TASK FORCE REPORT ON GREATER CIA OPENNESS

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005524009
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 23
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2010
• Case Number: F-2008-00894
• Publication Date: December 20, 1991

(b)(3)
APPROVED FOR
RELEASE^ DATE:
25-May-201 0
PAO 910586
20 December 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR, Director of Central Intelligence
FROM: Task Force on Greater CIA Openness
SUBJECT: Task Force Report, on Greater CIA Openness
REFERENCE: Memo for D/PAO fr DCI, dtd 18 Nov, Subj:
Greater CIA Openness (Tab A)
1, In j:esponse to your referenced request, the Task Force
addressed the fol.lowinq
How can we do a better job of informing the
general public and key constituencies about the
need for a strong intelligence effort and about
the missions and accomplishments of the
Intelligence Community in a changing world, and
To what extent do the dramatic changes in the
wo~ild situation and the needs of oversight and
accountability to the American people and their
representatives dictate a reexamination of
policies on classification and release of records,
and finally
How can we use openness to learn from others
outside the Agency in order to improve our
cap abiU.ties and our people.
2e Senior officiais in the media, in the Executive and
Legislative Branches, in the business/private sector and in
academia alt. shared their views on CIA openness with the Task
Force. (See Tab B) We also consulted Agency retirees and
employees throughout the organization.
3. Many of those interviewed said the CIA was sufficiently
open; all thought the CIA could do more to declassify and make
available portions of its historical archives, especially
regarding CIA successes and scientific/technical
accomplishments;; some said the CIA will have to work harder at
explaining The need for intelligence in a post-cold war world.
 All agreed that an effective public affairs program for the
CIA was necessary and that whatever changes were made to
increase openness, all would expect the CIA to keep the secrets
it is charged to protect.
4. In whatever program we pursue, we should:
a get oua: employees on board first
0 be consistent
a be exce dent
a be credible--admit when we are wrong
peA_sona}ize the Agency
preserve the mystique
We should aa.so ensure a coordinated PAC-OCA effort for this
program. It will be important to get the Hill on board with
the Agency's public position on various issues and to
articulate the overall Agency strategy to Congress to honor
your commitment 5:e openness.
5. Before we can pursue greater openness, it is important
to understand the Agency's current program in this area to put
down a marker for possible change in the future. To provide
some context you should be aware that while PAO grew during
Judge Webster's tenure to meet the needs of increased
requirements and an expanded program, PAO is now being told to
downsize by about 33%. We recognize that a program of
increased openness will require commitment of additional
resources, not only for PAO but for other parts of the Agency.
The Directorates will need to assess the resource implications
of these recommendations.
6. In most of our discussions with outsiders as well as
within the task force there was substantial agreement that we
generally need to make the institution and the process more
visible and understandable rather than strive for openness
spec
jific substantive issues. To do this, we need to develop a
strategic vision of what we want to be open about, why we want
to be more oven and to whom we want to be more open. Our
suggestion for such a vision statement is:
CIA, the most. open intelligence agency in the world, wants
to be recognized as an organization of high caliber and
culturally diverse people who achieve technical and
analytic excellence and operational effectiveness in
fulfilling their mission with integrity and the trust of
the American people. We believe that it: is important for
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 the American public to see CIA as a law-abiding
organization whose role supporting national security
policymakers continues to be important'in an even more
complex and dangerous world.
Formal acceptance of this statement by the Agency, or one
similar to it, will provide a necessary and well-understood
framework for taking the steps to achieve greater CIA openness.
7. We have an important story to tell, a story that bears
repeating. We are the most open intelligence agency in the
world which is proper in our form of democracy. (In fact,
several foreign intelligence organizations have sought advice
from PAO on how to establish a mechanism for dealing with the
public.) That said, many Americans do not understand the
intelligence process and the role of intelligence in national
security policymaking. Many still operate with a romanticized
or erroneous view of intelligence from the movies, TV, books
and newspapers. These views often damage our reputation and
make it harder for us to fulfill our mission. There are steps
we can take which will benefit us and the American people.
