CAREER BOARDS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61-00274A000200010010-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 6, 2002
• Sequence Number: 10
• Content Type: MFR

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STATINTL
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Career Boards in the Department of State.
SOURCE: Mr. Fred Darnell, Chief, Performance Evaluation Branch,
Personnel Office, Department of State; interviews by
1. The Board of the Foreign Service:
a. Organizational Location: The organization chart shows that
the Board reports directly to the Secretary of State. Actually, as
the Deputy Under Secretary for Administration is chairman of the
Board, reports are made to the Deputy Under Secretary for Adminis-
tration and by him, to the Secretary of State.
b. Duties: This is a policy board, making recommendations con-
cerning functions, policies and procedures governing the selection,
assignment, rating and promotion of Foreign Service Officers and the
administration and personnel management of the Service.
c. Composition: As prescribed by the Foreign Service Act of
1946, the Board is composed of the Assistant Secretary of State in
charge of the administration of the Department, as chairman (now the
Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration), two other Assis-
tant Secretaries selected by the Secretary; the Director General; and
one representative each, occupying positions with comparable respon-
sibilities, from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor,
designated by the heads of those departments.
d. Personnel Files Maintained: None.
2. The Board of Examiners of the Foreign Service:
a. Organizational Location: The chairman of the Board has al-
ways been the Director General of the Foreign Service and reports
were made through him (he reports to the Deputy Under Secretary for
Administration). Organizationally, however, the Board is located in
the Office of Personnel and formal command channels should therefore
be through the Director of Personnel. In 1954 the then Under Secre-
tary for Administration designated the command channel as through the
Director of Personnel to the Comptroller to the (now) Deputy Under
Secretary for Administration.
The working group in the Board is the Secretariat, under an
Executive Director. The Secretariat is in the Examining Branch, Em-
ployment Division, Office of Personnel.
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b. Duties: Under the general supervision of the Board of the
Foreign Service and in accordance with regulations prescribed by the
Secretary, the Board provides for and supervises the conduct of such
examinations as may be given to candidates for appointment as members
of the Foreign Service and provides for necessary procedures to deter-
mine the loyalty of such persons to the United States and their attach-
ment to the principles of the Constitution.
c. Composition: The Foreign Service Act of 1946 authorizes the
Secretary of State to determine the membership providing that not
more than half shall be Foreign Service Officers. The Secretary has
prescribed the following membership: the Director General of the
Foreign Service as Chairman, ex officio; the Chief, Employment Divi-
sion, Office of Personnel, ex officio; one representative, each, from
the Departments of Labor and Commerce and the Civil Service Commission;
and three others from the Department of State (formerly, two Foreign
Service Officers and one departmental officer; since the "Wriston in-
tegration," all three are Foreign Service Officers).
d. Personnel Files Maintained: Pre-employment records are
maintained. When an applicant is employed, these records are sent
to the Office of Personnel and are placed in his personnel folder.
3. The Foreign Service Institute:
a. Organizational Location: The Institute is under the Deputy
Under Secretary for Administration.
b. Duties: As prescribed by the Foreign Service Act of 1946,
the Institute shall plan for and furnish training and instruction to
the officers and employees of the Foreign Service and of the State
Department, and to other officers and employees of the Government "for
whom training and instruction in the field of foreign relations is
necessary." The Institute may set up its own programs and may make
grants to cooperating nonprofit institutions. The Institute may also
detail officers and employees of the Service "for special instruction
or training at or with public or private nonprofit institutions,
trade, labor, agricultural, or scientific associations, or commercial
firms."
c. Composition: The Secretary of State appoints the head of
the Institute, known as its Director. The Secretary also makes
appointments and details to the faculty and staff of the Institute.
d. Personnel Files Maintained: The Institute maintains training
and administrative records on those employees being trained. When a
State Department Employee's training is completed, an Institute report
is placed in his personnel file. This may be a memorandum, letter,
Institute evaluation form or the regular efficiency report of the De-
partment. It is planned to replace these with a standard form.
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4. The Foreign Service Officer Selection Boards:
a. Organizational Location: The Foreign Service Act of 1946
authorizes the Secretary of State to establish selection boards to
evaluate the performance of Foreign Service officers. The boards
establish their own internal organization, are served by the staff
of the Performance Evaluation Branch, Office of Personnel and present
their conclusions and recommendations in writing to the Director of
Personnel. New boards are selected each year.
b. Duties: Each board is given a precept, prepared by the
Performance Evaluation Branch, Office of Personnel outlining its
duties, responsibilities, the procedures to be followed and the major
factors to be considered in evaluating the officers.
A board is established for each class of officers. By ex-
amining in detail the records in each officer's personnel file, each
board rates all officers in the class and creates a list for promo-
tion purposes ranking the officers from highest to lowest. The board
establishes a line on the list, recommending promotion for all those
officers whose names appear above it. It also prepares lists of those
officers whose performance is considered (1) marginal, (2) submarginal,
and (3) unsatisfactory. The facts on which the decisions are based
are also given.
c. Composition: Each board consists of four selected officers
from the next higher class and no officer can serve on a board for
two consecutive years. Observers are also selected; one each from
the Departments of Commerce and Labor. They have access to the records
and participate in the discussions but do not vote. Public voting
members are also included; last year there were six. These members
are not required by law and there is some internal opposition to
their continuance.
d. Personnel Files Maintained: None. The boards have full
access to the official personnel performance folders. They may re-
quest the Chief, Performance Evaluation Branch, Office of Personnel
to obtain additional information when it is needed. Security and
medical folders are not available to the boards; a representative
of either office will appear, upon request, before a board to present
oral information considered necessary to the evaluation of an officer.
In general, the boards are not aware of security investi-
gations pending or in process which concern officers being rated.
The Director of Security notifies the Director of Personnel of those
officers who should not be promoted. Their names are then removed
from the list of those to be promoted. If the Director of Security
later removes his objections to an officer recommended for promotion,
that officer's name may be sent forward, separately, with a recommen-
dation for promotion. (Foreign Service Officer promotions are made
by the President.)
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I.,, Ifto
The personnel file contains only a slip from the Medical
Office indicating whether an officer is classed as cleared, limited
(which may be specified or may require inquiry of the Medical Office)
or restricted to duty in the United States. Representatives of the
Medical Office will answer questions concerning the physical and men-
tal fitness of an officer but will not identify a disease from which
he may be suffering.
5. The Staff Corps Review Panels:
These panels are selected and serve in the same manner as the
FSO Selection Boards, rating the members of the staff corps and
recommending those considered eligible for promotion and those whose
performance is considered marginal, submarginal or unsatisfactory.
The panels do not include observers nor public members.
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