NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY 

WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 

ll January 1955 

SUBJECT: Decentralization of the llational COMINT Effort 

TO: Chief, Army Security Agency 

The Pentagon 

Director, Naval Communications 

The Pentagon 

Commander 

U. S. Air Force Security Service 

San Antonio, Texas 

Reference: NSA letter, subject as above, dated 30 August 1954 

1. The reference indicated that I was preparing a plan outlining 

COMINT tasks to be decentralized to your units during the next two years. 

This plan, the details of which are contained in the inclosure, has been 

completed and is forwarded herewith for implementation. The tasks 

selected for decentralization are those most susceptible to field 

exploitation and which will produce information of direct benefit to the 

Commanders whom your units are supporting. The dead.line for decentralization of each task was set in accordance with the priority of each task 

and w-lth the current, known capability of each unit to assume the task 

by t~e date indicated. 

2. The plan provides for complete decentralization of some tasks 

and for Joint NSA-field rrocessing of others. The distinction was made 

on the basis of the current st~te of exploit~bility of the tasks 

indicated. Thus, it will not be unusual for a task to be shifted from 

Joint status to a fu1ly decentralized status as the exploitability of 

the task increases or for a fully decentralized task to be pla.ced in a 

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joint processing status if the exploitability decreases. It is 

emphasized, however, th.8.t all of the tasks listed, ~hether scheduled for 

eventual full decentralization or not, will be handled on a joint responsibility basis from the moment you are able to begin your initial 

effort on each tas~ until you have acquired all of your personnel for the 

task or the deadline date for actual decentralization arrives, whichever 

is sooner. In this way, we can not only launch a'more extensive and 

representative field operation et the earliest practicable date, but we 

can also accelerate the pace at which your units are placed in a state 

of wartime readiness. 

3. The personnel figures reflected in the plan represent the 

minimum numbers required for each task to insure ad.equate daily 

cove1age seven days a week and are additional requirements above those 

required for tasks previously decentralized. For your planning purposes, 

therefore, it will be necessary to apply a realistic additional fector 

to the personnel ~stimates to compensate for losses caused by leaves, 

troop-training, on-job instruction, military work details, etc. The 

plan provides estimates for spe~ialist personnel only and does not 

include clerica1 or other personnel required for ancillary duties. 

4. You are requested to furnish me with the folloving information 

at the earliest practicable date: 

a. Your capability to meet or better the deadlines Sf!t for 

full decentralization; 

b. Your estimates of' the numbers of' specialist personnel 

required after you have applied the additional factor mentioned in 

paragraph 3 above; 

c. Your estimate of the numbers of clerical and other nonspecialist personnel required to accomplish the assigned tasks. 

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5. It is recognized that the changing nature of COMINT is such that 

no program of this type can be inflexible. For this reason, this plan 

will be kept under continuing review. You will be given every possible 

advance notification of any changes to the plan which may require 

modifications in your o1m. planning. To this end, it is also necessary 

that you keep me informed on a current basis of your capability to 

meet and maintain the assigned tasks. 

J. CANINE 

Lieutenant Ge ral, US Army 

Director 

Incl: 

NSA Field Processing Decentralization Plan 

Copies furnished: 

Chief of Staff, U. S. Army 

Chief of Naval Operations 

Chief of Staff, U. S. Air Force 

cc: AG 

V/DIR 

c/s 

DD/ProD 

DC/S ~ S /ASST (Friedman} --:. 

S/ASST (Roltwick) 

P/P (3) 

NSA-062 (5) 063 

70 

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