ABSTRACTING AND CODING OF INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP51-00036A000100010001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 26, 2004
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 16, 1949
• Content Type: MEMO

STANfARO FORM NO. 64 Sanitized - Approv
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Office Memorandum UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
DATE: 16 December 1949
SUBJECT: Abstracting and Coding of Intelligence Information
References: a. Memo from _.ianagement Officer to Asst. Director for Collection
and Dissemination on above subject dated 16 September 19149.
TO Executive
FROM . Deputy Executive
b. Reply to Reference "at' from Asst.-Director for Collection and
Dissemination addressed to Executive dated 14 October 1949.
c. Memo from Asst. Director for Reports and Estimates on above
subject addressed to Management Officer dated 29 September 19149.
.,
subject addressed to Management Officer dated 6- October 1919.
e. Document produced by OCD, subject: "Central Reference Facilities,
Status and Objectives," dated 1 November 19149, together with
correction dated 9 December 1949.
l
f. Memo from Management Officer to Executive commenting on
reference "e", dated 7 December 1949.
g. List of Management projects in process as of 30 November 191+9.
1. The Director recently expressed to each of us some concern over the
possibility of at least the appearance of administrative control of or inter-
ference with operations. As a case in point he referred to a report prepared
by nd discussed by with the Director personally in 25X1A9a
connection with a Management recommendation for change in our method of ab- 25X1A9a
stracting and coding intelligence information.
2. In view of the circumstances and the concern expressed by the
Director, it is believed that a fairly detailed review of the overall situa-
tion is warranted for the information of the Director.
3. a. I was personally instrumental in bringing into CIA
as chief of an activity under my personal supervision*
b. I strongly advocated the appointment of as an
Assistant Director in view of his obvious qualifications and demon-
strated ability from almost the day he reported for duty.
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c. Since the reestablishment of OCD as a separate Office and the 25X1A9a
appointment of as an Assistant Director, I have personally
supported the OCD position on a number of past occasions There contro-
versy with other Offices in connection with functional responsibilities
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was involved, and have continually attempted to assist in building up
and maintaining OCD in its essential and important position in the
Agency.
d. I continue to have a high regard for both as an
individual and for his official and professional contributions to
successful Agency operations.
4. In personal conversation on past occasions, the Assistant Director
for Collection and Dissemination has expressed to we a considerable anti-
pathy to management exa:dnation, even on those occasions when he has been
willing to acknowledge that some real improvement has resulted from manage-
ment advice and assistance. I understand that this results from unfortu-
nate experiences with arbitrary management control procedures prior to
coming to this Agency.
5. a* lffihen OCD requested a considerable personnel increase during
development of the budget for fiscal year 1951, the Management Staff
supported the request. Based on this support the Executive recommended
an increase of 45 positions for GCD, which was the only increase recom-
mended for an overt Office. The Director was reluctant to approve the
increase, and did so only after directing the Executive to have a com-
plete and detailed management survey made of GOD to verify its overall
personnel requirements and efficiency of its procedures. This was the
basis for the survey which resulted, among other things, in the subject
recommendations
b. The entire survey has been completed and proposed management
reports on each activity of OCD submitted to the Assistant Director
for C &D for his comment prior to further routing to the Executive.
6. a. In the course of the survey the management team developed a
proposal, based on an experiment being conducted by OCD, that a major
change in procedure would improve our abstracting and coding processes
for the benefit of our overall research effort. As a matter apart
from the more routine survey procedures, a paper was prepared on the
subject and submitted to the Assistant Director for C&D on 16 September
1949. This elicited an essentially negative response, addressed to
the Executive on 14 October 1949. Both papers (references "a" and ""b")
were returned to the.:~ianagement Staff by the executive for coordinated
study with CORPS and further recommendations, including the opinions
of ORE and OSI. Under the provisions of General Order No. 23 the
entire problem was finally given to COAPS as ai operational matter, and
COA'S is now engaged in study and coordination prior to making specific
recommendations.
b. It is interesting to note that in spite of the comments of the
Assistant Director for C&D such as --
"Nonsense. It depends who you talk to in ORE-OSI."
"Quite untrue."
"These are visionary 'blueprint' recommendations
"* * The service must sell itself before we ask for this.",
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the Assistant Directors of ORE and OSI have submitted in writing, over 25X1A9a
the signatures of full concurrences in
the recommendations o the nagement 5t , wz request for imple-
menting action (references "9 and "d"). The OSI statement also states
that the management comments "are an accurate description of the inade-
quacies of OCD and the resulting duplication and constitute ample
support for your recommendations."
7. a. The paper prepared by the Assistant Director for C&D titled
"Central Reference Facilities, Status and Objectives," dated 1 Novem-
ber 1919, annotated by the Management Staff in CCU style,is attached as
reference 'tell. It is interesting to note the number of procedures
referred to with some pride in this paper which were initially recom-
mended and established by the Management Staff. To my personal know-
ledge some of them were installed with very great doubt and reluctance
on the part of OCD although they have proven very successful in practice.
b. Reference "f" is a point-by-point comment of the Management
Staff on reference "e". 'These comments have been referred to COAPS
for such use as may be desired in completing the COAPS study of this
problem.
8. Some weeks--nr months ago the Management Staff discovered in one
division of OCD approximately a nine months' backlog of certain intelligence
materials committed by CIA to certain IAC agencies. It also discovered a
considerable restiveness on the part of the receiving agencies to the point
of intent to make a formal complaint to the Director. The Management Staff
brought this matter to the attention of the Assistant Director for C&D, who
apparently had had no prior knowledge of the fact that any backlog existed.
