REF ID:A44651 

-. -eRE+ t-5Z:.F'. 

(Buie Ltr: ACS/In.telltgence, u. s. Air Force, tile AFCL'f-1C3, Sab.ject: 

(U) Data Collection 1acil.1ties, i'eclmie&l IDtell.i.gence, dtd lit lov 6o) 

lat Ind aenai: N 4 798 

7 DEC 1960 

!iat1cmal. Securi"t1' Agency, Fort George ~. Meade, Maey.laml 

'l'O: .Assistant C:biet ot Stai':f', I11:telligence, Jn1 ted States A1r lorce, 

The l'eatagon, Waal:Wlgtcm 25, :o. e. 

l. Aexoapace '?echrdcal. Intellit-,'"8Dee Center (Anc) efforts to 

assist the JatiomJJ. Securit)t Agenq- (EA) in ac:q\lirtng a capability 

tor .reception dl'J4 record.1ag ot signal• emanat1Dg :from aate.1.lites am 

space veh1clea are appreciated. It is wcognized at -:hi.a time that 

the U'nited States bU on.l.y a margt.Dal. collection ca-,t-&btli ty agai.ost 

Sov1et earth satelli tea and space probes. Accordi~, JSA bas 

,PQrSUed With urpney the deveJ.opment ~ a :ninimnm .:&i)&bility to collect 

foreigp. earth sate.ll:.i.te ami space vehic:le t:raDsllliasions. In this 

regard, the .Department ~t !lefense recentl.1 charged the Natio.oal 

Securi ~ Agency Vi th the t..ask ~ ;repanng a SlGilfl collection i»lan• 

2. 4n ;.be :ourse ot its studies, JSA l1aa investipted the 

possibili t7 ot Wlillg apace trackiD& and data acquisition :c"'acill ties 

;assessed b7 the Jili.U taey llepartme,nts and the Jatioml Aeronautics 

and Space Mmi:listrati-on. General.l;/ 1 these !acili ties are am.p.l.oyed 

i;;i reaearcb. and develoPmnt tasks or space trackillg. lSA ase ot ";nese 

tacili ties ~llouJ.d :uoat :;;>robabl;/ result in a second priority being 

accorded to data collection fraa .toreien earth satellites and space 

!le.bi.al.ea. There are security 'robJ.ema inherent in aiDS these 

i•aeill t1ea. ~, i!Or.rtractor _personnel are 118ed extenai vel.7 

1:l tne 3/D enViroament and '2ere will be .requirements to ase codeword 

tntormatiOJl in proper ~cal direct.ion ot the ~ction t"acilitiea • 

.Jfost important, aowever, facilities poesesaed b1' the Military Depart• 

:neat& ·and llASA. gene~ require exteaaift aDd expensive· .:ic-dification 

Detore they can ettecti~ collect data for iDtelligence purposes. 

3· ?be Jational Securi t7 Aget.J.c7 conceptual. pl.au for SlQDl'f 

eollectioll at toreigrl earth satellite and apace fthicle t1"8D8miasiona 

is sc.beduled tor coordiDatioD with tbe Department ot Defense Yithi.n a 

SECRET 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 10-25-2013 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 
REF ID:A44651 

Se!CRET 

(l!asic Ltr: Aes/Inteilioence, u. s. Air i'orce, tile AFCll-lC3, SUbject: 

(U) Data Collection 1acilit1es, Technical Intelligence, dtd 14 Jov 6o) 

lst Ind (Cont'd) Ser1al: N 

few weeka. _ilben the pJ.aa 1• approved. the National Securi t7 Agency 

will explore and attempt to exploit azq ad:va.ntages to be derived 

in use o'£ United States research and development .facilities. It ia 

reeounended., therefore, tut proviaion of additioD&l equipment l'or 

Air Foree JU.saile 'fest center facilities ror clIGIM' collection be 

beld ill abeywe _pending outcome at Departaent of Defense and 

tlatiOD&l. Security Agency deliberationa • 

w/d 

AG 

?.eading File 

OPS 

GENS-o)l 

PROD-001 

PROD-04 

COSA-2 

COSA-04 

GEHS-02 

. :.,· , u !:'~· .... <.'"!' '.,, ·-· .r: •• ·;~ r.. a. f11UCT 

"'lice Admiral, IJSN 

Di.rector 

M/?.: ACS Intelligence, !-\F requested comments on correspondence it 

forwarded. Correspondence included letters :rem ATIC and Atlantic ~1issile Range contractor in which it was proposed tc augment equi~­

ment at two Af\'.!R facilities and bring them into a collection net to 

intercept and record satellite and space Yehicle signals. aeply 

has been coorO.inated with Mr. Guy Stevens (GENS-02) i.·U'· o. R. Kirby 

(PROD-04) and Col. Burn (CPS). 

4798 

Mr. w. Deeley, GENS-651, 4195-s, 2 Dec co, mb 

3 

SECRET