LAUNCHING THE CS HISTORY.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-06202A000100100015-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 28, 2000
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: December 21, 1964
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For lease 200 1-RDP78-0620 Of ~; r R
21 December 1964
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Launching the CS History.
It was decided in the fall of 1963 that a greater emphasis
must be given to the Agency's historical efforts. On 1 November
1963, the present Agency Historical Staff was established in
the office of the DCI under the direct supervision of the
Executive Director-Comptroller. It followed that a history of
the Clandestine Services would be developed parallel to the
histories of other components of CIA, and that the Historical
Staff would guide this program. In the past, 25X1A
25X1A et al., had been detailed to the Office of the Director
under the aegis of Colonel Stanley Grogan to draft segments of
the history of the Agency through certain periods. Some of
these papers touched upon early development of the Clandestine
Services, in a broad, general treatment, as a major part of the
Agency.
Prior to the establishment of the Historical Staff, the
Agency had agreed to participate in writing a history of our
Government's activities in Vietnam, with emphasis to be placed
on counterinsurgency. It was further agreed that, with the
Agency's responsibilities being unique and sensitive, its part
of the history would be developed as a separate paper. (After
the establishment of the Historical Staff, O/DCI, the undersigned
was officially detailed to this Staff by a memorandum from the
ADDP in December 1963, to prepare this history of our operations
in Vietnam.) This effort, conceived as the original activity
in a "country by country" program, was expanded to include across-
the-board examination of CS historical documentation and the
drafting of historical papers on the relationships between the
Clandestine Services and the other major components of the CIA,
other agencies of the Government, the NSC, and the like. The
25X1A detail of to the Historical Staff gave greater
momentum to this CS program and made it possible to broaden our
concepts and our attack on the program. 25X1A
Thus, in the course of the year 1964 and I began
to piece together the essential phases of an overall approach
to the development of a Clandestine Services history and the re-
quired basic action. The memorandum of 30 November 1964, for
the DD/P, outlines the work of that year and the direction in
which we were headed.
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In the fall of 1964, after entered the hospital, 25X1A
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and analyzing early OPC documents. Under the guidance and with
the assistance of the undersigned she commenced the development
of indices covering these documents. Thus, vital documents were
located and identified and references prepared for later use in
25X1A the actual writing of various elements of the CS history.
in response to a DD/P Personnel Management Com-
mittee overture through the EE Division, agreed to his assign-
ment to the Historical Staff in charge of the small CS research
group in the Historical Staff. The purpose of this group was
to conduct a careful review of CS records, establish the neces-
sary indexing and reference systems to meet CS historical re-
25X1A quirements, and develop procedures for maintaining past and
future historical records. was
selected by the undersigned to fill the remaining slot of the
three researchers, late in 1964. Her years of staff experience
25X1A in the FI part of the Clandestine Services would parallel in a
way the experiences of in the CA field. It was
believed that together t ey wou complement quali- 25X1A
fications in records, procedures and solvin documentary prob-
lems. 25X1A
Also, it was felt that background
and capability in drafting instructional material and management
tools could be effectively used in preparing recommendations to
the CS Historical Board. She would also assist in conveying the
conclusions and opinions of the Board and the guidance of the
Agency Historical Staff, as well as the actions and findings of
the CS research group of the Historical Staff, to the Clandestine
25X1A Services, in memoranda, notices and instructions as appropriate
and required. now fills the clerical slot
and fourth position of this sma unit established by the
Executive Director-Comptroller in the Historical Staff to facil-
itate the preparation of the CS history. She originally came
on loan in order to assist in the processing of Vietnam histori-
cal material. This group will receive the general guidance and
professional assistance as needed from the Chief and other mem-
bers of the Historical Staff and will be under the direction of
25X1A the undersi ned (and formerly envisaged as under the direction
of who is to be responsible for the CS history.
25X1A Although are not to come on
duty in the Historical Staff until 1965, I have begun to ready
the CS components by visiting each of them and discussing the
plans for the CS history and future intentions as they now are
foreseen. In most cases it was possible to discuss these plans
25X1A with the chiefs :of the senior staffs and divisions. 25X1A
Chief, WE, had already begun the preparation of his-
tor ca papers on our operations in a number of the countries
under his jurisdiction. Since these histories were getting
underway, the undersigned met with the officers responsible for
T1 AA
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drafting them, explained the CS program and some of the initial
plans for incorporating the work of individual efforts such as
theirs into the overall program. I provided these officers
with guidelines for historical writing in the Clandestine Serv-
ices and another paper covering purposes which CS historical
papers might serve and the general points to be considered in
their preparation.
Contact with the WE Division has continued; also, contacts
with individuals in other divisions and staffs have been main-
tained. The purpose in continuing this relationship is to
maintain interest, to disseminate information on the progress
of historical efforts throughout the Clandestine Services, and
to acquire information about individuals who have experiences
which should be documented and who may be about to retire.
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