(Classified)LINGUIST RETIREMENTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01439R000500120005-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 22, 1998
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: August 21, 1970
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 1999/09/08 :CIA-RDP80B01439R000500120005-1
TAB
Approved For Release 1 99/09/08 :CIA-RDP80B01439~000500120005-1
 t. \ .1 ~
Af ~ .~
.Approved For Relr~ase 1999/09/08 :CIA-RDP80B01~c39R000500y 20~Q5~'f''~/~
~ ~~ ~
21 August 1970
biE~410F~.ANDUbZ FOR:Executive Director-Comptroller
THROUGH i Director for Intelligence G'~~~
F~ei~~~~1
SUBJECT : _ Linguist Retirements
1. This. is a report on prospective linguist losses
through maFr~by1 retirement over the next three" ~o five
years and - plans for coping with the situation. Such
report was requested in the Executive Director-Comptroller's
9 July 1970 mema~i~~~~, roving a further extension of Czech/
z ~ k linguist reserve appointment, which
~FOIAb3b1 ~gra~~t~~~~lacknowleciges .
radios, exploiting foreign rev~spapers a.nd journals, trans-
lating classified materials, and performing TDY and PCS
assignments for other CIA components.
2. _ stands by reason of mandatory retirement to
lose 36 staff linguists through FY 1975: six in FY ?1, eight
in FY 72, six in FY 73, and eight
in each year FY 7~ and
75
(TAB A--Basic Fact Sheet).. This
156 in professional gx?ades up to
from a 1 July 1970 total
GS-13 monitoring foreign
of
3. Another 25 staff ~Iinguists are now eligible for
optional retirement or will become eligible during the next
five years. Eleven of. those scheduled for mandatory retire-
ment are eligible to opt out earlier (TAB B). Optional
retirements have so far been negligible among staff, linguists
but we m~t~A~~s~~me some losses by this route.
4. _ lost 61 staff linguists during the past three
years, 3S for reasons ot.ier than retirement or separation
(TAB C). There were 14 inter-office transfers, 21 resignations,
and three deaths. SYe already know of two transfers and two
resignations in FY 1971. Our greatest losses involve the
young professionals who having seen what a career as a staff
' linguist holds for them choose to go on to other things.
Eighty percent of those transferred or resigned were belotiv
;jour.neyman grade of GS-11. Such losses will undoubtedly
continue. ~ .
 Approved For Relea~'e~ 1999/09/08 :CIA-RDP80B0143flR000500120.005-1
5. Fotential losses through optional retirement,
transfers, and resignations compound the replacement problem
created by the 36 mandatory retirements scheduled over the
next five years. 1~Iany of these 36 are among tl{e0'~;killed,
experienced, and .productive staff linguists in - They
represent a heavy loss in native, scarce, technical, and
multi-language skills (TAB A). The postwar emigre who has
provided the Agency with much of its native-level language
skill is a vanishing breed. Applicants with any of those
skills are rare. Training involves dedication, time, and
money. To pay off the individual must stay with us in a
linguist job. Yet the road to promotion takes the linguist
away from his specialty.
6. Plans to cope with this situation include aggressive
recruitment, specialized training, use of cleared contractors,
and, as a last resort, deferment of mandatory retirement.
These plans are alx?eady underway,
7. Recruitment - The Office of Personnel. is seeking
highly-qua i~ied applicants in the language skills we presently
lack or stand to lose through mand~itory retirement over the
next is months: Chinese, Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian,
Russian, .Bulgarian, Serbo-C~?~,f~-,k~~ei1, Albanian, Vietnamese, and
Persian, Ne are screening - indepEndent contractors for
other possibilities, Those uncovered who survive the clearance
procedures will be brought on duty as .requirements at the time
indicate and staff ce']]~~ ~- and headroom permit.
F~IA~~s1
8, Training. - _ drew up a Five-Year Language Training
Plan?in December 1969 covering both antici ated losses and
important language gaps. Those effo~l~1irinb outside
support were included in thi~5~s - Five-Year Plan.
pl'(7vicinn ,vow. .., ., .7 ,. .c..~ --_ _
State and Defense Department fa~ Zes.1~T