SENIOR SEMINAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00308A000100010004-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 10, 2000
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: March 29, 1972
• Content Type: MF

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Director-Comptroller
TIIROUG11 Tenior uty Director for Support
SUBJECT Seminar
REFERENCE
Memo, 10'.Mar 72, from: Ex.Dir.-Comp.
to A/DTR, same subject
1. We very much appreciate receiving your suggestions on the
Senior Seminar as set forth in the reference and your interest in
the Senior Seminar. Some of the items on the:, list tare being met
during the current Seminar or will be in future runnings; a few
are more complex and strike me as warranting further discussion.
I have taken the liberty-of quoting each point in the reference
and following it with our comments.
a. "In Block II, I find no particular coverage of Europe..
It seems to. me that the European Community. is-an important
economic and political unit well. wo:rth.special attention."
Comment: Concur. '-..''.e Seminar Staff made an effort to
include coverage of Europe and the European Community. They
first contacted Robert Bowie, Director of Harvard's Center
for International Affairs, who declined on the basis of a
busy schedule. They then invited Professor Klaus Knorr of
Princeton who is-an ONE consultant and had been recommended
by several ONE Staff members. Dr. Knorr declined on the
basis that he felt he is not particularly competent to cover
the subject.. The Seminar Staff will try harder. next time..
b.. "Is Block II rea_i.ly worth two whole weeks? Granted, it
needs coverage and could not be handled in one week. I just
wonder at the investment involved in two, whole weeks for
general updating which will be out of date in a matter of
months." '.
Comment: This is a. tough question. The Staff argues that
coverage of "Major World Trends and Problems" is worth at
least two weeks or probably not worth. covering at all. They
recognize. that the coverage of the different topics in the
Block is at best pretty thin: The rationale for this Block
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b. Comment (contd)
is to expose the participants to. changes in the thinking
and interpretation of U.S. foreign policy and equities and
in the Agency's target: areas which have occurred since the
participants finished their formal education. The exposure
to independent and reputable outside views. provides a yard-
stick against which to measure Agency views and stereotypes,
C M~ -----`"'as well as a tremendous source of stimulation which carries
through the entire Seminar. The material also ties in with.
and provides an appropriate background on the work of the
Agency and the Intelligence Community. Personally, .I believe
C_. this question probably deserves further exploration.
c. "I commend your use of movies on a voluntary basis. I
suggest, however, you might put~them.onto free time or even
evening time and increase the number. There are a lot of
good movies that would be worthwhile seeing but are not worth
taking up class time during the day."
Comment: Concur with your suggestions on films. At
present..' a total of 14 are scheduled of which 7 will be. run
on an optional basis during the lunch period. The Staff is
currently exploring the showing of additional films and the
interest in evening sessions with films.
d. "Perhaps talk might .cover it,. but J
would suQQest a nuts-and-bolts discussion of our relations
e. "The Defense day seems a little spotty.. Rather than
discussing Defense policy and P$D,,I wonder if we. should not
discuss how .intelligence can help Defense and how CIA and
DOD can and should collaborate. on operational as well as
policy problems."
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c. contd.
Comment: Your suggestion that the "Day at the Pentagon,"
when tTie participants are scheduled to hear Mr. Baroody,
Dr. Foster, Admiral Moorer and. Dr. Hall, include coverage
of how intelligence can help Defense is well taken. The
coverage of topics by i.hese speakers is being shifted to focus
on this question. Your though.t.that the Defense speakers
should explore how Defense and CIA should collaborate on
operational and policy problems does not, however, strike me
as being entirely appropriate for airing in a training program.
We may be a little sensitive, but I would anticipate that
Agency managers who have responsibility on our'end for such
_1-problems would greatly prefer that the Seminar avoid these
subjects.
t. "How usetul is t:he U5-LA. presentation" 1 would think
we might get at least as much or more out of AID. This could
cover some of the fairly large ideas of reorganization of
our foreign aid."
25X1A
Comment: As mentioned to you, the USIA presenta-
tion is scheduled primarily in order to hear Mr. Shakespeare
and his point of view. The Seminar heard an excellent presenta-
tion on 21 March on the subject of the problems of developing
countries and AID's role from Mr. James Fowler, Special Assist-
ant to the Deputy Administrator. His comments included some
ideas on how our foreign assistance program might best be
organized and related to U.S. foreign policy objectives.
h. "I would think that the NSC presentation is much more
important than a single speech by General Haig. I suggest
a working-level NSC staff member or even panel to tell us
what they expect from CIA and how we can help them better."
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h. contd.
Comment: General Haig is talking on how the NSC functions
on 24-.pri . In your reading of the schedules, you apparently
overlooked the presentation by Mr. Sonnenfeldt of the NSC
Staff on 31 March which will get into the question of how the
Agency supports the NSC.
i. "Is there a way t:o cover the organizational aspects
of NRO without getting into impossible' security. compartmenta-
tion problems?"
Comment: The organizational side of the NRO will be.
covered by Mr. Brownman on 11 April. The participants hold
the necessary clearances.
j. "I found no particular discussion of the art of analysis.