8. To increase CIA openness and signal, a change in how we
do business, we need to take initiatives to share our history
through the declassification of old records, explain our
mission and functions in a changing world through an expanded
briefing program within and outside of government, and develop
a strategy for expanding our work with the media as a means of
reaching an even broader audience. Our major recommendations
address these issues:
A. Declassifying and releasing records that describe
CIA's history and activities would go a long way to
educating the public on the work of intelligence. Our
voluntary Historical Review Program has proceeded very
slowly, and recent legislation (H.R. 1415) has mandated
greater access to our records by State Department
historians. Presently, policy and resource constraints
severely limit the amount of historical records released by
the CIA. Therefore, we recommend that you:
1) Establish a senior-led, Agency-wide group
to review the Agency's policy and
practices related to declassification and
release of records under the Historical
Review and FOIA programs, as they relate
to the changing international environment
and counterintelligence threat, and with a
view to accelerating the process.
-__ -Approve --Disapprove
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 2) Initiate in the near-term the
declassification of historical materials
on specific events, particularly those
which are repeatedly the subject of false
allegations, such as the 1948 Italian
Elections, 1953 Iranian Coup, 1954
Guatemalan Coup, 1958 Indonesian Coup and
the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Notify
the public of the availability of the
resulting materials.
-Approve Disapprove
3) Have OTE publish an unclassified version
of Studies in intelligence and make it
available to the public for sale through
the National Technical Information Service
and have it-. listed in the Social Science
I ndex . 1
-__Approve Disapprove
Pub=_i-sh compendiums of papers delivered at
conferences sponsored or cosponsored by
CIA.
Approve ______Di sapprove
B. Many people inside and outside of government do not
understand whhat we do or how we do it. It is important
that we i.ncte.ase our efforts to tell people both what we do
and what we cl.on?t. do, To this end, we recommend that you:
1) Commission PAO, working in concert with
OCA and the directorates, to develop
additional unclassified material, on CIA,
its mission, functions` and changing role
i.nto he nest century,
--Approve --Disapprove
l The Editorial Board of Studies has identified several
hundred unclass i.fi_ed or declassified articles and taken steps
to interest scholars and publishers in them. About half a
dozen university presses have expressed interest, but to date
none have actively begun the editorial. process.
4
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 2) Expand the Agency's briefing program for:
T new members of Congress
C key Congressional staffers, as
appropriate
congressional Research Service (CRS)
and Office of Technology Assessment
(OTA) staff members
new political appointees in relevant
agencies, (especially important to
prepare for in an election year)
Agency contractors
Academic consultants
I Q,
Academic, business and other private
sector groups
Approve Disapprove
C. To reach our objective of greater openness, we must
come up with a better balance in dealing with the media in
a world where television is the primary conveyor of
information to most Americans. In the past we have been
reluctant to do television (judge Webster appeared only
three times before he announced his retirement), and some
would still caution against it because of the special risks
involved. Yet the opportunity for impact is so great that
we believe the time has come to change our position. One
of the things that is leading us in this direction is the
strong view from many quarters that we need a visible
Agency spokesperson, such as the D/PAO, to refute
allegations and set the record straight, When such false
allegations come from television, we need to be able to
speak to therii in the same forum. 2 To this end, we
recommend that you:
Commission the D/PAO to develop in
consultation with the Deputy Directors
a media strategy for the "90's that
_. For example, an Agency spokesperson reading our statement in
response to the allegations made by N.ghtline in summer 1991
would have been more effective than Ted Koppel's reading of it
with raised oyebTows and a look of "What do you expect given
the source?
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 increases the visibility of the DCI and the
intelligence process, expands the role of the
Agency spokesperson and takes a more
proactive approach toward the media in
general.
____Approve _e _:Disapprove
8. In most of our discussions we defined the audiences for
greater CIA openness as the following; the media, academia,
business, the private sector, government and our own employees.
We have used these categories to describe our current program
related to openness which provides a context for offering our
other recommendations.
