Initial Request

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005293492
• Release Decision: IPPUB U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: June 23, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 29, 2010
• Case Number: F-2010-00666
• Publication Date: August 15, 2008

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Delores M. Nelson
Central Intelligence Agency
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Washington, D.C. 20505
E-Mail: Ja?jadPin,Li'aol corn
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APPROVED FOR RELEASED
DATE: 18-Aug-2010
Re: FOIA Request - Internal Investigation of Inspector General's Office
Dear Ms. Nelson:
This is a request on behalf of the James Madison Project under the Freedom of
information Act, 5 U.S.C. ? 552, et seq., for copies of all internal Central Intelligence Agency
("CIA") documents pertaining to:
(1) discussions concerning the decision to initiate an internal review of the
operations of the CIA's Inspector General ("IG"), John Helgerson, and of the
Office of the Inspector General ("OIG") as a whole, that are dated after 5
November 2007;
(2) the activities of the internal review itself., including but not limited to
discussions, meetings and/or correspondence initiated with the OIG;
(3) proposals for and the i I
m
p ementatlon of changes in the operations and
procedures of the OIG, including but not limited to the appointment of an
ombudsman and a "quality control officer:"
any semiannual IG reports to the Director that reference any of the above.
Enclosed please find copies of news articles from the Nebo York Times and Washington Post
referring to eonfirmatinn h.. +I,- ('TA L-.
- - .. -dal ivucuaci nayaen oruered the internal
review in April 2007 and that it concluded its investigation in February 2008.
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 If VOL, deny all or part of this request, please cite the specific exemptions you believe
justify your refusal to release the information or permit the review and notify us of your appeal
procedures available under the law. In excising material, please "black out" rather than "white
out" or "cut out."
Additionally, we are hereby requesting a waiver of all fees. JMP is a non-profit
organization under the laws of the District of Columbia and has the ability to disseminate
information on a wide scale. Stories concerning our activities have received prominent mention
in many publications including, but not limited to, Washington Post, Washington Times, ,51.
Petersburg Tribune, San Diego Union Tribune, European Stars & Stripes, Christian Science
,'!Monitor. U.S News and World Report, 126ther Jones and Salon Magazine. Our website, where
much of the information received through our FOIA requests is or will be posted for all to
review, can be accessed at htttmH. vv, %vjamcsnjadisonn c, c[ ~ Most prior requests submitted
by our organization have received fee waivers.
There can be no question that the information sought would contribute to the public's
understanding of government operations or activities and is in the public interest. Over the
course of the Global War on Terror ("GWOT'"), numerous documents from a host of executive
branch agencies have been released, detailing the legal and policy considerations that have
formed the basis for discussions on a wide-range of national security policies. One example was
the DOJ's disclosure of memoranda that originated in its Office of Legal Counsel and which
formed a critical component of U.S. policies concerning detention of terrorist suspects. Given
the highly-publicized nature of this particular controversy and its relation to the activities of the
CIA's internal "watchdog." detailing the arguments considered prior to the authorization of this
internal review. as well as the mammer in which the review was conducted and the rationale
underlying the resulting changes that were implemented, will clearly contribute to the public's
understanding of government operations or activities.
The CIA is required by law to respond to this request within 20 working days.
Failure to timely comply will result in the filing of a civil action against the CIA in the United
States District Court for the District of Columbia.
We request that any documents or records produced in response to these requests be
provided in electronic (soft-copy) form wherever possible. Acceptable formats are pdf, .jpg, .gif,
.tif. We do not authorize CIA to search only for records existing as of the date of your
acceptance letter.
Your cooperation in this matter would be appreciated. If you wish to discuss this request.
please do not hesitate to contact my Director of FOIA Operations Kel McClanahan at
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Mark S. Zaid
Executive Director
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 Aug 12 08 12:13a Brad Moss 2027450155
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C.LA. Chief Defends Review on Agency's Inspector General - New York... hfip:/ ww
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C.I.A. Cief Defends Review on Agency's Inspector General
By MARK NtAZZEflJ
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 - The director of the Central Intelligence-6 eney on Monday vigorously defended
the agency's examination of its own inspector general, calling it a "management review" intended to
improve investigations by that independent internal watchdog.
The director, Gen. Michael V. Havden, said he had ordered the review after hearing reports about the
conduct of Inspector General John L. Helgerson that "raised questions in my mind" about how Mr.
Helgerson's office was carrying out its investigations of C.I.A. programs.
The comments by the director, in an appearance on the PBS tele,ision program "Charlie Rose," were his
first public remarks on the subject since news reports this month disclosed the existence of the internal
review.
General Hayden did not specify what in particular concerned him about the investigations by Mr.
Helgerson's office. He said a small group led by Robert L. Deitz, a close aide to the director, had been
working on the review since April and would deliver a report within "the next week or so."
"This was designed to be low key," he said.
The review has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike on Capitol Hill, who have suggested
that it could have a chilling effect on Mr. Helgerson's independence.
