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SUBJECT NUMBER 

USCIB: 13. 7 /30 

Subject: 

Item 4 of the Agenda for the Seventeenth Meeting or 

USCIBEC, held on 30 July 1954. 

Delineation or Categories or CCMINT (USCIB 13.7/26; 

13.7/27). 

EO 3. 3 I h I I 2 I 

The CHAIRMAN turned to subject item for discussion. PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 

CAPTAIN AGNEW suggested that the Committee might care to bear a 

message from Canada of possible intere~t prior to discussion. 

The CHAIRMAN asked Captain Agnew if the message in guestion.happened 

to be SUSLO, Ottawa's comment! I 

CAPTAIN AGNEW replied in the affinnative then read the message as 

follows: 

ar as 

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Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 09-11-2014 pursuant to E .0. 1352a 

e 
'!'OP SEiSRB'l' FReq'll y, S. l!iii:S QMU' EO 3. 3 I h I I 2 I 

PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 

USCIB: 13. 7/30 

message indicates some sensitivity! pnd added 

that after reading them•:··~· 1"4 e.eked the NSA people at Afl .. in .. g·t. on . Hall to pass informally I the categorization ideas generaliy 

agreed thus far so as to a:y he groundwork forl \ \ action 

when the time com.es. He added that adjustments or the lists betwe.en NSA 

and GCHQ would be a constant requirement and he yrn11d see little port .. in 

trying to maintain a separate and different list He 

said he felt that such a Troce~ure would complicate matters and doubted 

that deletions to reduce 

The CHAIRMAN asked Captain Agnew to read a message from SUSLO, London. 

CAPTAIN AGNEW read as follows: 

"Ref' WL 358, 398, LW 459 and CIB 00197. Very long reply your WL 358 

received today and being pouched as USLO Serial 4012. Answers 

specific questions raised and clarifies UK position in respect to 

categorization of COMINT. Opinion here that 15 September is more 

probable implementation date for Appendix B." 

CAPTAIN AGNEW remarked that this verified his previous feeling that 

the 16 Auguat target date was unrealistic. 

The CHAIRMAN noted that it had at least started the wheels in motion. 

He then asked the Committee to consider the INTC(].(I report on delineation 

of' Categories. He recommended that note be taken of' the fact that minor 

corrections, other than those of an editorial nature, could be made in the 

future lists that would follow periodically, probably month by month. He 

drew attention to the long delay in fonnulating the lists and recommended 

that the one under consideration be adopted as the first step in a continuing program. OGA 

ldrew attention to item 3c(l) on page 6 of' the categoriza- tion......_.1-ri-st,...in=--g-.____,H,.....e stated that it is his understanding and asked if it is 

correct that the Intelligence Committee is still charged with the task of 

recommending a means for deciding which items have extremely high intelligence value. 

The CHAIRMAN replied in the affirmative and asked the Chairman, 

INTCOM to comment. 

LT. COLONEL SIMMONS stated that the INTCOM had discussed at great 

length various proposals for a mechanism to keep the lists in current status 

but had not reached a unanimous decision. He recommended that his Committee 

continue its efforts along those lines. 

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CJ.GA 

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I I stated that he would like it understood that the CIA will 

accept the lists presently proposed on the conditions that a satisfactory 

mechani9J!l for maintaining the list ~urrent is :apfd::JJ.::i::: and. t.r .. ~t the CIA is free to reopen the question of placingL __ ----~ _ in 

Catego: II. H···.e···· .... t. hen asked if the Chairman does no tee a giVlll·········· g the _ !full categorization list would not be giving them unnecessary ....... 1-n-ro-rma-......... i-on-.___, 

The CHAIRMAN stated that, after examining the dissemination( ] 

he felt that while a few things in the lists would be new ( 

he doubted that it would be worth the trouble of expurgatin':• :=g""':it~h:-:::em.:-. ---..J 

I ...rr:o .............. .---___.lasked if this might, not cause NSA to be confronted with 

new requests. 

The CHAIRMAN agreed that this might occur and suggested/ that NSA look 

into that angle. 

The CHAIRMAN then referred to the Air Force cemments (USCIB 13.7/27) 

circulated just prior to the meeting and asked Lt. Col.onel Harrold if he 

wished to comment further. E;o 3. 3 1h1 121 

PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 

LT. COLONEL HARROLD indicated that his previously cir.culated written 

cormnents might have brought out points of interest to oth~l"\.members and 

suggested discussion on that basis. 

The CHAIRMAN, referring to USCIB 13.7/27, asked Lt. Colon.el Harrold if 

he would care to indicate the specific points he had in mind\ an.d asked if, 

for example, such things as the inclusion orl lon\both the 

"suitable" and "assigned" Category II lists constituted the type\of error 

in question. 

