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7 March 1955 

lV.JiMQRANDill-i. FUR THE MEMBERS OF USCIB: 

Subject: Revision of the UK.USA Agreement. 

1. Cn 10 March 1954 there wa.s distributed to USCIB for vote sheet 

approval a proposal by the Director, NSA for re-documenting the arrangements for UK.USA CCJ.iINT collaboration in an accurate and up-to-d.R.te form 

(USCIB 14.1/16). This proposal suggested action Along the following 

lines: 

"a. USCIB a.nd LSIB should agree upon a re-statement of the broad 

principles of COMINT collaboration. 

b. USCIB and LSIB should agree that the detailed methods of 

collaboration shall be arranged, according to ~hese principles, in 

technical agreements to be established and kept current by the Directors, 

NSA and GCHQ. 

c. USCIB and LSIB should agree that the arrangements to be 

agreed upon by the Directors, NSA and GCHQ, while subject to supervisory 

controls by either Board, do not require agreement between the Boards. 

d. USCIBEC should be instructed to prepare a paper to serve a.s 

a }:>asis for USCIB - LSIB agreement on the three points outlined. above. 11 

2. Vote sheet consideration by USCIB resulted in this item being 

placed on the USCIBEC Agenda. USCIBEC considered the proposal at its 

13th meeting on 26 March 1954, recommended approval in principle and that 

the NSA member and the Executive Secretary collaborate in the prepAration 

of specific papers designed to implement the proposal (USCIB 14.1/19 of 

29 MRrch 1954; notice of approval by the Board issued in USCIB 14.1/21 of 

8 April 1954). 

3. Specific papers drafted by the NSA member in collaboration with 

the Executive Secretary were circulated to the members of USCIB for vote 

sheet approval on 15 September 1954 (USCIB 14.1/24). These papers 

recommended that the Executive Secretary be directed. to arrange with the 

Secretary, LSIB for USCIB-LSIB agreement on a note as follows to be added 

to the INTRODUCTION to the Appendices to the UK.USA Agreement: 

USCIB: 14.1/36 HA:NBLEI VIA OOMIN'i' OIIA:NNEmS ONE.¥ 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 02-25-2014 pursuantto E.O. 1352a 

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7 March 1955 

Subject: Revision of the UKUSA Agreement. 

"On USCIB and LSIB agreed that a general 

revision of'the Appendices was required. They further 

agreed that as a first step toward such revision USCIB 

would furnish LSIB, for comment, detailed proposals which 

are being prepared by USCIB. Pending agreement by both 

parties on a general revision of the Appendices, the 

Directors, NSA and GCHQ, will: 

(a) determine jointly any changes which may be required 

in Appendices c, D, E, F, K, L, and M and 

(b) implement any such changes which they agree to be 

necessary. 

Although this interim authorization enables the Directors, 

NSA and GCHQ, to change or interpret specified Appendices 

by mutual agreement, it does not require USCIB or LSIB to 

approve such c..hanges or interpretations provided these are 

within the spirit and intent of current UK.US.I\ policy." 

4. Vote sheet action by the members of USCIB approved the proposals 

on Appendices C, D, E, L, a..Tld M but agreement on the inclusion of 

Appendices F and K was not obtained. The result was referral back to 

USCIBEC for further consideration. This action was notified to the members 

on 5 October 1954 (USCIB 14.1/26). · 

5. ·an 22 October 1954 USCIBEC considered the matter in the light of 

the comments by the members of the Board and submitted the following 

recommendation to. USCIB,(USCIB 14.1/28 of 27 October 1954) which was 

approved by USCIB as of 5 November 1954 (USCIB 14.1/30 of 15 November 1954): 

n(a) That appendices C, D, E, L, and M be considered technical 

appendices, with the understanding that all members of USCIB will be 

informed in writing through the Executive Secretary, USCIB, of every 

change in these appendices that may be agreed between NSA and GCHQ. 

(b) That appendices F and K tentatively be considered policy 

appendices subject to further consideration at the next meeting of USCIBEC. 11 

6. On 6 December 195~ an NSA paper setting forth a strong recommendation for inclusion of Arpendices F and K in the technical category was 

circulated for vote sheet action by the members of USCIBEC (USCIB 14.1/31). 

The Navy, Air Force, and State Department members of USCIBEC were una.ble to 

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7 M8rch 1955 

Subject: Revision of the UKUSA Agreement. 

agree to NSA 1s recommendation (see USCIB 14.1/.32 of 21 December 1954) and 

the matter was considered by USCIBEC at its 24th meeting on 2B January 

1955 with the following result: 

"DECISION: (28 January 1955) USCIBEC agreed that each member concerned 

with policy or consumer-interest exceptions to Appendices 1F1 and 1K1 

UK.USA, would notify the NSA member of those portions of the Appendices 

upon which he will require edvance notification in the event of contemplated amendment, it being understood that the Appendices will otherwise 

be considered 'technical'. It was further agreed that such exceptions 

will be reviewed by the NSA member and the Executive Secretary with a 

view to preparing a reconunendation on the subject which will be acceptable to USCIB. 11 

7. Subsequent to the above quoted decision and in an effort to 

assist in arriving at a solution, the Executive Secretary submitted to 

the NSA member of USCIBEC the following proposal: 

"Subject: _ Status of UKUSA Appendices 1F 1 and 1K 1 • 

111. I 1 have examined the various statements made by the members 

with regard to'the consumer interest in subject appendices and conclude 

that in essence they boil down to a desire to be consulted in advance 

wit.h regard to changes affecting the following three aspects of socalled 1technical 1 arrangements that may be concluded between NSA and 

GCHQ: 

a. Format. 

b. Division of Collection and Processing Tasks between 

NSA and GCHQ. 

c. Infonnation flow channels between U.S. and U.K. 

consumers. 

