DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HEADQUARTERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP63T00245R000100170052-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 14, 2010
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: August 26, 1955
• Content Type: LETTER

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Au -,ua t 2b, .1955
jlonor.L. a e Pere ~?.r. ~ .t
As.91stant Dir6',nk
3areau of the Budget,
-Wtn? 25,, D. Go Re: Des-IF n and CostI'uctio of
C,p moral intelligence Agency
l eadquaarters
,.lea Mr. Rappaport:
s you r nc5w~ a difference of opinion ex sts between this Adminis-
trsti on and the Central. Intelligence Agency as to which agency has respons--
-' y .-ll..ty for the design and construction of the CIA headquarters building
Sect ..on 401, Title No Public Law 161, 84th Congress, approved
as.ut 7orazed by
1955
{C'h.at law a ,s .t,horized the Director o t Central Intell.i gene s'to
uaarters installation for the Central Inteiligefce Agency
he3d
f
y-~
q
aa,
,.~~
ox
000, and a construction cost of not
000
ot to exceed $1
la
c
t
f
,
,
n
o
n
os
GSA wad authorized to demolish temporary Government
0~0
O0
.
,
. a exceed r54, 5
buildings in the District of Columbia equivalent in soda: to that reLa rscxui!ahed
- CIA on occunaa!ncy of the new headquarters.
Cep; ; on jol of the above act further authorized proceeding with the
ac L lities without regard to certain revised statutes relation; to the expend-
.th9re of public funds for the acquisition of Land and contracts for the
r5~? iruction of buildings.
.ands for the preparation of plane and specifications and f or other
"R7nn9es as v thorized by Title IV of P.L. 161 were appropriated to CIA by the
Cuoole!nental Appropriation Act, 1956, P.L. 2l9, 84th Congress, approved August 4,
The CIA people contend that the authorization and appropriation to
contravenes our authority w id places in them fall and corm fete authority
and responsibility for the design and construction of the building. They
hey intend to use our services in more or less an advisory capacity.
it is our position tnat, as a matter of
and construction of the building is in GSA
,v.athority in the field of construction of general
derived from the Public Bu.i Ldings Act of 1926, as
law, res donsibil.ity for
by virtue of our precl..us
purpose office buiLdings
amended.
Consideration has been given as to whether
of the above act, of the applicability of R.S. 3734,
xc,s .tio:a of CIA. That statute reads as follows:
exemption in Section 501
as amended, supports the
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arr or e Percy Rappaport
"I MI Money shall be expended upon, any public r u..Lding until after
sketch plans showing the tentative design and arrangement of such
building, together with outline description and detailed estimates Of
the cost thereof shall have been made by the Administrator of Genera
er :l.ces (except when otherwise authorized by law) a, * h1
f the authorization for the construction of the CIA
i
l
oin o
5 a.>
~as
building in P.L. 161, which is essentially an act to ,sntthorize certain
construction at military, naval and air force instal.1a?tions, appears to
have been merely R matter of convenience* That the above exemption was not
intended to have any applicability to the construction of the CIA building
is clearly established by the Senate Committee on. Armed Services, Report
herein it is s fated.:
61
1
, w
.
694, on H.R. 6829, later enacted as public Law
rovides the authority to acquire land on whlcn to
01
a
p
on 5
aesee;t
provide family housing for military Personnel. It also contains the
fvistomary :language avoiding the application of certain sections of the
~evi.sed Statutes that impose unreasonable restrictions on the prose
oreva
ii i
n
diti
.
ons
iion of a military construction program under con
F'aurthermore, testimony during hearings preceding enactment of above
ct,s, shows that GSA worked with CIA in preparing the estimates upon which
the legislation was based, and that the Senate Subcommittee on Real Estate
and Military Construction of the Committee on Armed Services recognized that
the work should be performed by a central construction agency properly equipped
or the ouroose and not by CIA. There was discussion as to whether the work
would be done by the Corps of Engineers or GSA and it was at least implied
that GSA would be expected to design and icontruct': the build g. See Commrs
nni_ttee; Hearings on. S. 1765 (H.R. 6829) et. cages 548, 549.
Act of
The authorizing law does not include an exemption from the known
may . , 1926, 44 ;tat. 630x, 631, as amended, 40 U.S.C.A. 341, 342,
as the Public Buildings Act of 1926. Sections I and 2 of this act read,
respecti.ve]y, in pertinent part as set out in Title 40, U.S?C.A~&:
To enable the Adm.inistratc' of General Services to provide suitable
amaomntodations in the District of Columbia for the executive departments,
ad independent e:=tab.ishxfents of the Government *, * a.: , and for court-
how..aes, post Offices, immigration stations, customhouses, marine hospitals,
jimarantine stations, and other public buildings of the classes under
the control of the Administrator of General Services in the States, i=
hhe is authorized and directed to acquire, by purchase, condemnation, or
otherwise, such sites and additions to sites as he may deem necessary,
And to cause to be constructed thereon, and upon lands belonging to the
Government conveniently located and available for the purpose (but
mxclus5ve of military and naval reservations), adequate and suitable
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Honorable Percy Rappaport
baai_l:dings for any of the foregoing purposes,
Provided further, That all sketches, plans, and estimates for buildings
ski - be approved by the Administrator of General Services and the
'heads of the executive departments which are to be located in such
iii1dinq.
