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McGeorge Bundy, National Security Action Memorandum No. 170, Subject: Intelligence Collection Through Audio Surveillance (President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board), July 6, 1962, w/att: "Intelligence Collection Through Audio Surveillance," Top Secret.

• - 1 •I I THE WHITE HOUSE WASH l NGlTON July 6 196Z I t NATIONAL SECUlUTY ACTION MEMORANDUM NO 170 The Secretary of State v·· Socretary 0£ Dofenso · · TO Tho The• Attorney Gener al The Director of Central Intelligence SUBJECT Intelligence Collection Through Audio Surveillance President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board Recommendation No 35 In ite Tun 26 1962 report to the President the President's Foreign InteWgence Advisory Board made ·r ecomm endationa on the subject a a set forth in the attached excerpt frozn the Board's report The Pre ident haa approved the Board's recom m endation Accorclinglyj it i• requested that appropriate implementing action be ta ken and that a joint report on the progre•• made in carrying out the reconunendati n be furnished to the Pre•ident a nd to the Preaid ent's Boa rd by September 15 19 62 · 1n - McOeorge Bundy Attaclunent Excerpt from tm Board' a report · I cc The Pre8iclent•s F reign Intelligence Advi110ry Board Atte tion J Patrick Coyne t • • I v • · •· I • ' · - - - - - · -- - - - - -·- -· · - _ - l j_ __ l I '• ' ·- ·-· · - t ' • ·-·L- - •·-· · '· - • - - · ----· ··· ·· -·· - - ·· -- '• • • - •N t • t o TOPSECR ET 1 ·t 1 a rise in· countersurveillance at which tune an a dequate level of support could be undertaken However one action which should be taken immediately is to determine those pa rticularly aen·a itive U S inetaJl• · tions overaeas in which security protection ia o £ m - Jor importance ·an d there install shielded soundproof rooms the adequacy of which ha 11 been esl a ehed by b th gov ernmenta l and private research 1 J - i i 1 1 ' 1 1 I •1 l •• f • - j • I · I ' ·1 J 1 • J • • ' J l • 1 1 •• # · ·r ' ···-t ' t · ·· · • ' 1 • • • l • · • •• • - l · · ' •• • '• • ··· ' ' y ' ' · ·· ' · ·-·· · z t • ''li • · I I ·' 4 I '_'• I • ' • ' '' r · · l ' • J · -TOP SAiCRET Intelligence Collection Through Audio Stn-veilla nce I I The Boa rd has been constantly seelc ing to find a ddiiin j al means through scientific resea ch and development whereby hard intelligence can be obtahle4 upon which national policy and action can be reliably undertaken Such a field exists potentially in the field of audio aurvejJJan e A panel of Board me a b ers ha s made a prellini Par_y •tnc y ol the · level of effort an the part of the Central JnteW ence Ageney in tho re search development and operational use of audio a U'veillance devices and techniques £or intelligence purposes Baaed on t fd a study the Board fblda that l L although audio su rveUlance techniques have po- · ten ti all ties for-providing a n» ans of a cquirillg k'eliable hard intelligence not othe se obtainable by oui- Government th limited capabilities of present equipment have precluded the Central Intelligence Agency from successful audio surveillance penetration· of intelligence targets within countrio 11 of the Soviet blocJ b further advances in the eta ta of our audio au rvaillance art 8 l 'e not likely h result from applied eseuch ofiorta on the scale presently being pursued by our Ciovernmeut and c th• full potentialities of audio su rv eillance £ or intelligence purpose• ha ve not boei 1 thorollghly explol 'ed as a majoi· acient Uia undeztaJdna • I ·-1 WbUe we r ecognize that o cannot be aa sw ed that uch an efi'ort would prove succeaa£ul we feel that the p tenti al value of a11dio aurveillanel I for purposes 0£ intelligence colle tion warrants further · ··· ' andnatton · Accordingly we recommend that a joint effort the •l ' •· Central l'Atelligen e Agency and the Defense JnteW gence Agency a m- ke an ope atiou l analysis of existing· and potential use· of audio surveil- - la nee a s an·intelligence collection technique and b d velop a plan ' ·- · · ·e _ploying th• best reeourcee ava U blo to the Centi-al In telligence A eacy and • military services · or the deve pm aurve Mee device• an · f • p h oae reliability and per £orn 8 noe charae teri•tf c• would meet epecified oper•tional intelligence requirements a nci c • t e the _resulto which nug_ht be expected within defined d llar limitatf onat from a major r osearch and developtnen t eifol t _d esigned ta produce practicable · • • · • as ' • t· • f • 4 • • ' audio • m llance systems for the acquisition of intelligence in the en• ' momneJ lt of clandeetine collection· aothitioa of counte1' lnteW S•110e ·· ' opa tiona · ' •w -- ·· ·· I •·· • l'n' the ovent aggresaive actioll ' is taken in the fieid o£ ·a udio· ·· · · · ve1 11 anc e _it i our· fooling that e problems n• opportµmtle _- · · • · · · • • · ' • i ' • ·• f • • p - • •' •' 'l · · - - · · t - • --·__ _ _ -···------ ' • t - · • a · • · - #' • ' · · · _ _ -· • · · · ' •·· ' · · · ' ·· - ·-- · - · - -- ' ' • • • • •