11 2. I believe that if NSA would state that it will inform USCIB of 

contemplated changes in technical arrangements that affect any of those 

three aspects in time for any objections the consumers may have to be 

considered in advance of the same proposal being made to GCHQ, the 

consumer members' positions would be satisfied. 

113. A simple procedure to accomplish the above could be a notification to this office of the contemplated change, such notice to be issued' 

to the members of the Board on a ?-day-no-objection interregnum. If 

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7 March 1955 

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objections are received, this office would place the ma.tter before 

USCIBEC for consideration unless directed by a member to place the 

matter on the Boa.rd 1 s agenda. If no objections are received this office 

would issue the usual notice of Board approval. 

114. It seems to me that if the above can be agreed the main purpose of changing the status of the appendices (elimination of dela;y due 

to the forrnalities o.f Board to Board interchanges) will have been served 

and the interests of the consumer members o.f the Board adequately provided for.11 

S. The NSA member of USCIBEC expressed the followinp; vie.iS of the 

Director, National Security Agency with regard to the above quoted 

suggestion by the Executive Secretary: 

11The proposals which I made regarding the task of revising the 

UKUSA Agreement and its Appendices have been approved in principle by 

USCIB, as indicated by USCIB 14.1/21. 

"My proposals regarding the methods of revising UKUSA Appendices 

c, D, E, F, K, L, and M were contained in USCIB 14.1/24. Those 

proposals, insofar as they concern Appendices c, D, E, L, and M have 

been approved by USCIB, as indicated by USCIB 14.1/30, but they have not . yet been referred to LSIB (as proposed) because USCIB has not yet decided' 

whether changes to Appendices F and K should be handled in the same 

manner as changes to the other Appendices specified above. USCIB1s 

decision on this matter has been held in abeyance pending receipt o.f 

recommendations by USCIBEC. 

"I have followed USCIBEC 1s actions on this problem with interest. 

I do not believe USCIBEC is approaching a solution to the problem, and 

I consider it possible and necessary for USCIB to reach a decision on 

it without delay •• 

"My position, as stated in USCIB 14.1/26 remains unchanged. I note 

thaL the positions maintained by the several other USCIB member organi- , zations within USCIBEC are in agreement with the NSA position, except 

for certain views which have been expressed by representatives of State, 

Navy, and Air Force. As I interpret those views, I believe there are no 

objections to the proposals contained in USCIB 14.1/24 if provisions are 

made for intra-U.S. coordination, whenever necessary, prior to NSA-GCHQ 

agreement on changes to Appendices F and K. I am convinced that suitable provisions are already contained in existing statements of policy 

governing (a) the organization and conduct of the U.S. COMINT effort; and 

(b) COMINT collaboration between the U.S. and the U.K. 

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7 March 1955 

Subject: Revision of the UKUSA Agreement. 

111 recommend final USCIB approval of the proposals contained in 

USCIB 14.1/24, with the understanding that there will be consultation 

with the interested USCIB members (or their representatives) prior to 

agreement with GCHQ when, in my opinion, a modification to UKUSA 

Appendices C, D, E, F, K, L, or M might reasonably be expected to 

impinge on the spirit or intent of current policy. 11 

9. During the course of the above described events the Directors, 

NSA and GCHQ concluded a revision of Appendix E (see USCIB 14.1/35 of 

17 February 1954) which was circulated to the holders of the UK.USA 

Agreement on 21 February 1955 with the following notation: 

"The existing Appendix 'E', dated 1 June 1951, is replaced 

by this new version; however it should not be destroyed pending 

formal USCIB-LSIB agreement on the revision." 

10. In order to wind this matt.er up, and, in view of the fact that 

the Directors, NSA and GCHQ have now been separately authorized by their 

respective Boards to conclude revisions of arrangements previously concluded between the two Boards themselves, action should be taken soon 

to complete the formalities of USCIB-LSIB agreement to the procedures 

those two bodies have each separately authorized thus far, LSIB having 

gone farther than USCIB. The only bar to such action on the part of 

USCIB is agreement on the inclusion of Appendices F and K within the 

scope of the procedures. It is therefore recommended that USCIB approve 

the action described in paragraph 3 above noting the arrangements 

already agreed on Appendices c, D, E, L, and M (as quoted in paragraph 5 

above) and noting further the comments quoted in paragraph 8 above 

together with such other understandings as may be reached through discussion by the Board. 

ptain, • Navy 

...,..,...ijil'<Ati ve Secretary, USCIB 

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