1) Current Prows:
a) PAO now has relationships with reporters from ovy major wire
service, newspaper, news weekly, and television network in the
nation. This has helped us turn some "intelligence failure" stories
into "intelligence success" stories, and it has contributed to the
accuracy of countless others. In many instances, we have persuaded
reporters to postpone, change, hold, or even scrap stories that could
have adversely affected national security interests or jeopardized
sources and methods.
b. PAO spokespersons build and maintain these professional
relationships with reporters by responding to daily inquiries from
them over the telephone (3369 in 1991), by providing unclassified
background briefings to them at Headquarters (174 in 1991), and by
arranging for them to interview the DCI, DDCI and other senior
Agency officials (164 in 1991).
c. PAO responds to numerous requests from authors, researchers,
filmmakers, and others seeking information, guidance, or
cooperation from the Agency in their endeavours. Some responses
can be handled in a one-shot telephone call. Others, such as Llfi~
Magazine's proposed photo essay, BBC's six part series, Ron
Kessler's requests for information for his Agency book, and the need
for an Agency focal point in the Rochester Institute of Technology
controversy drew heavily on PAO resources.
d. PAO has also reviewed some film scripts about the Agency,
documentary and fictional, at the request of filmmakers seeking
guidance on accuracy and authenticity. In a few instances,
 we facilitated the filming of a few scenes on Agency premises.
Responding positively to these requests in a limited way has provided
PAO with the opportunity to help others depict the Agency and its
activities accurately and without negative distortions. Except for
responding to such requests, we do not seek to play a role in
filmmaking ventures about the Agency which come to our attention.
For example, although we knew that Oliver Stone's movie on JFK
14'as in the works for some time, we did not contact him to volunteer
an Agency viewpoint.
e. PAO coordinates the preparation of detailed bacground
materials, usually in Q&A format, on major news issues for the DCI
and 1D.DCI for their appearances before media groups, world affairs
councils, universities, and business and professional groups. PAO
also prepares verbatim transcripts of their interviews with reporters
and their appearances before media groups.
2) Recommendations
a. Provide more background briefings, when
p.Tactica]., to a greater number of print and
electronic media journalists. Respond more
quickly to telephone queries from the media,
especially on fast-breaking events o PAO
should continue to work with area analysts
and specialists so that PAO can respond
telephonically to these questions, rather than
insisting on an eventual in-person background
briefings at Langley. Keep PAO as the conduit
for these efforts and ensure that media across
the U.S., not only those in the Washington,
U,C, area, are aware of our program.
Approve _-_ S approve
b. find more opportunities for the deputy
director to have on--the-record interviews
with the media to talk about process and, on
occasion: substantive issues
Disapprove
c. When ::here ids a major international event
that requires the attention of CIA. l i_ , e? the
Persian Gulf war), PAO should consider
inviting ra number of reporters to CIA
Headquarters for an unclassified background
br-i efing
-App. ove --Disapprove
7
 d. Look for ways to emphasize the changing
nature of the intelligence work force and the
growing number of women and minorities in each
directorate and increasingly in more senior
positions. Consider support for some
individual profiles which help personalize the
world of intelligence in broad circulation
newspapers or magazines.3
- __Appprove __ Disapprove
ACADEMIA
1) CurrIrtt Program
a. The Agency has a wide range of contacts with academics through
recruiting, professional societies, contractual arrangements and
OTE. -PAO has recently been designated the focal point for all
information about CIA's relations with the academic community. As
such, PAO is building a database of information about Agency
contacts with academia--conferences and seminars, recruiting,
officers and scholars-in-residence, contracts, teaching--and serves
as the clearinghouse of such information for Agency employees.
1r. PAO officers also speak to approximately 250 academic
audiences a year. Subject areas vary, but most focus on the structure
and functions of the CIA, its role in the intelligence conununity, the
intelligence process, and congressional oversight. PAO has
developed a speakers' package for Agency officers and retirees who
speak in public, including an annually updated Q&A package to aid
the speaker in answering a broad array of questions.
c. PAO maintains a mailing list of 700 academicians who receive
unclassified Agency publications four times a year. Recipients write
to praise the quality of the products and to claim that these mailings
are one of the most effective ways of reaching out.
d. PAO sponsors the DCI Program for Deans twice a year. This
program seeks to expose administrators of academic institutions to
senior Agency officials--the DCI, the DDCI, all the DDs, and heads
of independent offices--and to give them a sense of what the Agency
does, how it operates, and how it fits in and relates to American
society.
3 The recent Denison University Alumni Magazine feature on
Martha Kessler is a good example. (See Tab C)
 2) commendations:
a. The Officer-in-Residence (OIR) program
is seen by many as an excellent means of
providing a window into CIA for the academic
community. The program (currently 13 parti-
cipants) could be enhanced with dedicated
slots and resources, under central manage-
ment. At present, individual offices provide
the positions and about $100,000 per officer.
