ATIC, The 1950s, and National Security Policy – by Bruce Ashcroft, NAIC Historian

This is the declassified briefing for document ATIC, The 1950s, and National Security Policy, written by Bruce Ashcroft, NAIC Historian, and released in 2023. The document was released through a Freedom of Information Act request by John Greenewald, Jr., and is archived on The Black Vault's website. The canonical PDF is available at documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/ATIC1950.pdf. On 21 May 1951, the United States Air Force established the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) as a field activity of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, HQ USAF. Charged with the intelligence assessment of Soviet military aerospace systems during an era of rapid arms buildup and technological change, ATIC played a significant role in the formulation of defense strategy and national security policy. This letter is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act request of 7 July 2009. The request was received by the AFHRA on 7 July 2009 and was assigned the FOIA case number 2009-1867. After researching your request, AFHRA was able to locate a copy of IRIS #1111461. Enclosed is a complete copy of this document. Please note that it is the best copy available. The Air Technical Intelligence Center was small when first established, with only 411 people assigned. In 1954, Major General Harold E. Watson returned to ATIC, newly promoted to Brigadier General. Under General Watson's guidance, the next 4 years saw the wholesale integration of automated data processing into the scientific and technical intelligence discipline. The Center installed its first computer during these years and began work on missile trajectory analysis and aircraft engagement analysis—US versus Russian systems. The Center also began working with Rome Air Development Center and International Business Machines to develop a computer capable of translating Russian into English. General Watson was also a skillful advocate for Center programs. He successfully fought for the construction of Building 828, the beginning of an extensive S&TI complex. As the ATIC mission grew and its analytic capabilities matured, the number of assigned personnel more than doubled and exceeded 1,000 by the time General Watson left a second time. In 1958, Watson received his second star and went to Washington as the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence. In that capacity, he championed the creation of an integrated Air Force intelligence command 30 years before such an organization was created in 1991. During Major General Watson's last tour of duty in 1960-1962, he managed the incorporation of ATIC into the newly established Air Force Systems Command. This union would last 30 years. In many ways, the story of ATIC is a reflection of the vision, personal drive, and skilled leadership of General Watson. The Air Technical Intelligence Center, established on 21 May 1951, played a significant role in the formulation of defense strategy and national security policy. From 1951 to 1961, the Center more than doubled its manpower; meanwhile, the Air Force grew by slightly more than 4 percent. This trend reflected the growing mission of ATIC and the importance attached to its work. The roots of an Air Force mission to evaluate foreign scientific and technical advances in air power date to 1917 when the air service was assigned to the Army. As the nation readied itself to help its European allies in World War I, the national security establishment realized that American aerospace technology was years behind that of the other industrial nations. The story of ATIC is a reflection of the vision, personal drive, and skilled leadership of Major General Harold E. Watson, who guided, shaped, and built the Air Technical Intelligence Center. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. Storyflo.com. documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/ATIC1950.pdf.