GIMRADA produce a joint resource assessment of these areas as a 

classified supplement to existing res ource inventories. This will allow 

AID to evaluate the use of this technique for its own purposes and, in 

addition, provide a period during which the teams can develop the detailed guidelines for their subsequent evaluation. 

I propose then that the initial goals of this program be: 

1. A resource assessment report on selected Latin American 

regions of interest to AID, conducted by the teams' under the guidance 

of GIMRADA, and 

2. A detailed set of guidelines from each agency team describing 

how it will conduct its subsequent study on beh,alf of its special agency 

interests. I propose that these guidelines be reviewed by you and me 

and then become the basis for the next phas e of the teams I activities. 

In connection with the above, we should note that NASA has an important 

stake in this evaluation as it applies to the design and development of 

future spac e systems and has already organized a small advisory group 

from among the potential users to help NASA extract early indications 

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for future space systems des igns from existing data. The individuals 

in this group will no doubt be among those that you select to do the data 

evaluation itself and it appears appropriate that they also act in this 

advisory capacity for N~A. 

I have attached a detailed plan which describes the functions and responsibilities of the DOD and CIA organizations and the conditions agreed 

to by Mr. McNamara and Mr. Holms under which thil> ev~luation c;;;.n 

proceed. I hope you agree with me that it is important that we take advantage of this opportunity to review this previously unavailable data. 

If you find no difficulties with this plan from your standpoint, I would 

like to proceed as expeditiously as possible and would appreciate having 

the names of the individuals. whom you want to have participate. I 

suggest that, in addition to those individuals whom you wish to actively 

participate at Autometric, you let me know the individual who will 

supervise and provide technical guidance to these people and represent 

you in any interagency coordination meetings that may be neces s ary. 

Please let me know if there are any asp~cts of this that I can discuss 

further witl?- you. 

Enclosure - #10,106/67 

Donald F. Hornig 

Special As sistant to the Presiden 

for Science and Technology 

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PROGRAM PLAN 

STUDY OF SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHY 

FOR 

EAR TH RESOURCE INFORMATION 

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This program describes a procedure whereby small teams of earth 

resource experts from the civilian agencies can,' on a fully classified basisf 

etudy the existing classified aircrait and satellite photography. The need 

for such a program arises primarily from the fact that more and more 

interest has been developing in the use of satellite borne sensors for earth 

resource surveys and the likelihood that civilian agencies will eventually 

propose operational or experimental systems. It recognizes that these 

agencies should not be required to plan suc1.t systems without the benefit of 

the information already available, and it aSiJumes that no space program of 

this kind will be approved unless its justification reflects a thorough study 

of existing photography. Secondarily, the program reflects the fact that 

AID requires physical resource inventories of underdeveloped nations as 

a basis for its plans and operational decisions. It assumes that if existing 

photography can provide information not otherwise available, it should be 

exploited and made available to AID on a classified basis. 

Objectives 

Reflecting these requirements, the objectives of the program are as 

follows: 

1. To evaluate the existing aircraft and satellite photography and 

describe its usefulness for physical resource surveys and its bearing on the 

design of future systems. 

ihli Jru;;ant co~.lsts of S-2es 

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2. To develop a cadre of civilian agency personnel who will know what 

information is available and how the photography can be used. 

3. To produce as a by-product a resource inventory of typical areas 

of interest to AID to show what might be done with the existing photography 

and to determine whether such a program is worth continuing. 

Composition of Study Teams 

To meet thes e objectives, the Secretaries of Interior, Agriculture, 

and Commerce will appoint in~ividuals technically qualified in the various 

resource disciplines to participate in the program. The disciplines to be 

covered will include geography, geology, hydrology, agriculture, forestry 

and oceanography. Each agency will appoint one or two experts in each of 

the disciplines for which it has a responsibility. The Administrators of 

NASA and AID will appoint up to two participants each. The number of 

participants will be limited by space, equipment and instructor personnel 

available at NPIC and DIA and by study work space for only 15 persons at 

the contractor facility. 

