Historical Dictionary of United States Intelligence

SIGINT area to the National Security Agency (NSA); and elimi-

nated the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The intelligence

community agencies and the secretary of defense opposed the pro-

posals, effectively killing the plan.

MEASUREMENT AND SIGNATURE INTELLIGENCE

(MASINT). The newest collection discipline in the repertoire of U.S.

intelligence, MASINTis a compendium of techniques rather than an

identifiable intelligence collection methodology. The Department of

Defense (DOD) Instruction Number 5105.58 officially defines

MASINT as technically derived intelligence—excluding signals in-

telligence(SIGINT) and traditional imagery intelligence(IMINT)—

that, when collected, processed, and analyzed results in intelligence

that locates, tracks, identifies, or describes the signatures (distinctive

characteristics) of fixed or dynamic target sources. MASINTincludes

the use of ground-based radars; acoustic, seismic, and magnetic geo-

physical sensors; satellite-based infrared, optical, nuclear radiation,

and radio-frequency sensors; remote detection of effluents, debris, and

particulate materials; and multi- and hyperspectral imagery. MASINT

falls under the guidance of the director of central intelligence (DCI)

but actually is managed by the Central MASINTOffice within the De-

partment of Defense, which provides services to the entire intelli-

gence community (IC) on behalf of the DCI.

MEXICAN SPY COMPANY. Also known as the Dominguez Mexi-

can Company, the Mexican spy company was a group of Mexican cit-

izens who offered their services to United States military forces dur-

ing the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). Headed by Manuel

Dominguez, the spy company provided the Americans with informa-

tion on Mexican military plans and protected American supply lines

and communications. Contrary to the popularly held belief that the

spy company’s members were deserters, historians agree that mem-

bers of the spy company worked for the Americans because they

thought Mexican leaders were corrupt and had abused their power.

See alsoTAYLOR, ZACHARY.

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIVISION (MID).First established in

1885, the Military Intelligence Division became part of the armygeneral

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