Date: 1968/01/05 @ 11:02

Briefing Attorney: Michelle M. Franks, Esq., L4 Senior Counsel, Foundation Inter-Governmental Affairs

Attendees: O5-█, on behalf of Overwatch Command; Dr. John Freemont, L5 Department Chair, Foundation Inter-Governmental Affairs

Foreword: In order to expedite the process, Foundation Senior Counsel has been directed to provide an overview briefing to the interested parties.

[BEGIN LOG]

Franks: Thank you for coming today, gentlemen. In the interest of brevity, I will begin.

O5-█: You can skip the preamble and the general boilerplate, Michelle. John and I have both read it and we trust your assessment on the legitimacy of the language used. I don't want to waste any of our time going over the endless distinctions of "shall" and "will".

Franks: Of course, sir. The Forward and Preamble are pretty much that. It does lay out the concept in toto that the CIA wishes to utilize anomalous artifacts, entities, etc. to conduct operations where such things would be most advantageous and agrees to Foundation oversight when such anomalies within our purview are to be used.

Dr. Freemont: Wait, does it also include that we're the final arbiters of what is and isn't considered anomalous?

Franks: Yes, explicitly. In Article I, subsection C, the language defines an anomaly as per the Foundation Charter. Additionally, Article I, subsection FF outlines that the Foundation may choose, at its discretion, to classify essentially anything it so desires as "anomalous".

Dr. Freemont: And the CIA agreed to that?

O5-█: We didn't give them much of a choice in that, John. Our standing agreement with the US Government explicitly outlines that such things are within our purview. If we are to be able to do our jobs effectively, we also have to enjoy complete freedom to decide what is and what is not "anomalous".

Franks: Exactly. This document, in numerous places, states that it neither supersedes nor replaces any of the previous standing agreements with the US Government, or the Foundation Charter itself.

Dr. Freemont: That's fair.

O5-█: No, it most certainly is not. Our purpose is to protect the people of the world, not pander to the interests of any nation-state, no matter how large. Go on, Ms. Franks.

Franks: In Article III, we have what is essentially an agreement to discuss outside influences and their ex post facto impact upon this arrangement.

Dr. Freemont: So, people talking about it afterwards? Are we talking about what happens if one of the CIA's operations gets leaked to the media?

Franks: Precisely. If this gets out, how both of us will be forced to react to its knowledge being out in the public sphere.

O5-█: We'd handle that just as we'd handle any other veil breach event, I'm assuming.

Franks: More or less. This agreement assumes that the CIA's internal security measures are in no way comparable to our own. Despite the tremendous amount of freedom that the CIA enjoys within the apparatus of the US Government, they still have to answer (at least in part) to representatives of the American people.

In the event of an information breach, the CIA will disavow all knowledge or complicity in the affair, and we will be free to react accordingly. This will also be considered grounds for termination of this agreement.

O5-█: Kinda like what brought us to this mess in the first place? Or the Little Hill event for that matter.

Franks: Yes. That brings up another point. The MKDalton project failed in a dramatic way precisely because the CIA didn't know what it was doing. They were way out of their depth, and the degree to which they agreed to this treaty is an example of how desperate they were for our help. In return, they've agreed to pay for all costs associated with any cleanup effort another "mistake" might cause.

O5-█: Is this in addition to the funding already appropriated by the US Government for Foundation operations?

Franks: Yes. If you look inside the file that I've provided, you'll find the funding details itemized on page two.

<The sounds of rustling paper can be heard for a few moments.>

Dr. Freemont: <grunts> Are you sure this isn't coming out of the funds already promised? I didn't realize that the CIA had that kind of ready funding.

O5-█: <chuckling> You've spent too much time working with the Soviets, John. The US has money to burn, especially with the Apollo missions essentially -

[Several minutes of conversation have been redacted. A full copy of this transcript is available to those with 05+ clearance only.]

Franks: The funding issue and my pending amnestic treatments aside, the MKDalton event also has provided the impetus to give us greater oversight and access to the CIA information network. If you turn to Section VII, Anomalous Espionage, you'll see that the operational control over MKDalton and similar projects will be entirely under our jurisdiction.

O5-█: So, not only do we get to decide what is to be considered anomalous, we also get to decide what information gets shared with the CIA?

Franks: As well as how it gets shared.

Dr. Freemont: <low whistle> I bet the J. Edgars loved that little treat.

Franks: It was a point of contention for several weeks. They initially wanted several of their agents involved directly with the project, but that would have required either provisional clearance for their operatives, or the creation of an entirely new joint Site. Both of which would have been in violation of the Charter.

O5-█: Do it our way, or don't do it at all. Excellent work, Michelle. Please send a copy of the complete agreement to my office at Site-01, and I'll have Jason make the appropriate copies and get all the signatures required. John, it's been a pleasure.

Dr. Freemont: Yes, sir. It always is. Thank you as well, Michelle. Your work has been exemplary.

[END LOG]