MEMORANDUM FOR: MR. HELMS FROM L. K. WHITE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R001600210012-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 31, 2003
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: March 29, 1968
• Content Type: MF

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29 March 1968
MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. Helms
Admiral Taylor
I am sending along the Report of the Committee
on Professional Manpower. The committee members were John
Richardson (Chairman), and Don Chamber-
It is a very interesting report and raises a
number of problems for solution. In case you do not want to scan the
entire report, I have prepared a two-page precis which I think is a
fair summary of the report.
Each Deputy Director has a copy of the report,
and I plan to meet with the Deputies in the very near future to discuss
it with them and to plan courses of action to cope with the problems
raised.
In this connection, I am also attaching "for
your eyes only" a number of more penetrating questions which I think
we must ask ourselves.
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29 March 196
t~F~+sC)RA~1]t7A~rt FaR. Mr. Helms
Admiral Tdylar
Richarde~an {Chairman}, and Don Chamber- 25X1
~ axra sending alemg the Itegort of the Caznmittee
as Pxofeaaiona~. Manpower. The camm,ittee members were Jahn
tt is a very intaxeating report asad rsiffies a
number of pxablerns for saiation. In case you do aot want tv scan the
antixe xepazt, i have prepared a two-Page precis which I thfnl: is a
fair surnm;ery of the report,
Basch I}eputy D3~rector hoe a copy ~ the repcaxt.
+an8 ~ Plan to n~teet with they Depu+Eiee in the very near suture to dfscuss
it wi#h them aad to plan cr,~urses cif action to cape wfth the prablerns
~rais~+d,
~ this connection. Ism also attaching "far
your eyes only" a number of mare penetrating questions which I think.
we xxiust ssl~ c~urselvas.
Atts.chnrxenta (3) Committee Report, Precis, Questions
ExDir : LKW : j rf ;
I3istribution: *'-:; ' '~
1 - Exl3ir w/cy precis and questions
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0 - I?CI w /atts
1 - I?1~CI w/atts
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Precis of Professional Manpower Committee Report
1. Summary. The quality of the Agency~s current cadre of junior
officers (i. e. , those entering duty between FY 1963 and FY 1967) is equal
to or better than previous junior officer groups. CIAFS recruitment ef-
fort and competitive position are generally satisfactory, although there
are recruitment impediments which need remedying and some tentative
signs that reactions to anti-Agency publicity and the Vietnam War may
pose problems in the future. Finally, all directarates are experiencing
difficulties -- some unique to particular directorates and some common
to all -- in the area of purposeful career management and the retention
of the ablest junior officers. The above conclusions and the following
observations were derived from surveys of over~Agency supervisors
and junior officers.
2. Quality and aources of Junior Officers. Eighty-six per cent of
the Agency supervisors surveyed believe that the FY 1963-67 group of
junior officers equals or surpasses those officers entering duty before
1963. (The 14?fo who felt the contrary all were DD/P or DD/I supervisors. )
The Career Training Program is the principal source of DD/P junior
officers, an important source for the DD/S (which relies equally on direct
hire from business), incidental for the DD/I (which draws 40?fo of its em-
ployees from universities), and irrelevant for the DD/S&T (which relies
heavily on universities and industry). Recruitment data and a study near
completion by the Office of Medical Services suggest that job performance
and career potential bear a strong correlation to the quality of educational
institution attended by junior officers. (See Tab J for a brief discussion
of this observation. )
3. Recruitment. CIA's university recruitment efforts are proceeding
satisfactorily, although some indications that CIA recruiters spread them-
selve s too thin suggest the need to weed out unproductive institutions and
to concentrate on some 100 "quality" institutions. Each directorate, but
especially the DD/I and DD/S&T, have developed "unilateral" access to
the academic community and increasingly rely on such access for recruit-
ment. Recruiters observe that some highly promising prospects are lost
because of the lengthy waiting period that ensues between initial interviews
and tentative acceptance. Finally, it is believed by some recruiters that
the Vietnam War may be negatively affecting recruitment; and DD/I super-
visors feel that adverse publicity about the Agency may be affecting the
attitudes of good prospects, as well as impairing Agency-academic rela-
tions in general.
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4. Career Management. Career planning is not practiced in the
Agency with the possible exception of the DD/I which has consistently
effected the five-yea-r plans conceived as an aspect of the Midcareer
Development Program and which has a centralized system for identifying
and developing "comers. " The Midcareer Course is viewed more as a
"battery recharge" than a development program for the ablest officers.
The over-all attrition rate of junior officers entering duty during FY 1963-
67 is 28%. (The attrition rate of junior FSOts for FY 1966 and FY 1967,
by contrast, was slightly under 10%.) The separation rate is 35% in the
DD/S&T where industry constitutes an economically attractive alternative
and where the fact that the middle and senior grades are occupied by rela-
tively young officers induces some junior officers to conclude that ad-
vancement will be slow. DD/I's attrition rate is 35%, accounted for in
part by a 50% turnover in females. DD/P's loss rate is 20%, and the
reasons cited include the relative lack of promotion headroom caused by
a serious congestion at the senior levels of the CS. Concern is expressed
that the CS may be losing some of its ablest young officers.
