101. Editorial Note

On July 23, 1962, Director of the National Reconnaissance Office Joseph V. Charyk sent a memorandum to NRO Program Directors and the Director of the NRO Staff setting forth the “Organization and Functions of the NRO.” The memorandum established the basic organization of the NRO, described the functions of the elements, and outlined the concept and operation. After a discussion of the sensitivity of the NRO mission and the necessity for concealing the organization behind “plausible, overt” names, the memorandum described the responsibilities of the directors of the three elements: “Director, Program A being responsible for NRP satellite effort conducted by the NRO through utilization of Department of the Air Force resources, and the Director, Program B being responsible for NRP effort conducted by the NRO through utilization of Central Intelligence Agency resources. A Director, Program C is being established to be responsible for NRP effort conducted by the NRO through utilization of Naval Research Laboratory resources.” The NRO Staff was responsible for assisting the Director, coordination and liaison with the U.S. Intelligence Board and the principal consumers of the intelligence collected, and overall management and monitoring of projects and staff. (National Reconnaissance Office, NRO Office of Policy Files) Charyk’s memorandum, along with organization charts of the National Reconnaissance Office and the NRO Staff, is available on the Internet, National Security Archive (www.gwu.edu/-~-nsarchiv), Electronic Briefing Book No. 35, “The NRO Declassified,” Document 6.