spartans_in_darkness

"Fap SEeRETNeOMltfFJOE1
(SI/SO Organization: The sprawling,
regional, multiservice, multinational SIGINT
undertaking during the war was never centralized
bv the American SIGINT leadershi .
et, by 1962 significant numbers of
cryptologists served all over Southeast Asia.
These included personnel from all four services
(the Marine Corps was still part of the .Navy
Department) and the COMINT efforts of other
countries. A plan had been developed that year
for a Joint SIGINT Authority to corral these disparate'elements
under one control,who, in turn,
was to, be subordinate to MACV. However,
bureaucratic impediments emerged in the form
of Armyand Air Force objections/to outside control
of its service cryptologic elements. At the
same time, neither MACVnor CINCPACwas willing
to assume command responsibility for a consolidated
SIGINT effort. The ensuing solution
never really addressed the problems inherent in
the arrangements without a central authority.
(6//61) The logical figure to assume control of
all SIGINT .in the region, the NSAjCSS
Representative, Vietnam, defined his position in
nebulous.termssuch as "facilitator" or "coordinator."
His command structure was under the existing
NSA Representative hierarchy in the Pacific
region - subordinate to the representatives in
Hawaii and, for a.while, the Philippines. Locally,
theNI~V had enough authority to mix it up with
Page 462 fOP SESRHHSeMINlJlX:1 EO 1.4. (c)