CIA-RDP96-00791R000100030030-2

Approved For Release 2004/09/09 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000100030030-2
Secret
27 Mar 95
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MEMO FOR :
Record
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FROM :
SUBJECT :
Meeting with Dick D'Amato re Star Gate Transfer
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In attendance were Dick D'Amato (SAC) ,
(D/ORD) ,
(ORD) ,
(OPA) , and
(Comptroller's
Office) .
Dick D'Amato's major concerns expressed at the 27 Mar meeting
in his office were:
-frustration with DIA past management of the program
-not to have this DIA-CIA transfer take forever
-not to lose talent of viewers or have them "languish at DIA".
-that the contractor was advancing operational viewing
techniques and not the government program personnel
SG1B
We described the main activities involved in our response the
CDA, i.e., Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) review, declassification, and
the subsequent development of a management strategy.
We brought
him up to date on the status of the BRP, told him that we had
contacted the NRC, that they had chosen four experts (2-
proponents, 2-critics) which the NRC would commission to write
papers and then review using a panel of six NRC members. We
talked about the declassification of ORD's early program and CIA
sponsorship of the activity. We mentioned discussions with CIA
CSI on the issue. We said that we had sent a memo to DIA
requesting further declassification from them.
We stated that our
management strategy could not be written until we had learned more
about the program.
Here is a recap of some of the specific items discussed:
SG1B
He said little about the NRC review, no real reaction
except tacit approval. He did ask whether the NRC committee
Approved For Release 2004/09/69 CCfA-RDP96-00791R000100030030-2
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Approved For Release 2004/09/09 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000100030030-2
Secret
would be finished by July. We promised that we would have
something for Congress in the way of a proposed management
plan by July, but that in all honesty, the NRC committee
probably would not be finished until later. He did seem
overly concerned with the deadline, he wanted assurances that
this would not take forever.
He said that the push to declassify was not so much to
get us into cooperative programs, although it would
facilitate that. He felt that some parts of the program
would have to remain classified, such as targets, names,
sources, and methods. He agreed that a lot of it could be
declassified and seemed to approve of our steps in that
direction.
D'Amato said that he was frustrated with DIA, that DIA
had not supported the program over the years, but that it was
Trish Keenan who had suggested that it be moved to CIA. He
said that the current program manager at DIA was part of the
problem.
He didn't mention specific people at Ft. Meade, but did
say he did not want this DIA-CIA transfer take forever.
Main
reason is that the he didn't want to lose talent of viewers
or have them "languish at DIA". He did indicate that he would
put "something in the language in the fall" about this,
however without elaboration. Didn't make a big deal about
the 500K or 10 billets, though obviously concerned about the
ultimate status of the viewers. He asked specifically whether
these people would be physically located at CIA.
I said I
couldn't answer it at this time, but that these people would
not remain at DIA if CIA were take them,
but that we couldn't
make that decision right now.
amplified this point
much further and said that currently we have no way to task
them, get requirements, or disseminate the results of their
activities. Since DIA has all of this in place we prefer the
leave the people at DIA where they can continue to be
productive.
He didn't have much to say about the general R&D.
We agreed to keep him in the loop, he said he wanted that.
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Approved For Release 2004/09/09@CA-RDP96-00791R000100030030-2