Mr. Helgerson's office has investigated some of the most controversial programs undertaken by the agency
since the Sept, a attacks, including its efforts to detain and interrogate leading terrorism suspects and its
program of "extraordinary rendition": the practice of capturing suspects and delivering them to authorities
in other nations.
The inspector general's investigations have bred resentment among some at the agency, who say the
inquiries amount to second-guessing of C.I.A. operatives in dangerous field assignments.
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February 2. 2oo8
C.I.A. Tells of Changes for Its Internal Inquiries
By M,&KKDZA7,7FTTI
tit' SHINGTON - After an internal inquiry that put his office under unusual scrutiny, the inspector general
of the Central Intelligence Aeencv has agreed to a series of changes in the way the office conduc s its
investigations of the agency's practices, the C.I.A.director confirmed on Thursday in a message to agency
employees.
Among the changes announced by the director, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, were new procedures to allow
agency officers to lodge complaints against the inspector general's office, which is an independent auditor
over the agency's internal affairs.
General Hayden said the changes were intended to "heighten the efficiency, assure the quality and increase
the transparency of the investigative process."
The internal inquiry, unusual in its focus on investigators who usually ask the hard questions rather than
answering them, had created anxiety among some inside the office of the inspector general, John L.
Helgerson, and drew criticism from lawmakers who said the review was inappropriate and could have a
chilling effect on inquiries into questionable conduct by the agency.
Started in April, the review was led by Robert L. Deitz, a close aide to General Hayden.
It was begun after complaints from C.I.A. officers that Mr. Helgerson's office had not been an impartial
judge of agency operations and had begun crusading against controversial agency programs.
Some complained that inspector general investigations were unnecessarily long and resulted in huge legal
bills for agency employees whose work was under review.
As an example, they cite an investigation into the shooting down of a missionary plane in tool by Peruvian
troops advised by C.I.A. officers. The investigation has lasted nearly seven years and remains incomplete.
In his message to agency employees, General Hayden said the inspector general's office would now have an
ombudsman to hear complaints from C.I.A. officers and to ensure the fairness of internal agency
investigations.
He also said that the inspector general's office was installing new equipment to allow investigators to record
interviews and create a more permanent record of investigations. In addition, a new position of quality
control officer is being established inside the office to attest, as General Hayden put it, "that reports include
all exculpatory and relevant mitigating information."
A C.I.A. spokesman said Mr. Helgerson supported the steps General Hayden outlined.
 Rug 12 08 12:13a Brad Moss 2027450155
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CIA Sets Changes To IG s Oversi
ht,
19
Adds Ombudsman
By Joby Warrick
Washing on Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 2. 2008: A03
The CIA's inspector general has agreed to tighter controls
over its investigative procedures, agency officials revealed
yesterday, in what appeared to be an attempt to soften
resentments among agency officials over the watchdog's
aggressive probes into the legality and effectiveness of the
CIA's counterterrorism efforts and detention programs.
The revisions, which include the appointment of a special
ombudsman to oversee the IG's work, were disclosed by CIA Director Michael V. Hayden in an e-mail sent to
employees, announcing the end of an unusual inquiry into the performance of Inspector General John L.
Helgerson, a 36-year CIA veteran and the man chiefly responsible for the spy agency's internal oversight.
The inquiry, begun last year, had raised concern among lawmakers who worried that the CIA was seeking to
undermine the independence of Helgerson and his staff of auditors and inspectors. Helgerson angered top
officials at the agency after leading aggressive investigations into the CIA's performance before the Sept. I I,
2001, terrorist attacks, as well as its use of secret prisons and harsh interrogation methods against suspected
terrorists.
Hayden, in the note to employees, praised Helgerson and his staff as being "committed to performing
investigations ... of the highest quality, integrity and timeliness," but said the inspector general had agreed on
the need for changes.
"John has chosen to take a number of steps to heighten the efficiency, assure the quality and increase the
transparency of the investigation process," Hayden said in the e-mail.
The changes include measures intended to speed up investigations and require the watchdog to keep CIA
employees and managers informed about both the process and results of investigations. In addition to
appointing an ombudsman, Helgerson also agreed to name a "quality control officer" who would make sure
that reports "include all exculpatory and relevant mitigating information," Hayden said.
The agency did not make Helgerson available for comment, but CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said the
inspector general had "concurred with the director's statement and was comfortable with the steps agreed
upon."
Helgerson, who joined the CIA in 1971, wrote a report that harshly criticized the agency for failing to
anticipate al- aeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentacon on Sept. 11, 2001. That report,
parts of which were released last fall under a congressional order, recommended that some CIA officials be
held accountable for failing to do more to prevent the attacks. But the agency's then-management decided
against sanctions.
Helgerson also drafted a classified report critical of the CIA's interrogation of top al-Qaeda suspects. The
report said the use of waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation methods by CIA officers violated the
Geneva Conventions' ban on torture.
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8/6/2008 4:16 AM
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Phone: [phone]
Date: 8/11Y2008
Re: Internal Inquiry of OIG
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