DEAR MR. PRESIDENT:

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R000300130072-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 6, 2002
• Sequence Number: 72
• Publication Date: November 15, 1965
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2002/03/29 : CIA-RDP80-01826R000300130072-0
November 15, 1965
The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
From the outset of your Administration you have called for action to
reduce costs and improve efficiency. In an early response to this call
'I committed the Civil Service Commission to a thorough and critical
review of its traditional examining system.
The Civil Service Act of 1883 provides for delegating authority to
agencies to recruit and examine applicants through Boards of Examiners.
which operate under Commission supervision. With Government growth the
number of such Boards has gradually increased from a few in Washington
and the field to a present number of 668.
As a result of intensive study over the last three years the Commission
has now developed plans for modernizing the entire Board examining
system for positions at grades GS-l through GS-15, and for all Wage
Board jobs.
In recognition of the shared responsibility of all Federal managers for
quality staffing, this new system has been designed with the objective
of interagency coordination and cooperation and with the following
features:
The principal feature is the gradual consolidation of most
of the 668 Boards into a basic network of approximately 60
Interagency Boards in selected major population centers.
All Boards will continue to operate under Commission super-
vision. The examining and geographic jurisdiction of each
Interagency Board will be clearly defined to eliminate
wasteful duplication and overlapping of effort. This
consolidation of Boards, many of which are now run on a
part-time basis, into fewer full time operations will
result in greater staff competence, improved service to
the public and the agencies, a more effective merit system,
and reduced total costs.
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The Executive Officer and the operating staff of the Inter-
agency Board will be on the rolls of the Civil Service
Commission. Policy direction will be provided by a Board
of Directors composed. of top Federal executives who will
demonstrate the high level interest in improving the
quality of. staffing.
Under an interagency cooperative financing plan, the
Commission would be reimbursed for operational costs on
a fair proportionate basis. This is in contrast to present
arrangements where staffing and financing are assumed by the
agencies. Significant Governmentwide cost reduction can be
anticipated when the new program becomes fully operational.
The 12 Federal Executive Boards and 58 Federal Executive
Associations will be expected to support the implementation
of this important interagency approach.
The Civil Service Commission
will provide leadership, supervision, and general
recruiting support,
will announce, schedule, and score large-volume
written tests, using the latest computer techniques,
and speed the. results to the Interagency Boards.
The Interagency Board:
0 will develop imaginative and vigorous recruitment
programs in cooperation with the participating
agencies,
will evaluate the experience and training of
candidates,
will maintain lists of eligibles and refer
eligibles to employing agencies,
will operate a one-stop Federal job information
center so that interested citizens, including
graduates of the Job Corps and the Neighborhood
Youth Corps, can be counseled on job opportunities
and will no longer have to visit a number of Govern-
ment offices to get the information they need,
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will give strong support to our efforts to become
an equal opportunity employer in every sense,
will assist in identifying highly able employees
for possible reassignment, transfer and promotion
to jobs of greater responsibility throughout the
service.
Our partnership with the agencies in the development of this program
will assure an up-to-date merit recruiting and examining system that
will be fully responsive to the needs of the Government and the public.
Respectfully yours,
John W. Macy, Jr.
Chairman
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LOCATIONS AND GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE OF INTER-AGENCY BOARDS
Approved For Release 2002/03/29 : CIA-RDP80-01826R000300130072-0