Immediately thereafter the Management Staff arranged for additional typing
assistance to be loaned from other offices to OCD to assist in eliminating
the backlog. By this means the IAC agencies were pacified and no formal
complaints received. None of this was made a matter of record except for
an informal verbal report to the Executive as forewarning of a possible
complaint against CIA. This is one example of assistance rendered in con-
nection with management activities.
9. a. A specific management improvement policy and broad general
program was announced for this Agency in General Order No. 23. This
order is based on directives from the President personally and from the
Director of the Bureau of the Budget. If it is an evil, and I believe
it to be exactly the opposite, it is at least a necessary one which the
President requires us to maintain.
b. This program, and the manner of its implementation within the
Agency, has been given considerable praise by the Bureau of the Budget,
including a statement that it is the best and most effective in govern-
ment today. As a Budget Bureau representative spent considerable time
in a personal survey of the Agency prior to submission of our fiscal
year 1951 budget, the statement is based on personal observation by a
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vitally interested outside observer. This reaction will be of major
assistance to us in our annual problem of obtaining adequate appropri-
ations, as great weight is given by the Budget Bureau to both our
reported management program and its implementation.
c. (1) The principles of our overall management program, under
the provisions of General Order No. 23, are:
(a) The Management Staff is an advisory and recommending
activity. It has no authority either to direct or take final
action.
(b) The primary field of the Management Staff is effec-
tive business management and includes the broad areas of
functional and organizational development, personnel staffing
and cooperation in budget development.
(c) An operational management function has been added
to COAPS. As in the case of the Management Staff, COAM has
no final authority in the management field, but is an advisory
and recommending activity only.
(d) When the Management Staff finds a problem needing
further examination and possible new direction in a substantive
operational area outside of its normal responsibilities, it
refers that rroblem to CORPS for further study and coordination.
(e) COAPS utilizes Management Staff facilities for ob-
taining detailed data considered essential and beyond the
physical capabilities of the very small operations staff.
(f) In every case where there is not complete agreement
between either the Management or CORPS Staffs and the Office
or Staff Section directly concerned with any specific problem,
an appropriate study and recommendation is submitted to the
Executive for such further coordination and/or recommendation
to the Director as may be required. Even when agreement is
obtained, in cases where policy or any major change is involved,
recommendations are submitted to the Executive for appropriate
action, and in all cases any agreed upon action actually taken
is reported as a matter of information.
(2) Frior to the issuance of General Order No. 23 there was
no separate machinery such as CORPS for assuming management respon-
sibility for operational problems. Due to this fact such problems
either went unresolved or becai,~e the subject of Management Staff
study, advice and recommendations.
(3) It is not apparent how any approach under principles
indicated above can be construed to be either control of or inter-
ference with operations, unless essential efforts to improve effici-
ency and obtain reasonable economy are to be classed as interference.
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10. a. In concluding comments on the management program the demon-
strable results, in addition to the Bureau of the Budget reaction, in
activities of the Agency other than OCD can best be determined from
the following:
(1) Management Staff was recently requested by the Assistant
Directors for Special Operations and Policy Coordination to ovide
full time assistance in completely reorganizing their
activities and providing sounder basis for their foreign organiza-
tions. A management team is working on this problem with the
complete cooperation of the officials concerned in those offices,
even though a number of major changes are resulting.
(2) The Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence re-
quested similar assistance for his Office, and a management team
is working there with similar harmony.
(3) Management assistance has been requested by and furnished
to ORE on various problems, including the development of a new
organizational pattern, over a considerable period, and harmonious
relations have been maintained. An overall management survey of
ORE has recently been started.
(4) Constant requests are being received by the Management
Staff from most of the Agency Offices and Staff Sections, consider-
ably beyond their physical ability to meet.
b. A list of Management Staff projects in process on 30 November
1949 is attached as reference "g". It doesn't take much more than a
glance to determine that, with only five management analysts available
in addition to the Management Officer, the sheer magnitude of the
workload m uld make any real effort to control any operation not only
impractical but impossible.
c. The only source of any continuing real complaint about the
management program has been OCD. Having been exposed during the late
war to General Somerville's Army Service Force Control Division (the
most arbitrary management control program ever devised., in my opinion)
I could sympathize completely if this reaction had any basis in fact,
wa ch it has not.
11. a. In final conclusion I wish to emphasize that constant caution
and indoctrination is given to Agency administrative support officials
by both the Executive and me to observe the following principles in
their actions:
(1) Give helpful and quick service to the utmost extent of
their abilities.
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(2) Do not take a negative approach. Find some way to meet
any reasonable desire presented by any operational activity, unless
there are arbitrary legal bars.
(3) Do not even give the appearance of giving orders. Functions
are to advise, assist and support.
(It) If disagreements arise, present a complete case with both
sides of the problem and specific recommendations for resolution by
the Executive or the Director. Insure the prior knowledge of the
operating official concerned in each case.
(5) In cases where final authority to act reposes in either
the Executive or the Director, be the advocate of the operational
activity concerned wherever the circumstances warrant.
(6) Foster mutual understanding and contact by asking for
problems to solve. Don't wait for them to assume undue proportions
and get out of hand because of lack of foreknowledge.
(7) Be tactful as well as aggressive in meeting responsibilities.
(8) Be firm, as well as tactful, in insuring that the Director's
announced policies are not violated. Take time to explain why.
(9) In all things remember that protection of the Director and
the Agency from possible current or future embarrassment or justi-
fiable criticism is a primary responsibility -- but not an alibi
for n-arranted inaction.
b. I believe that we are getting real results and making major
progress in the desired direction. Having discussed this problem at some
length with the Director on 9 December, I an under the impression that
he now also feels that we are on the right road.
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Encls. (See References)
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