TNAG-0414-FCO40-460-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 152

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present time CIA does disseminate intelligence within the U.S. nar- cotics control community as it becomes available. This intelligence has led to a number of arrests and seizures of heroin, both in the United States and abroad.

In the past year there have been several public allegations to the effect that the Central Intelligence Agency has been involved, directly or indirectly, in narcotics traffic in Southeast Asia. During the course of its investigations the Staff Survey Team investigated these charges carefully, both in Southeast Asia and in Washington. The Staff Sur- vey Team found no evidence to support these allegations.

There are other intelligence analysis groups working on the prob- lem. There is a Strategic Intelligence Office (SIO) in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Customs has an Intelligence Divi- sion with a group that confines its activities to narcotics intelligence and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) in the Depart- ment of State occasionally produces studies on international narcotics. In July 1972 another intelligence group was created in the Justice Department the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence (ONNI).

OFFICE OF NATIONAL NARCOTICS INTELLIGENCE

On July 27, 1972, the President directed the Attorney General to establish an "Office of National Narcotics Intelligence" (ONNI). The office is headed by a Director who is responsible to the Attorney General.

In the Executive Order creating ONNI, the President directed that the Director:

(1) Be responsible for the development and maintenance of a Na- tional Narcotics Intelligence System;

(2) Be authorized to provide narcotics intelligence to any Federal, State, or local official with a legitimate official need to have access to such intelligence;

(3) Cooperate with the Director of the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement in order to assist him in insuring that all steps permitted by law are being taken by Federal, State, and local governments, and to the extent feasible, by private persons and organizations, to prevent drug abuse in the United States.

To carry out these instructions, the President further directed that each department and agency of the Federal Government assist the Director of ONNI in the performance of "functions assigned to him" and authorized the Director to utilize the services of any Federal and State agency as "available and appropriate."

The reasons most often cited for the establishment of the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence is that there was no central repository where the information being collected was collated and analyzed. As a result, much valuable information which would have been useful to the Cabinet Committee and to domestic law enforcement agencies was not available.

Another important reason is that due to the dual international- domestic relationship of the anti-narcotics effort. it was neces- sary to place the responsibility for coordinating intelligence activities. in a department which had jurisdiction to operate in the United States. The CIA is precluded by law from performing such a function and

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