National Security Council Intelligence Directives (NSCIDs)

NSCIDs are executive level directives intended to provide guidance to all of the elements of the intelligence community. As such they might detail guidelines for executing roles within the intelligence community as in the case of NSCID No. 1, which details the "Basic Duties and Responsibilities" for the DCI (Director of Central Intelligence). According to Richelson, the first NSCID was issued in 1947, then upgraded as necessary in 1952, 1958, 1961, 1964, and "...As of 1981 the last major revision appears to have been completed on February 17, 1972." 1

NSCIDs are sometimes instrumental in stimulating other directives in lower deparments, and in fact give the DCI authority to issue DCIDs.

The following are the NSCIDs thought to be in effect as of 2/17/72:

NSCIDs

  1. "Basic Duties and Responsibilities" - assigns DCI four major responsibilities and authorizes issuance of DCIDs.
  2. "Coordination of Overt Activities" - makes DCI responsible for planning of collection and reporting of various government agencies.
  3. "Coordination of Intelligence Production" - outlines the split of production responsibilities between the Dept. of State, Department of Defense (DOD), CIA, and NFIB.
  4. "The Defector Program" - presumably CIA program specific.
  5. "U.S. Espionage and Counterintelligence Activities Abroad".
  6. "Signals Intelligence" - Charter for the NSA, secret.
  7. "Critical Information" - Changed from 1947 title, secret.
  8. "Photographic Interpretation" - directs activities of the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC).
  9. "Central Security Service", Dod Directive S-5100.20, National Security Agency and the Central Security Service 2
  10. "National Cryptological School", DoD Directive 5100.47 2

1 The U.S. Intelligence Community, Richelson, See MILNET Bibliography.

2 The United States Marine Corps Home Page at http://www.hqmc.usmc.mil/direct/AOADDBFC.txt

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