"(a) The woric of preparing designs and other drawings, estimates,
specifications, and awarding of contracts, as well as the supervision
of the work e, * shall be performed by the Administrator of General
Services, except as otherwise Provided in said sections."
The CIA headquarters building will be a general purpose office
building which will have a gross floor area of approximately 2,300,000
square feet; basement, seven (7) floors, reinforced concrete frame; pile
foundations; air conditioning; fluorescent lighting; auditorium, shops and
i.. horatory areas, and cafeteria.
Since July 1, 1950, the effective date of Reorganization Plan
No. 18 of 1950,)(64 Stat. 1270; 5 UoS.C. 1332-15, note) we have applied the
criteria set forth in Section 2 of the Plan as determinative of the classes
of "other public buildings * * :: under the control of the Administrator
of General Services." Without question, the CIA headquarters, on completion,
would be an office building under our control for the purposes of operations,
maintenance, and custody as is true of the buildings presently occupied by
CIA*
iV'e want to call attention, specifically to the proviso quoted from
section I of the Public Buildings Act of 1926 which requires joint approval
of the plans, etc., by the head of the agency to be located in a new building
'Ina myself as a matter of law and as a condition precedent to the exercise
of our responsibilities under the Act. Even if this was not required by the
law, it seems eminently proper to us a matter of policy as it assures com-
pliance with all reasonable needs of a special nature of the agency initially
designated to occupy the particular building.
The authorization to CIA is merely "to provide" for a building,
without specification of the manner in which it was to be provided. In view
of the legislative history of the authorizing law and our express authority
Liar such construction, the applicability of which was not exempted, we feel.
there can be little doubt As to the soundness of our legal position.
in many similar cases in the past funds appropriated to other
a yencies for construction of general purpose office space and other structures
have been transferred to us and we have performed the design and construction
ua;der the Public Buildings Act, supra, and the applicable regulations and
Procedures.
We worked with the CIA in the early planning stages and prepsra-
ttion of cost estimates and understood that design and construction word be
performed by us. Therefore, we felt it unnecessary to insist upon a om vision
Po rp'llirinF in the anthoriz np og anni trlat n .= time
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1`8norz. 0-u b-rro.J i appapo1 t
d['o F}uvcly ie6 e _ pC8s-4$ Y s a ,~f rn(1 xaiv. ** le ?. mow, k~.
rapt ear of general policy that, IS the, Government is to have
,
rr . Paency frr design and construction of non-snilit.ar- r~sat,'io builai;^.gsa
such as our Public Buildings GerOice in CSA, performance of all :f"k_trscti.Ons
,uat fall within its sphere of resnonsibl"l.i tyr should be rmsrigned to it..
y arf?"s
s _ l .r
Orr record shows that we have designed and cnnstrsscted %,-),n y
'general purpose office buildings Ps we-13- as other structures with special.
i
"
tires in complete cooperation with and to the satisfaction of the occupy
ngenci.es
Economy and efficiency in the Federal construction can best be icraieved
x4ith an organization staffed with personnel equipped with the professional
rru.t i.#`.ceticns, technical "know--town and long experience in negotiation, award-
,Uag.p administration and supei vi r ion of contracts with architects, engineers and
,nnstructors for the design and construction of public buildings.
Grantf3.ng frequent special exemptions to agencies for their own design
>?d construction activities unquestionably will destroy any effort on. our part
to achieve uniformity in construction cost and over-all economy and efficiency
i : the construction of general purpose and related office space for the Federa~.l
Govern, ente .
We estimated the cost of this building in accordance with the con-
struction cost standards agreed upon between your office and tine for the
1 o se nutrchase provr. am,-.
To proceed with design and construction in the manner proposed by
a',IA would remove us from control and nreclude as from assur*ng conformity to
t tense standards,
This well might piece the entire lease purchase program in jeopa.rd a
jjecording_y, if a decision. is made contrary to our posietion we believe
that it would be better to remnve us frost any further participation in the
6esten and construction of the building rather than risk an adverse affect on
the lease purchases program.
An expression of your views will be appreciated.
C or. digs fly yours,
LDMIJND F. MANSURE
lidmirti.s trator
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a3N runr% Mt _
October 1953 GENERAL SERVICADMINISTRATION
ROUTING SLIP
TO- NAME
BUILDING, ROOM NUMBER, ETC.
I
enera
Counsel
Mr. Lawrence It. Houston
Central
Intelligence
z
3.
4.
5.
FOR
-
F]
APPROVAL fl IMMEDIATE ACTION
RECOMMENDATION
^
AS REQUESTED ^ INITIALS
^ SEE ME
^
CORRECTION ^ NECESSARY ACTION
^ SIGNATURE
^
FILING ^ NOTE AND RETURN
^ YOUR COMMENT
^
FULL REPORT ^ READ AND DESTROY
^ YOUR INFORMATION
^
HANDLE DIRECTLY ^ ALLOTMENT SYMBOL
^
^
PREPARE REPLY FOR SIGNATURE OF
^
ANSWER OR ACKNOWLEDGE BEFORE
FROM
J. H. Macomber, Jr.
DATE 9_29-55
REMAR
KS
Per our telephone conversation.'
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