USE OF INFORMAL COMMUNICATIONS TO PROVIDE CIA COMMENTS ON STATE REPORTING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 19, 2006
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: January 24, 1975
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2006/11/06.: CIA-RDP80BO1495RO013001 00 9.f
t 4 JAN 1'l5
FROM
OR; Director o
Provide CIA Comments on State
Reporting
Deputy Director for Intelligence
Use of Informal Co sunications to
RE F RI3Nc : State Airgram A-7707, 10 October 1974
You will recall that the reference
,,,
established an informal means by which CIA production
analysts could provide feedback and coent on current
reporting by diplomatic missions. The goal is
to encourage specific and tidy interaction with
some of the principal consumers of State's overseas
reporting. You asked to be given a mid-January recap
as to how the proposal was working.
Since October analysts in OER, OPR, OC
and one 910 have sent 11 informal letters to State
overseas posts. In some instances we have drawn
blanks In that no dialogue developed and there has
been no improvement in the quality of reporting.
We have received, however, some positive responses
to our communications. The most useful exchanges
that have developed seem to have come about when some
form of personal contact, in Washington or abroad,
triggered off additional dialogue.
ce4
i
made contact with an analyst in OCI. -1- C~[JF ac1es 1-
A few representative examples include:
While on home leave the Political
iffi from the pass} in Lima
Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
 Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
This was followed up by a number Of
informal letters that discussed
current iS sues . ?tlthOUgh these
con unications have not been as
productive as we would like, they
have been improving in quality,
and the analyst intends to continue
them.
Talks were held with Ambassador Viron
P. Vaky from Bogota during his visit
to Washington last November. =e
encouraged Inform-al correspondence to
develop a dialogue with officers of his
nission., and we are following up on
his positive attitude.
The O CI analyst following Italian
affairs had occasion to meet the
Political Counselor in Rove at a time
a draft National Intelligence estimate
was being coordinated. Since then
there have been informal co unications
on other subjects, and we have been
pleased by the positive response from.
1tovie. As a spin-off of this effort,
the OCI analyst established closer
contacts with State's desk officer in
Washington.
In one instance, however, the system
seemed to function, at least partially,
without any prior personal contact.
This occurred when the OCI analyst for
Central America wrote to the political
officers in Tegucigalpa and San Salvador
requesting exchange of views on the
dispute between hl Salvador and :tonduras.
The Political ;officer in Tegucigalpa
responded in somewhat less than satis-
factory fashion, and no response was
received from San Salvador.
Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80BO1495R001300120009-9
 Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
3. In sum, we believe the initial responses
to the new procedures have been encouraging but by
no means overwhelming. No tap root is in evidence
Yet,- and the new rocedures will have to be nurtured
if they are to take hold. The Human Sources Corittee
believes that this kind of informal comunication has
potentiel, and in its draft Objectives for 1975 has
set a goal of encouraging the increased use of
official/informal letters as a means of iriprovi
camunications betrfeeu intelligence producers
field reporters.. I intend to encourage this e
also.
Deputy Fire
PRO FOR
or intelligence
Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
 Approved For Release 2006/11106 CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
Use ~~~IGI C?~s~~~~u4~c5t~t~s to
pry
Reporting
Distribution'
i - DDCI
xecuti Registry
DDI
I C/Cr'AS
i - CfCChfdSG.1~iC
C h .i roman
I - CGAS111SG
DDI f CGAS / 1 C
ion 7C
Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80BO1495R001300120009-9
 Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9
Approved For Release 2006/11/06: CIA-RDP80B01495R001300120009-9