LT. COLONEL HARROLD stated that he did not see much point in trying 

to go over all the errors he had noted. He said he thought it would be 

better for the INTCOM and NSA to do that job. 

The CHAIRMAN said he felt that some clarifier.; on would be heJnfnf. 

He asked if, for example, the diJtinct.jon bet.ween I on 

the "assigned •

1 list as opposed t on the 

11suitable11 lis"t was the type of variation he had in mind. 

LT. COLONEL HARROLD replied in the affirmative. 

The CHAIRMAN asked Dr. Shinn to explain this feature. 

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PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 

'l':0P SB6m!i'! FR9'Il Y181 ~ om.I" 

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DR. SHINN pointed out that thel !duplication is simply 

an editorial error. Dr. Sh:inrl then explained that ever;vl I system 

lstarts out, by necessity, ~n Category III. He 

--p-o .... m--.-t-ea...--o-u""'t ....... t,...h-at.--a-s-s-o-o__.n as a solution is achieved a basis. tor further 

detennination of proper category begins to be established. The state ot 

solution determines how much information can be adduced to justify such a 

decision. In the early stages it might be possible to include a system 

on the "suitable" list since further consideration is required before it 

becomes "assigned II. Meanwhile it is treated as category Ill~ While this 

process is developing, unknown variations in the basic system may be 

appearing. The variations, because their solution is still unachieved, 

obviously must start out in Category III moving into Category II 

"suitable" as more becomes known and, tinally,/when enough is known a 

determination· can be made as to whether the system ean be "assigned" to 

Category II. The whole process, Dr. Shinn explained, is a chain of 

succession wherein the time element produces/lags that give r:ise to the 

apparent anomalies noted by the Air Force Member. .He concluded by saying 

that this is one of the key factors which requires •a special mechanism 

tor proper solution of the categorization problem. 

The CHAIRMAN asked Dr. Shinn if there are any variati0ns .now on the 

proposed "suitable" list that ought to be on the "assigned" list. 

DR. SHINN replied in the negative./ He added however that the proposed lists are not, in his opinion, in keeping with the t::imes. 

The CHAIRMAN asked if Dr. Shinn 1 si explanation answered the questions 

raised by Lt. Colonel Harrold regarding the peculiarities of the proposed 

Category II "assigned" and "suitable" lists. 

LT. COLONEL HARROLD replied in/the affirmative but added that he 

felt that the listings required further study to be sure that all of the 

systems that ought to be included .are actually included. 

The CHAIRMAN then asked Lt. /Colonel Harrold what points he .wished 

to raise regarding! I 

LT. COLONEL HARROLD stated that he wondered if' I I should 

really be in Category I and asked that this point be discussed. 

CAPTAIN AGNEW asked to have Dr. Shinn speak to that point. 

DR. SHINN explained that only identif'ication made byl I 

techniques and used in connection with L:]fixes is involved. He pointed 

out that information revealing the source or techniques is not included. 

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There followed a discussion as to whether the proposed delineation 

of Category I COMINT really adds anything to the descriptions contained 

in Annexure Bl to Appendix B of the UKUSA Agreement. It seemed to be the 

consensus that it adds little or nothing. 

LT. COLONEL SIMMONS expressed the view that his Committee would 

welcome suggestions for improvement of the paper under discussion. 

MR. 01GARA interjected a comment to the effect the Army had a redraft of the proposals to offer. 

The CHAIRMAN asked why the redraft hadn't been made available to 

the INTCOM adding that it was his understanding that the members of the 

INTCCH had unanimously concurred in the proposal now before USCIBEC. 

LT. COLONEL SIMMONS explained that he had obtained telephonic 

concurrence of the INTCOM members but that in some cases, the regular 

members being away, the concurrence was obtained from the alternate 

member. 

The CHAIRMAN asked Lt. Colonel.~ljeffers if he felt that the proposed 

list should be recommitted to the INTQQ{ for further study. 

LT,. COLONEL LEFFERS replied in the affirmative. 

CAPTAIN McCORMICK stated that he had understood that there was some 

confusion on the question of unanimity of INTCOM opinion and added that 

he had understood that in some respects the listings are obsolescent if 

not actually obsolete. 

The CHAIRMAN asked Lt. Colonel Simmons to comment. 

LT. COLONEL SIMMONS agreed that there had been a last minute discussion of this point but that he had understood the issue to have been 

cleared. up by correspondence between NSA and GCHQ and that the issue 

really settled around the question of what should be on the "suitable" 

list instead of the 11assigned11 list and vice versa. 

The CHAIRMAN indicated that in his opinion such questions could be 

solved by the Executive Committee. He asked Captain McCormick if he 

felt that the list is inadequate and, if so, in what respect. 

CAPTAIN McCORMICK said he thought it might do as a trial balloon 

but he would pref er that it be reviewed before proposing it to LSIB. 

