Peace Through Knowledge of the Enemy

By Harvey E Miller USMC (RET)

The writing is an anthological history of aerial photographic reconnaissance and imagery interpretation in the U. S. Marine Corps in the Twentieth Century. This anthology covers the birth of photographic interpretation in the U.S. Marine Corps, the training evolution of imagery analysts from their cartographic roots, the transition from propeller driven aircraft to high performance reconnaissance jet aircraft, the evolution from hard copy photography to digital softcopy imagery, advancements in sensor technologies and remote sensing, and the emergence of the Marine Corps first Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728369662

Harvey E Miller USMC (RET)

Harvey Miller is a retired Marine Corps imagery analyst of 22 years and has been serving as an intelligence professional within the intelligence community for over 41 years. He has served in many capacities over his career from being a photographic interpreter and imagery analyst serving operational commanders in combat, to providing critical intelligence products and services to combatant commands and national level policy makers. He has filled critical positions as a photographic interpreter, photogrammetrist, imagery analyst, national systems specialist, imagery scientist and instructor of advanced imagery phenomenologies, to being an office director of a major intelligence agency. Currently, he serves as the chief of imagery sciences for a national intelligence agency and is a volunteer docent for the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA.

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ISBN: 978-1-7283-6967-9 (sc)

978-1-7283-6966-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020914617

Published by AuthorHouse 09/01/2020

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Acknowledgment and Dedication

T he writing of this anthology was inspired by a great leader, mentor, and friend, Lieutenant Colonel John J. Guenther, United States Marine Corps Retired. John Guenther is credited by more than a few, and rightfully so, as being the father of modern-day Marine Corps intelligence. He served in Marine Corps intelligence for over 45 years in 19 different enlisted, commissioned, and senior executive civilian grades and capacities.

After his illustrious career as a Marine Corps Intelligence officer, he transitioned to the Senior Executive Service, serving as the Deputy Director for Marine Corps Intelligence at Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps (HQMC), in Arlington Virginia. After serving for more than 31 years as a Marine and 14 years as a senior executive, he attained the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Senior Executive. He ended his active career when he retired in 1996. John initially enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1948 and retired from the Marine Corps in 1979. John Guenther served in Korea at Inchon and Chosin Reservoir; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, two tours in Vietnam, and as a Joint Operations Officer and Naval Representative with the U.S. Military Liaison Mission to the Group of Soviet Forces Germany in East Germany from 1974 through 1977. John Guenther’s final duty station was at HQMC, where he established the congressionally mandated Marine Corps Tactical Exploitation of National Space Capabilities (TENCAP) office. The TENCAP office, initially known as INTX and later as CIP, was the office that provided the foundation for change within imagery intelligence. They directed and facilitated the evolutionary transition from hard copy imagery derived from dedicated photoreconnaissance aircraft, to that of softcopy digital imagery obtained from national and commercial satellites. The Marine Corps TENCAP office was responsible for intelligence policy for space that included the downgrading of highly compartmented imagery intelligence held at the Top Secret level down to what is called the Secret collateral level. By doing so, it put the critical imagery into the hands of those tactically deployed operational commanders who needed it for planning and execution of their mission on the battlefield. This effort forever changed how we used imagery in support of tactical operations within the Marine Corps.

Upon his retirement, John Guenther had an aspiration to write an anthology of Marine Corps intelligence. He shared his ideas with his fellow Marines and solicited input. He pulled me aside and told me that he had the Counter Intelligence (CI), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Interrogator Translator (ITT) areas covered but needed some assistance in the Photographic and imagery Intelligence area. As a novice historian, I jumped at the opportunity to assist in giving him a small write up of about ten pages on the anthological history of Photographic intelligence and imagery analysis. One thing led to another, and I rapidly exceeded his and my expectations and continued to do research and write. It was John who inspired me to try and capture the history of U.S. Marine Corps’ aerial photoreconnaissance and imagery interpretation from its inception until 1996. John and I met occasionally, and he guided me as he worked with the Historical Division at MCB Quantico, Virginia. Unbeknown to many, John Guenther was also fighting a long time ailment. On 29 October 2009, we lost a true leader in the Marine Corps and a highly respected senior leader in the United States Intelligence Community (IC). His unexpected passing left his final manuscript incomplete, and the Marine Corps reserve officers supporting HQMC C4I took on the task to consolidate his last writings and complete it. I forged on with my research and writing.