In particular, I would think some imaginative discussion of
future changes in analysis, techniques to meet-now demands
of volume and precision Would be appropriate.. This could
include a good exposure to how Automated Data Processing could
help us more."
Comment:. The subject .of intelligence analysis in the
25X1A Inte.lTige e Directorate will be covered by a panel on 10
April and the estimative process byl Deputy. Director
of National Estimates, on 14 April. Having noted this, I
2h doubt that these presentations will provide the kind of coverage
raised in your suggestion. This is an area that warrants -
further exploration, discussion and attention.
k. "Similarly, I suggest a somewhat more operational look
at the production process, i.e., the identification and trans-
mission of requirements, evaluations of our products, discus-
sionsof the present and possibly changed formats. of our
finished production and the tangled subject of information
processing and retrieval."
Comment:. Same comment as on item j.
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2. If the above comments are riot sufficiently responsive
please let us know and we w._11 take appropriate. action. Otherwise,
I recommend that the knottier questions (a, j and K) be. discussed
when the Seminar is completed as part of a general look at the
lessons learned in running the first two Seminars.
Acting Director of Training
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 DDS Briefing
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SENIOR SEMINAR
1. Many ideas from Mr. Cunningham as DTR. One was the
Senior Seminar. Proposed November 1970 run a course for
senio fficers, GS-15 and above, on par with senior government
courses--NWC, SS in FP, F1,1--taking best of different approaches,
adapting to CIA. Why.- CIA has sent its people to these courses--
tt
more applicants than places--but none focused sufficiently on
intelligence or CIA's interests. Had programs for junior officers,
mid-career officers, not an executive course. Proposal approved
by DCI for one running trial basis, to be given hard evaluation.
2. Hugh recruited me to organize the program. Joined OTR
late December 1970.
3. First task was a thorough analysis of senior officer
population of CIA. What is this group like? What kind of exper-
ience? Education? Mobility within CIA? Training? Developed a
profile.
4. Next, took a look at other programs--NWC, SS in FP, ICAF,
FEI, etc. Developed a tentative model. Then consulted widely in
the Agency on a) model and b) objectives. Rounds of consultations,
redefined and refined both model and objectives.
5. Based on study of senior officer population and consulta-
tions, three objectives were set forth:
a. Objective 1. To enable Seminar participants
to develop greater Tns;ght into problems and pressures
facing CIA management, the processes of change within
the Agency and in its external relationships, and de-
velopments in American society which are relevant to
CIA as an organization,.
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b. Objective 2. To acquaint Seminar participants
with current thinking on foreign policy equities and
those developments abroad which are the intelligence
collection, analysis and covert action targets of CIA.
c. Objective 3. To provide an opportunity for
senior officers to refresh and. broaden their insights
as managers and their understanding of others in the
Agency with whom they 4iork or have contact.
6. Model--and this ha,=~ varied. through the runnings and I
will come back to what the `;eminar covers and how it does it.
7. First running--September-November 1971, the second from
March-May 1972 and the third. from January-March 1973 (just finished
yesterday). Lasts about nine weeks. Last summer, the question of
what to do with the Senior eminar was considered by Mr. Colby and
deputies. First it was decided to run it once a year for 30-35
officers. Decision was rec:cnsidered and in September decision made
to run it twice a year, for the smaller number. 25X1A
8. What is covered by the Seminar? First week,
multifaceted: Management skills, orientation, overall looks at the
Agency. Recent running, se::ond two weeks on CIA's business--you
have had session in OSP control center for each running; this time
a week on "New Methodologies;"; two weeks on changing international
scene and new world trends. a week on CIA's official environment,
our relationships with the ?est of government; a week on domestic
change and problems of relevance to CIA; and concluding week on
the way CIA is managed.
9. How do we do it? ngle most used format is the guest
speaker or panel, who talks to a subject and then is followed by
a question and answer session. Use guest speakers from throughout
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CIA, other government officials, and experts from universities,
think tanks, and private activity. Tailor this by use of scope
notes. Increasingly, we arc going to case studies and games
developed by members of the staff; great success. Use films
quite a brit. Real differen::e is our use of the resource of
experience among the Seminar members themselves. This last
running, over 350 years experience in CIA around the table. We
tap this variety in different ways; one is the member presenta-
tion worked out in advance with members. Hour and quarter talk
and exchange. Also through discussion groups, questions, comments
and so on.
10. Other features:
a. Extensively cleared (SI, TKH,
I)
b. Spend great deal of time on evaluation; both individual
activities in terms of effectiveness for learning and overall
critique. Done by members.
11. Wind up by saying results of evaluations have been high,
in terms of what members believe they have learned and how Agency
has profited from their exposure and their broadening. We plan to
review with members what valae has been to them and Agency after
inn (five ru n;n
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12. One last word on s-rv,, borrowed and rotated.
One from S?;T for first two runnings; one from DDP-DfO for first and
another for second and third: a CT on interim; one ST now with FAES;
one ST from SIWA; and myself on loan from S career service.
13. Good program. Challenge is to update, renew, revitalize
by addition of new materials, new speakers, additional case studies.
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