NATIONAL  SECURITY  COUNCL  INTELLIGENCE 
DIRECTIVE  NO.  6: 
•  COMMUNICATIONS  INTELLIGENCE  AND  ELECTRONICS 
INTELLIGENCE 
(Effective  15  Scplcrr.ter  15:3) 
1.  Communications  Inleihecuce  (COMJX7/  and  Electronics  Intelli- 
gence (ELIXT)  and  the  aclivuhcs  pcrtsmm:;  :r.en:o  (cs  defmed  in  para- 
graph 3  of  this  directive)  ;irc  na£:o:ui:  rc^r-m-:aih:;es  whose  importance 
to  national  security  requires  en  organisation  and  mun-^cment  which 
will: 
a.  Exploit  to  the  maximum  th'?  available  resources  in  all  participat- 
ing departments  and  agencies"  lo  sr.t:.-:*y  kvi::.T.atc  requirements  for 
foreign  intcllir'.ence  rclatmc;  to  the.  nnuonal  security,  inciudmj  those 
of  the  departments  and  arjenciei  concerned; 
b.  Provide  for  efficiency  and  economy  in  the  use  of  technical  re- 
sources; and  '  • 
c.  Ensure  the  necessary  decree  of  protection. 
Therefore,  pursuant  lo  the  National  Security  Act  of  1017.  as  amended. 
theXationa!  Security  Council  author;::-:  c.::A  civets  thru*.  COI.'IXT  and 
the  CQMIMT  aciiv' ;">~  *•'  ' K  **  Tr";'  •  •*  *.*«-.»»■<•  -  t-  -i-r.il  ».e-  1*7  ■»  vr  •-»■%»;  v  •.  v:« 
activities,  shall  be  conducted  ;.s  proscribed  hc:r-::i.  COMl.NT  end  F.L1NY 
and  their  associated  activities  s!:a!>  he  treated  a-  bemr;  with;:;  the  frame- 
work of  general  intelligence  activities  except  e_s  otherwise  established 
under  this  dirpot»u* 
«-»v-      1  \.,«  ,1  ■■     1  "'  -Jj.- '  t it  0  '/ 
<?/Cu-f        ,  gence"  or  "COMjXT"  shall  be  construed  to  mian  technics!  and  intcili- 
u/  -^  gence  information  derived  from  foreign  communications  by  other  th::n 
the  intended  recipients. 
COMIXT  activities  shall  be  construed  lo  ir.-.-r-.n  those  activities  which 
'produce  COMINT  by  the  interception  and  proccssm::  of  foreign  com- 
.   •  munieations  pa;..\ed  by  radio,  wire,  or  olhi-r  eh-ctromagnelic  jr.cuns,  with 
.  specific  exception  stated  below,  and  by  ih.c  prcrcssir.ij  cf  foreign  en- 
.  crvpted  communications,  however  iran?m-.ttcd.  Interception  comprises 
search.,  intercept,  and  direction  nucimrf.  Processing-  comprises  ranr;c 
estimation,  {ransnulter.  operator  identife.dicm,  5:~nal  amilys:?:.  traffic 
analysis,  cryptanalysis.  decryption,  study  of  plain  text,  the  fusion  of 
these  processes,  and  the  reporting  of  results. 
•        -  .     .'-This  Directive  supersedes  NSCID  Ko.  9.  rcvlrod  70  December  lf-3?.  and  KSCID
— 1 
•  .  COMINT  and  COMINT  activities  ns  defined  herein  shall  not  include 
(a)  any  intercept  ar.d  procc^inr;  of  umncryptcd  v/riUcn  communica- 
tions, press  and  propaganda  broadcasts,  or  (b)  censorship. 
ELINT  rxliutics  are  (••.•fined  a-,  the  collection  (observation  and  record- 
ing), and  V.K-  technical  j-rocv^in-;  fc:  .-.ub.-cqucnt  intelligence  purples, 
ol  inforniatbn  dcrivid  ircrn  loruen.  i:on-e;>;nmunicatic:!i?.  electromag- 
netic radiations  cn;a:ialin-:  from  oilier  than  atomic  detonation  or  radio- 
active sources.  ELII.T  is  U)c  technical  and  intell^encc-imermalien 
product  of  EZ.INT  activities.   , 
 
... 
REMAINDER  OF  DOCUMENT  EXEMPT  FROM  DISCLOSURE,
(Page   1) 
NATIONAL  SECURITY  COUNCIL  INTELLIGENCE 
DIRECTIVE  NO.  61 
COMMUNICATIONS  INTELLIGENCE  AND  ELECTRONICS 
INTELLIGENCE 
(Effective  15  September  1958) 
1.         Communications  Intelligence  (COMINT)  and  Electronics  Intelligence  (ELINT)  and  the 
activities  pertaining  thereto  (as  defined  in  paragraph  3  of  this  directive)  are  national  responsibilities 
whose  importance  to  national  security  requires  an  organization  and  management  which  will: 
a.  Exploit  to  the  maximum  the  available  resources  in  all  participat- 
ing departments  and  agencies  to  satisfy  legitimate  requirements  for 
foreign  intelligence  relating  to  the  national  security,  including  those 
of  the  departments  and  agencies  concerned; 
b.  Provide  for  efficiency  and  economy  in  the  use  of  technical  re- 
sources; and 
c.  Ensure  the  necessary  degree  of  protection. 
Therefore,  pursuant  to  the  National  Security  Act  of  1947,  as  amended, 
the  National  Security  Council  authorizes  and  directs  that  COMINT  and 
the  COMINT  activities  of  the  United  States,  as  well  as  ELINT  and  ELINT 
activities,  shall  be  conducted  as  prescribed  herein.  COMINT  and  ELINT 
and  their  associated  activities  shall  be  treated  as  being  within  the  frame- 
work of  general  intelligence  activities  except  as  otherwise  established 
under  this  directive 
3.         Definitions 
For  the  purpose  of  this  directive,  the  terms  "Communications  Intelli- 
gence" or  "COMINT*  shall  be  construed  to  mean  technical  and  intelli- 
gence information  derived  from  foreign  communications  by  other  than 
the  indended  recipients. 
COMINT  activities  shall  be  construed  to  mean  those  activities  which 
produce  COMINT  by  the  interception  and  processing  of  foreign  com- 
munications passed  by  radio,  wire,  or  other  electromagnetic  means,  with 
specific  exception  stated  below,  and  by  the  processing  of  foreign  en- 
crypted communications,  however  transmitted.  Interception  comprises 
search,  intercept,  and  direction  finding.  Processing  comprises  range 
estimation,  transmitter  operator  identification,  signal  analysis,  traffic 
analysis,  cryptanalysis,  decryption,  study  of  plain  text,  the  fusion  of 
these  processes,  and  the  reporting  of  results. 
nThis  Directive  supercedes  NSCID  No.  9  revised  29  December  1952,  and  NSCID
(Page  2) 
COMINT  and  COMINT  activities  as  defined  herein  shall  not  include 
(a)  any  intercept  and  processing  of  unencrypted  written  communica- 
tions, press  and  propaganda  broadcasts,  or  (b)  censorship. 
ELINT  activities  are  defined  as  the  collection  (observation  and  recor- 
ding), and  the  technical  processing  for  subsequent  intelligence  purposes, 
of  information  derived  from  foreign,  non-communications,  electromag- 
netic radiations  emanating  from  other  than  atomic  detonation  or  radio- 
active sources.  ELINT  is  the  technical  and  intelligence-information 
product  of  ELINT  activities.