(UNTITLED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00827A000300060005-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 7, 2000
• Sequence Number: 5
• Content Type: MISC

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Q Admiral Raborn, you have just left the Central
Intelligence Agency after more than 14 months as
Director. What is your opinion of the Agency?
A Excellent. It is the finest organization I have
ever been associated with. The people at CIA are dedi-
cated, loyal, and highly capable. I found the Agency
well up to its exacting requirements as our first line
of national defense.
Q Why are you leaving now?
A When President Johnson called me out of retire-
ment from government service, I asked him first how
long I would be needed. He told me I could serve six
months, or a year, or as long as he was in office, or un-
til I was satisfied with certain administrative tasks,
including in particular long-range planning. I'm taking
the fourth option, but I also came close to the one-year
hitch. Actually, the President had had my resignation
in hand for bout
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came in with the Dominican crisis, and you might say it
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U. S. News & World Report
Vice Admiral William F. Raborn, Jr.
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
McLean, Virginia
June 6, 1966
Dear Admiral Raborn:
Apropos of our telephone conversation today, I am encisoing
a list of questions that occurred to me and also a memorandum from
one of my associates on the same subject.
Sincerely yours,
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While we know you can't tell us exactly how much money you spend
particular activities, could you give us an idea of how your appropriation is
divided -- that is, as between gathering of information abroad and transmission
of it to various parts of our government and information that is related to
clandestine operations? Just the proportions might be interesting.
2. In view of the fact that most of your energies are devoted to the gathering
of information, would it have been more accurate to have used the initials
ofyour organization and to call it the "Central Information Agency"?
Isa t it true, for instance, that much of the information that you gather
isn't really secret at all, but that if someone were at theproper place at the
proper time in a given area or city he would be able to get the information in a
normal way, as for instance, a newspaperman gets it?
When the information is gathered, is it interpreted by somebody on the spot,
or is it brought to you in raw form so that you can feel sure it is factual
rather than opinionated?
4. What is the importance of this type of information to the operations of our
government?
5. Since it has been stated that you yourselves do not make policy, would you say
from your contacts with government officials that they have found the information
valuable when they start to formulate particular policies?
6.' As we understand it, you do not operate within the United States in the matter
of clandestine operations of any kind. Is that correct?
7. Is this left entirely to the FBI?
8 In working abroad, what is the system of contact that you have with
our embassies and legations? Do you have any representatives in any of the
embassies?
9. Do you transmit any information directly to the embassires, or does
it'have to come to Washington and then be relayed back to the embassies, or
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legations abroad?
10. What comments have you had, in a general way, from government officials
as to the value of the information they have received through your system?
11. Prior to the establishment of the CIA, was there a feeling in the
State Department and elsewhere that they were handicapped in getting information
from other countries, while the governments abroad themselves carried on a
constant information-gathering operation in our country as well as others?
12. Do you collect information of a business nature, as well as that which
concerns governmental operations?
13. Do you gather information about the operations of the governments
themselves throughout a country?
14. At what point do you feel that the information gathered is of a
nature which requires you constantly to report it back to our government? -
Weare speaking now only of information that would be available to anybody who
happened to live in the country and does not involve chndestine operations in any way.
15. In dealing with clandestine operations, are you up against counter
measures taken by other governments to thwart the activities of our own people?
16. Do foreign governments operate within the United States through their
clandestine operations dir'ferently than we do when agents of your office operate
abroad?
17. Would you say that the discovery of the atom bomb secrets, or rather
the getting of information of a secret nature both in this country and in England
by
the Russian Government was accomplished through clandestine operations of an
agency analagous to yours, aa.was and could it have been thwarted by activities on our
part? In other words, do we have better measures now to protect our secrets than we
L8. How do you co-operate with the intelligence agencies of the military
one
services? Does each vAM of the armed services have its own intelligence units and
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operatives? Do they operate in foreign countries? Are they confined strictly
to nxilitary information?