I have many notable Marines to thank for providing me guidance, support, biographical input, and impromptu personal interviews. They include Major Chuck Ryn, Colonel Phil Chudoba, Major General Mike Ennis, General Al Gray, Lieutenant Colonel Garland Les Sharpless, Major Charlie Evans, Master Gunnery Sergeant Johnny Asbery, and Colonel H. Wayne Flash Whitten of the Marine Corps Aerial Reconnaissance Association (MCARA) to name a few. However, it is my loving wife, Maureen, who allowed me to spend countless hours performing research, compiling data, and causing all sorts of hate and discontent within the household in writing this manuscript. She was also the driving factor in getting this to a publisher, as I would still be adding more to it and tweaking it forever.

Contents

Acknowledgment and Dedication

INTRODUCTION:

Chapter 1:     The Beginnings of Aerial Photographic Reconnaissance

Chapter 2:     The Great War: The Dawning of Marine Corps Aerial Photographic Reconnaissance

Chapter 3:     Between the Wars: The Formative Years

Chapter 4:     World War II Rejuvenates USMC Photographic Reconnaissance.

Chapter 5:     The Post War Reduction of Force and the Beginnings of the Cold War

Chapter 6:     The Korean War and the Resurrection of the Paper Tigers

Chapter 7:     National Peacetime Aerial Reconnaissance Program (PARPRO)

Chapter 8:     The Cuban Missile Crisis: A National Emergency

Chapter 9:     The Invasion and Occupation of the Dominican Republic

Chapter 10:   Vietnam: The Advancement of Aerial Photographic Reconnaissance and Imagery Analysis

Chapter 11:   A New Era in Imagery Analysis Training

Chapter 12:   The Mayaguez Incident and Changes in Imagery Intelligence

Chapter 13:   Post-Vietnam and the Establishment of Eyes of the Corps

Chapter 14:   The Marine Corps Presence at the Fleet Intelligence Centers

Chapter 15:   The 497th And 548th Reconnaissance Technical Groups: A Marriage of Three Services

Chapter 16:   The Birth of Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP)

Chapter 17:   Continued Organizational Refinement of Imagery Exploitation Units

Chapter 18:   A Day of Reckoning in Marine Corps Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance

Chapter 19:   DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM: The Groping of the Operationally Blind

Chapter 20:   Post DESERT SHIELD/STORM: A Time for Reflection and Exercises in Futility

Chapter 21:   The Corps’ Regains Partial Vision Back to the MAGTF

Bibliography:

Personal Interviews and References:

Photographs:

About the Author

Peace Through

Knowledge of the Enemy:

An Anthological History of Aerial Photographic

Reconnaissance and Imagery Interpretation

In The U. S. Marine Corps in the Twentieth Century

By: Harvey E. Miller,

Marine Photographic Interpreter (PI) and Imagery Analyst (IA)

INTRODUCTION:

D uring the 20 th century, The United States Marine Corps produced numerous publications regarding the role of intelligence as practiced by the United States Marine Corps. Such a series of works as the Marine Corps Doctrinal Publications have dedicated separate volumes to the role of Marine Corps intelligence and used historical case studies ranging from Korean, Vietnam, and Desert Storm campaigns to put intelligence into its proper context; the Corps sees intelligence as an inseparable from operations. Only the United States Army has produced more documentation on the role of intelligence than the Marine Corps.

However, the Marine Corps has not dedicated individual volumes to the specific disciplines of intelligence, such as signals intelligence(SIGINT), human intelligence (HUMINT), and photographic/imagery intelligence (IMINT). Nor has the Marine Corps placed these disciplines within an in-depth historical framework or context. This is particularly the case in detailing the history of the Marine Corps’ aerial photographic/imagery intelligence. The chapters that follow are dedicated to the history of Marine Corps photographic/imagery intelligence through the 20th century.

CHAPTER 1

The Beginnings of Aerial Photographic Reconnaissance

T hose who execute the art of military warfare have always been concerned about what lies over the next ridge, the terrain of a battlefield, and the size, might, and capabilities of the military forces or another adversary that they may have to engage. A critical force multiplier is having that information or intelligence that may give one an advantage over one’s adversary. One quintessential way to achieve the answer to these questions is with the employment of aerial reconnaissance that includes the capturing of observations from above on photography and later imagery to get a bird’s eye view of the battlefield or area of interest. The origins of aerial reconnaissance are believed to begin prior to the American Civil War. In 1794, during the Battle of Fleurus during the French Revolutionary Wars, the French were the first to use balloons for aerial observation and reconnaissance purposes. ¹

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Later ² in 1858, Gaspard Felix Tournachon (aka Nadar) captured the first recorded aerial photograph from a tethered balloon over the Bievre Valley in France. It was only two short years later on October 13, 1860, James Wallace Black, a painter turned photographer, accompanied by Professor Samuel Archer King, ascended in another tethered balloon to an altitude of 1200 feet and acquired a single good photographic print of the city of Boston. James Black titled this print "Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It."³ This image was the first aerial image of an urban area captured anywhere.

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