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The CHAIRMAN intimated that editorial review would do and that if 

further objections were perceived they could be raised during the 

interregnmn between USCIBEC and USCIB approval. 

MR. POLYZOIDES stated that in his view the INTCCM had done as good 

a job as they could working against the hard deadline given them by the 

Executive Secretary, and which now proves to be artificial. He suggested 

that in view of the lack of time the INTCCM had had £or thorough review 

and in consideration of the time elements indicated by the SUSLOs, the 

proposal be recommitted to the INTCCM for the purpose of solving the 

still existing questions. · 

CAPTAIN AGNEW suggested that, in view of the need for further 

adjustments with GCHQ, the Executive Committee dispose of the proposed 

listings and let the INTCCM devote its attention to devising a mechanism 

for keeping them current. 

MR. POLYZOIDES stated that he favored having the INTCOM do a 

complete package incorporating the U.S. view. 

The CHAIRMAN drew attention to the lack of celerity with which the 

Board's machinery is moving on this problem and suggested that the lists 

be sent to the Board and to LSIB with a view to concurrent adjustment 

between NSA and GCHQ so that the final approvals could be expedited. 

MR. POLYZOIDES said he thought that enough issues had been raised 

to warrant recommittal to INTCOM and that such action need not cause 

excessive delay. 

DR. SHINN interposed a comment to the effect that the problan has 

become quite complicated because of the many compromises that had to be 

made to achieve the new Appendix 11B". He said that he felt that a 

mechanism £or administering the lists on a current basis should be 

adopted before adopting such lists themselves. 

MR. POLYZOIDES stated that in his view such a mechanism is quite 

important. 

The CHAIRMAN asked Mr. Polyzoides just what sort of a mechanism he 

had in mind. 

MR. POLYZOIDES said that he had been thinking in terms of a group 

to maintain continuing surveillance over the assignments of material to 

Categories. He said he would like to have INTCCM advice on what sort o:r 

a mechanism. they think would be best for the purpose. 

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The CHAIRMAN expressed the view that the problem is actually a good 

deal simpler than the current discussion makes it appear. He said that 

he had understood that the INTCOM and everyone else had agreed that the 

machinery of USCIB provides an adequate mechanism of administration for 

routine situations. He pointed out that use of the Board structure 

would envisage NSA and GCHQ getting together on the initial listings 

which could then be reviewed by the INTCCM, USCIBEC and USCIB as necessary. He pointed out that in order to get consideration for a change in 

the listings, including the movement of material from the 11assigned11 to 

the "suitable" list, it would be necessary only for the member desiring 

the change to raise the question and the Board's machinery would start 

moving. He said that he feels, and had understood that the INTCCM feels, 

that a special.mechanism may be necessary only for urgent cases. He 

concluded by'9~ying that it is for these reasons he had pressed the 

Chairman, INTC.G1 to submit an agreed delineation or Categories and leave 

the question $t·a mechanism to administer them to be settled lat~r. 

DR. SHINN reviewed the history of the question, substantially agreed 

with the preceding remarks of the Chainnan and concluded by saying that 

it is the requirement for speed that gives rise to the view that a 

separate mechanism is needed for downgrading systems at a moment's notice. 

The CHAIRMAN said he could see no reason for holding up progress 

while such a mechanism is being devised. 

Discussion again centered around the question of recommitting the 

INTCOM report for further review in consideration of the points that have 

been raised. 

It was the consensus that USCIB 13.7/26 be returned to INTCOM. 

MR. POLYZOIDES expressed the view that a lot or time could have been 

saved by agreeing to recommittal earlier. 

The CHAIRMAN intimated that in his view the majority of the Committee 

does not seem to be as concerned as they ought to be over the need for 

action on categorization. He then asked if the Executive Committee would 

care to consider recommending a change in codewords concurrently with 

whatever is agreed on categorization. 

It was the consensus that, while the idea has merit, the time element 

might render such action impracticable. It was, however, agreed that the 

Executive Secretary should assess the time element and subnit appropriate 

recommendations in accord therewith. 

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USCIB: 13. 7 /30 

DECISION: (30 July 1954) 

1. That USCIB 13.7/26 be reconsidered by the INTCCM with the view 

to recommending a U.S. position on the following: 

a. An editorial review of the lists contained in USCIB 13.7/26 

to eliminate duplication and render them as up to date as practicable. 

b. A delineation of categories recommended for current COMINT 

including that material considered to be suitable for assignment to 

categories lower than Category III and that material to be currently 

assigned to such lower categories. 

c. A meehanism for maintaining both the "suitable" and 

"assigned" listings in current status. 

I 

2. That INTC(J[ forward its report to the Executive Secretary for 

action which might include appropriate recommendations regarding such 

change of codewords as may then be considered feasible. 

The meeting adjourned at 1615. 

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