Such enhancement would ensure that selection
of schools and officers meets our needs.
Approve Disapprove
ba PAO should work with OTE and OP to develop
a program for CIA employees involved in
rec=:uiting to ensure that they are conversant
on all issues affecting the CIA with emphasis
on the intelligence process and multicultural
sensitivities. Provide for periodic update
for recnnndi.ters on long-term assignment.
Disapprove
c. PAO`?s Coordinator for Academic Affairs
should take steps to see that CIA becomes an
institutional member of relevant scientific
and professional societies. Agency employees
should participate openly in such meetings as
CIA officers. Procedures for individuals to
present papers in such fora need to be updated.
Approve Disapprove
d. Sponsor either unilaterally or in
cooperation with academic institutions or
other government agencies conferences on the
history and craft of intelligence, as well as
on other areas of common interest. PAO will
work with OTE's Center for the ~tudy of
Intelligence on these programs.
Approve Disapprove
9 For example, PAO is currently talking with the Truman
Library about a conference in late 1992 or 1993 on the origins
of the Intelligence Community. A similar conference with the
Wilson Center is being considered to mark the 30th anniversary
of the Cuban Missile Crisis next fall
9
S E T
 e. Conduct more academic conferences here at
Langley. Take the successful DI model of
substantive conferences with the academic
community and explore how it could be valuable
to '-;&T and DA.
Ap_provu --Disapprove
fo PAO CPAS and FBIS should examine ways to
continue or enhance the program to disseminate
uncJass:+Iied publications (highly valued by
all we talked to) to ensure that the Agency is
receiving maximum benefit for its efforts.
_-Disapprove
g. Encourage the establishment of
intelligence studies programs at academic
inst it.ut_sons.
Approve --Disapprove
GOVERNMENT
Curre,at Program:
a. The Agency has a broad range of contacts throughout government
and provides product, briefings, and exchanges to both Executive
and Legislative Branches. PAO is an active participant in briefing
the military and other government agencies on the CIA, its mission
and fiAnctions. This Year, PAO provided more than 70 briefings to
groups from the National Security Agency, Foreign Service,
Pentagon, defense Intelligence College, and the United States
Information Agency.
2. Reco!nmend.atii.ons
a : OCR should seek additional opportunities
for. the DCI to appear before congressional
committees in open session when such a session
helps to educate the public about the role of
intelligence and the relevance and
accountability of the CIA.
___ approve _-Disapprove
 b. Explore with the SSCI and HPSCI leadership
the possibility of having the oversight
committees issue an unclassified annual report
on the performance of the intelligence
Community.
~_--Disapprove
c. The DDT and DDS&T in coordination with OCA
should reassFss the Agency's relationship with
CES and OTI\
Disapprove
da PAO should work with PCS to look for ways
to reach broader military audiences with
information about our programs
D. $t ~I$INRS`1'
Current I'rogfrartz:
a. The Agency currently has three types ofbasic relationships with
the US business sector. First, business is an important source of
intelligence information via NR collection activities. Second, the US
corporate sector is involved in the vast bulk of the Agency's
contracting efforts. Finally, business receives selected briefings by
the Agency- -talks on the counterintelligence challenge,
counterterrorism and other presentations at business-oriented
conf?erences organized by groups such as SASA. Given the emphasis
on economic security for the United States in the `90s, the business
sector is looking to the potential contributions the Intelligence
Coinwunity can make in this area.
`' Hill staffers rely heavily on OTA and CRS products.
Moreover, active interaction with these congressional support
organizations can provide invaluable insights into issues that
key House and Senate committees and individual members believe
are important, an well as what legislation is under
consideration or in the conceptual stage. Some Hill staffers
have suggested that CIA assign officers to act as liaison
through OCA for relevant OTh projects, as the military services
do. For example, OTA is now focusing on two projects of
particular interest to several congressional committees,
proliferation and economic analyses of other: nations as they
relate to U.S. industrial competitiveness,
 b. This past year, PAO provided remarks and support for the DCI
and DDCI for some 40 appearances before outside audiences-
including a wide range of groups from the business, legal and civic
communities. Most of these appearances were covered by the media
giving even more visibility to our leaders' comments.
c. PAO participates in providing briefings on the CIA to participants
in At,-CEA`s biannual "Intelligence Comunity" course, attended by
near!y 200 industry and government representative