NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL INTELLIGENCE DiRECTIVE INO. 6 COMAUNICATIONS INTELLIGENCE AND ELECTRONICS INTELLIGENCE (E_cctive 15 Sententer 1¢22) Ae ov wee heOuee 2 4 om, 1. Communications Intelligence (COMINT, and Electronics IntetH- Bence (ELINT) and the netivities porte: T9 (as Achned in para- graph 3cf this directive) ave matonal rezponticiities whese importance meat which to national security requires on erzanizetion and mun+; will: a. Exploit to the maxiraum the avails: zecurces In Ail particamal- ing Gepartments and ; riimate reguiremicats for foreign intclinence rotating to the nau tl siturity, including those adda. of the departiients and agencies cuncer b. Provide for eficiency and cconom in fhe use of (echnical re- sources; and . c. Ensure 0 the neces oasis: of protection. Therefore, pursuant to the alone ceurity A § amended. at = ~JkL the National Se wecurity Cor u 5 the COMINT Agtinibiag of (ha Thies dt Chatce a 7 oe uit . activities, shall be conducted is pr ! il heres. COMING ind ELINT and their associated activities sha fronted as benim withisn Cae frame- work of ¢ cneral tcllisence SCC 2S Otherwise csladblished : under this directrun _ ; . RE S. Deis = vine bere vineree 2 . po ives (Retiree Tortie Miveiive, Ute fais W COPS GI cae See gence” or "COMIN "shall be construca fo tninn techie t Gence information devived fram fercian cemmunicalions by cther thin the intended recipients. COMIMT activities s gto invan those activities which ‘produce COMINT by éSeiny of foreign com Muvations passed by raul io, Wire. or Gtiher cisctro:maanetic meuns, with speeite exception stated beiew, and by une prescssing of farcign en- crypted comnunic ations, however Uransmittea.  Imtercepticn compri 3 scareh, infereept, and dircetion ainding. Precessing cemprises rarnce estimation, transmitter, operator jcentinestron, sional analysis, tratiie alysis, cryptanalysis, decryption. study af utnin text, the fusion of Pere these processes, anil the reporuing of results. . This Directive supersedes NSCID No. 9, resized 29 Be cember 1857, and NSCID
COMINT and COMIN activities as defined herein shall vot siclude (8) any intercept and processing of unsnerypled written commmunica- tions, press and propaganda breadeszsts, or (b) con sership. . ELINT activities are etined 25 the collection (observation and record. ing), ard Che technical wrocessiny foc subacquent inteliigence purnascs, of information derived from foreen, non. ecommiunicauions, clectromesg- netic radiztions emanatincs from cther (han atom: ic detonation or radio- active zources. ELINT jis the technical and inteRNivence-informaticn product of ELINT activities. owen a 2 t ! REMAINDER OF DOCUMENT EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE,
(Page 1) NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTIVE NO. 6! 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. 1This 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.