Location of the Work 

These agency teams will be physically located at Autometric/Raytheon 

in Alexandria, Virginia, a fully cleared facility under contract to GIMRADA 

(Geodesy Intelligence Mapping Research and Development Agency) of the 

Corps of Engineers. Autometric will provide space, viewing and measuring equipment and technical services such as photo reproduction, drafting, 

report reproduction, etc. The participating agencies will reimburse 

GIMRADA for costs incurred by their teams at Autometric. 

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Work Schedule and Agency Responsibilities 

The agency teaITlS will follow a work plan and schedule divided into 

three consecutive phases: 

Phase 1: An orientation period of several weeks in which the National 

Photographic Intelligence Center (NPIC) and the Defens e Intelligence Agency 

(DIA) instruct the agency teaITlS in the technigues of photo interpretation and 

pass on the knowledge they have accuITlulated about the use of the photography for resource assessITlents: 

GIMRADA will coordinate the arrangeITlents and the agenda for the 

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orientation, being responsive to the desires of NPIC and DIA who would 

plan and conduct the substantive briefings at Autometric or other facility 

as they wish. 

Phase 2: Production of a resource inventory of Centr al or South 

AITlerican areas selected by AID. Concurrently, the developITlent of a detailed plan by each agency for its subseguent study (in Phase 3) of the usefulnes s of photogr aphy for resource inforITlation of individual agency interest. 

(3 ITlonths ). 

The resource inventory will be a joint effort by the civilian agency 

teaITls and the intelligence cOITlITlunity. To insure coherency in the planning 

and in the conduct of the inventory, GIMRADA will aSSUITle responsibility 

as group leader and coordinate the developITlent of a joint report on the 

s elected areas. During Phase 1, AID will deterITline the areaS to be inventoried, basing its selection on the advice of the other teams, on its own 

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operational requirements and on the concurrence of the CIA and DIA who 

will review the selection from a security standpoint. 

Also during this phase, each team, under the supervision of its parent 

agency, will write the plans for its subsequent study of classified photography 

in terms of its value to the individual agency interests. At the end of Phase 

Z, each team will submit its plan to its agency head and to the Office of 

Science and Technology for review. 

Phase 3: The conduct of the evaluation and preparation of agency reports. After approval of the plans submitted at the end of Phase Z, each 

agency team will proceed independently with its evaluation. Based on this 

work, each agency will write a classified t~chnical report on its findings 

concerning the usefulness of this kind of material for resource inventory 

purposes. 

At least two classified seminars will be held in which team members can 

present their ,progress and findings to interested people from the intelligence 

community, the civilian agencies and the Executive Offices. GIMRADA will 

act as host and coordinate the arrangements for these seminars. 

Security Control 

The teams will, in general, be given aCcess to U-Z, Daff, KH-4, 

KH-7, and all index photography of non-sensitive' areas; however, NPIC, 

in coordination with other CIA components and DIA, can make exceptions to 

this rule on a case by case basis. The agency teams will place all their 

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requireITlents for such photography through GIMRADA to NPIC for approval 

and procureITlent of ITlaterial. CIA will provide guidelines to be used by 

NPIC in deterITlining non-sensitive areas, subjects and other related 

security controls to be applied to the release of these ITlaterials. Inventories 

of supporting ITlaterial will be checked with appropriate participants to insure these ITlaterials are not already available to theITl. 

All iniorITlation, data and reports resulting froITl this prograITl will 

be classified appropriately as specified by the Director of Central Intelligence. GIMRADA, being the custodian of the AutoITletric contract, will be 

1" esponsible for security within the AutoITletric facility. 

Coordination and AdITlinistration 

GIMRADA, as custodian of the AutoITletric contract, will aSSUITle the 

responsibilities of host arid adITlinistrative coordinator of the teaITlS I activities within the AutoITletric facility. As such it will arrange for the teaITlS I 

adITlinistrative needs, coordinate the details of financial reiITlburseITlent, 

and ITlake arrangeITlents and act as host for the classified seITlinars. 

The Office of Science and Technology will chair a cOITlITlittee with 

ITleITlbership froITl Interior, COITlITlerce, Agriculture, NASA, AID, CIA 

and DOD to coordinate ITlatters not covered by the responsibilities assigned 

above. NPIC will serve as a consultant to this cOITlITlittee as needed. 

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