19. Or is the CIA expected to collect this, too, in cases where the
units of the armed services are not represented or do not have agents?
20. Do you have any outside counsel or advisers? What is the nature
of this activity?
21. How long ago did the CIA begin to disclose to congressional
committees information about its activities?
22. Have the congressional committees which have been in contact
with the CIA expressed any dissatisfaction over the years that they were not
getting enough information?
23. Do you find that leakages of information have been detrimental
to your operation in any respect?
24. Do all the major countries operate intelligence systems?
25. Is there co=operation between the intelligence systems of friendly
countries and our own?
26. If we collect information that is of vital importance to one of
ouri allied countries, would it be transmitted to the State Department or Defense
Department and to the proper governmental units abroad which are friendly to us?
27. To what extent is the co-operation between the intelligence agencies
of !allied governments a factor in the successful operation of intelligence activities
by your unit?
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operated any differently now than it was then?
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29. What are the names of your different divisions, if you can give
them to us?
30. Do you maintain offices abroad -- or is this secret?
31. Does most of your personnel live abroad?
32. What can be said in answer to the criticism that dishonorable methods
arel used by the CIA?
33. Do you consider that the CIA is an instrument of the "cold war" and
is justified in taking any measures to get information that are being taken by other
governments in their efforts to get information inside the United States?
34. Would you say that there is any essential difference between the methods
used by the Army, Navy and Air Force in their intelligence units to get information
abroad, and that which is used by the CIA?
35. On the whole, would you say that former employees have maintained
integrity and have not broken confidence over the years?
36. Have you had many instances of defections?
37. Do other governmental intelligence agencies have something of the same
problem?
38. Although the Armed Services have intelligence units, does the CIA
feed responsible for the collection of any military information that could possibly
be of value to the Armed Services?
39. To what extent does the CIA operate under direct instructions from
the, President or Secretary of State?
40. Are there some ~Vft general instructions given covering a number of
activities?
41. Do you have anything which might be called regulations to govern
your activities?
42. Are these prescribed by the President or Secretary of State or any
other Cabinet officer? In other words, to what extent do you operate under specific
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instructions in certain types of cases? 9~'r~r'k~
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Some'possible added questions for CIA:
1. Can you describe the role of the Central Intelligence Agency
in general terms?
Y':2. Is this role essentially one of information gathering? Would a
more descriptive title be: "Central Information Agency?
People seem to have the impression that yours is a big "spying"
organization, staffed by'spie!~ Is that anywhere near a
correct impression?
4. Another idea is that the CIA is in the business of stirring
insurrections or starting and maybe. running lit tle wars. Is that
impression justified?
. Do your information activities cover the globe?
6. Why is information on this scale important to the U.S.? Is it
necessary as an aid in shaping policies of this nation with its world-wide
interests and worldwide aid programe?
7. Do you work wit$ the nation's embassies overseas and its consulates?
Is that work a supplement to the diplomatic and consular survice or
in competition with it?
J 8. Is your role in information gathering different from that of the
intelligence services of the armed forces?
9. Does riachinery exist to correlate all of the information that flows
into Washington?
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vast amount of inforn tion that you receive? Is this machinery
so geared that quick action can follow when the flow of infirmation
impendin
suggests danger or trouble?
11. Do you work largely in a vacuum with little or no contact with
12. To whom does your org=inization report? Are accounts supervised or
audited? Does anyone in Congress know of what activities you are
carrying on?
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 UNCLASSIFIED 4V1\s aa~+ i.++ny
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
i1NCLASS rAni
FORM N0. 237 Use previous editions
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 F%titiI vv'iaA I vI IX'wuwwa'w wvvivvi I . vIF%-IwI I f I %f%f%J I
JUN-6'66 7 ;gs - . `
PERSONAL
Vice Admiral William F. Raborn, Jr.
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
McLean, Virginia
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 2300 N STREET, N. W.
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