CENTRALIZATION OF ORIENTATIONS AND BRIEFING SERVICES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00634A000100120005-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 27, 2009
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: September 21, 1959
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2009/03/27 :CIA-RDP62-00634A000100120005-8
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21 September 1859
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Assistant to
Deputy Director (Support)
SUBJECT Centralization of Orientation
and Briefing Services
REFERENCE OTR Memorandum of 9 July and
DD/S Memorandum of 8 September
on above subject
1. Since 9 July when Mr. Baird wrote Colonel White about
regularizing procedures for briefing various military service schools
and. other groups, there have been one or two significant develop-
ments touching on this problem. Also we have had a chance to
study more carefully some of the collateral matters involved in
centralizing such responsibilities. As a consequence, we are now
strongly inclined toward trying to work this problem out on an
informal basis--at least for the present. 25X1
2. To begin at the beginning--Mr. ~~ OTR's Orientation
and Briefing Officer, has for years been arranging presentations at
some of the service schools and has conducted regular briefings for
various groups of military personnel. He keeps records of the pres-
entations he arranges and has built up informal notes on lectures by
other Agency speakers which were arranged through separate channels.
However, his notes on other speakers have not been complete because
neither he nor anyone else has had any coordinating responsibility in
this field. It was this situation in part which underlay Mr. Baird's
July recommendation.
3. Responsibility for arranging VIP briefings also recently
shifted from PPC to Mr. This move brought him into a
much closer relationship to members of PPC who coordinate such
matters for DD/P (and who incidentally s~~.pply many of the speakers
to military groups} . It has also drawn him closer on briefing matters
u ~ ~ ~~i~
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to key points in DD/I and DD/S. As a result, he is now in a position
to monitor pretty closely all of the appearances of CIA. speakers before
military groups. Hence the establishment of a "speakers bureau" and
a point of record for Agency members who address outside groups has
now pretty well taken place on an informal basis by recent alterations
of Mr . job . 25X1
4. We believe not only that Mr. can now accomplish
the coordinating functions Mr. Baird a el White had in mind
but we .think. it much preferable that he do so on an informal basis
rather than as a result of an Agency notice. This view is colored
largely by OCR's role in connection with briefings for military and
other non-CIA personnel. You will recall that OCR. is the recognized
point of contact for non-CIA officials to arrange briefings for individual
attaches, FSO's, and other officers. A modus vivendi has been worked
out between Mr. Dand OCR which is eminently satisfactory
from both points of view. It would be very difficult to coordinate and
publish a formal Agency notice on briefings which could tread the narro,v
line in this field between OCR a~~d OTR. We would very much like to
let time and experience ~ down this relationship before any attempt
is made formally to define it. Specifically, we are concerned that by
designating Mr. ~ as a central point for controlling Agency
briefings we might invite OCR to off-load all or much of the work which
they are now doing and which we believe properly should remain in DD/I.
5. If you go along with these views, we would appreciate your
counseling Colonel White tc let the present situation lie for awhile and
avoid the early issuance of a formal Agency notice on this subject.
Approved For Release 2009/03/27 :CIA-RDP62-00634A000100120005-8