5. Major Recommendations.
a. Agency intercourse with the academic community needs to be
encouraged and improved, including greater substantive exchange between
DD/I analysts and key faculty and graduate students, more selective cam-
pus recruitment with concentration on "quality" institutions and exploration
of ways to counteract or reduce adverse publicity.
b. The Midcareer Program requires both greater review and
higher priority. "Comers" need to be spotted and encouraged by the direc-
torates. Individual career plans, especially for the most promising, re-
quire more attention and greater follow-through.
c. Additional attention should be given to the congestion at senior
levels of the CS and further means developed to induce or compel early
retirement or reassignment within the Agency.
d. Centralized procedures should be developed to analyze the
high attrition rate among junior officers. Directorates should determine
the real reasons why officers leave, and report annually the rate and
causes of separation.
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Discussion Topics Arising from Professional Manpower Committee Report
and Related Studie s
1. Recruitment and Quality of Junior Officers
A. OCI and OER .are concerned about failure to attract individuals with
sufficient educational or area background. DD/S&T and DD/S have
difficulties obtaining people in the more specialized scientific and
technological areas. The Report mentions examining employment
incentives, such as employment travel reimbursement, EOD ex-
penses, greater fringe benefits, and opportunities for sabbatical
leave. Other possibilities:
- Greater encouragement and freedom to publish;
- Active program for acquiring or completing advanced degrees
and specialized training;
- Expanded interchange between DDI/DDS&T and universities/in-
dustry (e. g. , one- and two-year "exchange" programs);
- Examination of greater utilization of full-time consultants to work
at special projects for one- and two-year stints.
B. The Report suggests that university recruitment is spread too thin.
Office of Medical Services study indicates a strong correlation
between performance and potential and quality educational institu-
tions, It is recommended that the recruiters concentrate on the
100-or-so "quality" institutions. The Recruitment Study Committee
recommended that raw applicants be screened at the outset by using
either the Foreign Service Entrance Exam or a special exam along
the lines of the Foreign Service Exam. Other issues:
- Are the recruiters providing bodies mainly for the CT course
(i. e. , DD/P and DD/S) or are they also servicing adequately
DD/I and DD/S&T?
- Are the recruiters equipped to entice the really able prospects,
especially those with specialized qualifications?
- Are all sources of prospects being canvassed adequately? The
military? Think tanks? International business concerns?
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- Is it possible to reduce or, in selective cases of outstanding
prospects, to short-circuit the waiting period between initial
contact and a firm job offer ?
C. Both the Manpower Committee and the Recruitment Study Group
allude to the effects of adverse publicity about CIA. The Study
Group recommended the creation of a senior panel to examine
this problem and means of improving the Agency@s image.
Issues:
- How seriously have graduate student and young professional at-
titudes been affected by adverse publicity? Are there means
available by which to measure such attitudes?
- If the Agency is developing an unsavory reputation in important
quarters and if ignorance of the Agency's role impedes arresting
this development, are there ways of publicizing certain facets of
CIA without violating the canons of a "silent service" ? Can the
eneral functioning of such discrete components as NPIC and
STAT ~e publicized effectively? Are there past "palatable" oper-
ational successes, hitherto tightly held, which could be part of
the public domain?
- Is it possible for the DCI and/or the DDCI to be more accessible
publicly, e. g. , not in a "Meet the Press" sort of forum but,
say, in an educational T V format ?
2. Career Management and Junior Officer Attrition
A. Though the Manpower Committee diplomatically understates the
issue, the Report emphasizes that Career Management is not
practiced in the Agency. Each directorate is aware of problems
in this connection and sporadically attempts various palliatives
but only in the DD/I is there a centralized system for spotting
"comers" and systematically monitoring their development.
Symptoms of inadequate career management include an attrition
rate of 28% among junior officers, overspecialization in geo-
graphical areas and tradecraft functions in the CS, and under-
employment of talent (especially in the CS). Issues include:
- The 5-year midcareer plans have not been utilized except in
the DD/I. One possible means of ensuring or enforcing
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implementation is to require that the Fitness Reports of those
in Grades 12-14 include a specific projection of the individual's
assignment prospects or alternative prospects over a period
of several years. Although such projections often would neces-
sarily be stated in tentative terms, the requirement forces
management to plan assignments in advance and ensures that
the midcareer officer is consulted at least annually about his
prospects, management plans for him, and his own views
about his future.
- The Report concludes that the Midcareer Course is not serving
its original purpose. One means of better utilizing the Mid-
career Course as a device both to recognize and further develop
midcareerists with senior executive potential is to require that
a special midcareer evaluation, reviewed and signed by Deputies
or Assistant Deputies and Independent Office Chiefs or Deputies,
be incorporated into selection for the Midcareer Course.
- The Report suggests that the number of Midcareer Courses be
reduced to ensure that only midcareerists with real potential
participate.
- A small but psychologically important innovation might be to
initiate a process enabling small groups of outstanding junior
officers and midcareerists to meet and exchange views with
the DCI and/ or the DDCI on a periodic basis. The positive
long-term effect on a young officer's morale of meeting "the
boss" should not be underestimated.
B. The raw rate of attrition among junior officers is 28%, though
discounting for the high turnover of women and RID employees
might reduce the rate slightly. The Department's rate of
attrition for junior FSO's is less than 10%. The Report recom-
mends that each directorate assess the rate of and reasons for
separatian and report annually to the Executive Director.
Other issues:
The Report implies that the Committee has reservations about
stated reasons for resignations, since many individuals might
hesitate to make real or imagined grievances part of the rec -
ord (presumably to avoid "messy" processing out}. Perhaps
the IG might be asked to interview all voluntary resignees in
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a certain age and grade group (30-45; GS 11-14) for a period
of twelve to eighteen months in order to determine whether
there is a pattern of resignations arising from rectifiable
personnel management procedures.
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