CORONA and the Intelligence Community

Abstract

On 24 May 1995, CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) concluded a day-and-a-half conference on satellite intelligence at George Washington University. Cosponsored with GWU's Space Policy Institute, the conference--entitled "Piercing the Curtain: CORONA and the Revolution in Intelligence"-- marked a significant event in CIA's efforts to provide more information to the American public. Three years earlier, Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Robert Gates launched CIA's openness program and expanded CSI's duties. Shortly after becoming DCI, Gates formed the Classification Review Task Force (CRTF) to examine the feasibility of releasing satellite imagery. R. James Woolsey, who succeeded Gates as DCI in 1993, continued his predecessors initiatives. In September of that year, Woolsey informed the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that "when protection of certain information is no longer required, then we owe it to our citizens to work hard to disclose as much of that information as we can, consistent with our mission--warts and all." Even before Woolsey's testimony on Capitol Hill, CSI Director David D. Gries had made plans to hold a conference on satellite intelligence. The end of the Cold War had spurred interest in satellites and their possible use for environmental and other studies. When CSI's working group for the satellite intelligence conference met in July 1993, Gries expected to hold it in February 1994. Composed of representatives from CSI, the Office of Research and Development (ORD), the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC), and other elements of the Intelligence Community (IC), including the then classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Central Imagery Office (CIO), the working group anticipated few problems with the conference.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA525679

Entities

People

  • Kevin C. Ruffner

Organizations

  • Central Intelligence Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Arms Control
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Classification
  • Cold War
  • Communities
  • Geological Surveys
  • Intelligence Community
  • International Organizations
  • Materials
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Reconnaissance
  • Satellite Imaging
  • Security
  • Task Forces
  • United States

Readers

  • Geospatial Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence Analytics
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting

Technology Areas

  • Space