BRIEFING OF US AMBASSADORS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R003400150001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 16, 1961
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80BO1676R00340~'Y560~1-0 F -~'-
CONFIDENTIAL
16 March 1961
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Briefing of US Ambassadors
I. The Problem
New procedures and new channels have suddenly appeared side by
side with already established procedures and channels. This
has caused some confusion,, making it imperative that relevant
facts be summarized.
II. Background
Heretofore this has been the established division of. labor for
coordinating briefings and debriefings of Ambassadors and
Foreign Service Officers:
A. Debriefings of FSO's and Ambassadors (current rate for
Ambassadors is 2 or 3 a year): requested by State's
Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), coordinated
and administered by OCR, participation by any Agency
component as desired.
B. Orientation briefings of groups of FSO's on CIA functions:
requested by State's Foreign Service Institute as integral
part of various courses. Requests received and briefings
given by QTR Briefing Officer Some 50% of commissioned
FSO's briefed in this manner in past 5 years,
C. Area or area-related briefings of individualFSO's newly
assigned PCS: requested by INR, coordinated and admin-
istered by OCR, participation by any Agency component
as desired,
D, Briefings of Ambassadors: by long-standing agreement
between State and CIA/DDP,, requested by Special Assistant
to the Under Secretary (currently Mr. Joseph Scott);
coordinated and administered by.OTR (function transferred
from DDP to OTR in September 1959); participation by DCI
and/or DDCI, DDI (short briefing on DDI activities by
Mr..Amory or designee and half-hour substantive briefing
by senior OCI analyst), DDP (one-hour discussion of DDP
activities in area), and DDS (when and if there is a
specific DDS Interest).
CONF IDE4IAL
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 Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80BO1676R003400150001-0
CONFIDENTIAL
SUBJECT: Briefing of US Ambassadors
III. Facts Bearing on the Present Problem
A. On 8 February.a memorandum, prepared.:by'Mr. Kenneth Oakley
of INR's Coordination Staff and signed by M,r..Roger Hilsman,
was addressed to the Assistant Secretaries advising them of
a plan for a special INR effort to insure coordinated intelli-
gence community briefings for newly appointed Ambassadors.
..Reference was made to 'Executive Order 10893, dated'8 November
1960. The pertinent provision of that Executive Order:
It is my desire that the Chief of Mission
be made fully aware of his responsibilities and
authority with respect to United States activities,
in the country to which he is assigned,,..,
Not only should instructions be issued to the
United States Missions,, provision should also be
made for complete instruction in these matters
before,a new.Chief of Mission assumes his duties
at his post. It is the responsibility of. each
agency concerned to participate in the indoctrina-
tion of each Chief ofM.ission. (Emphasis added;)
'B. On 1 March a memorandum on "Ambassadorial Briefings" was sent
to the Assistant Director, OCR, by"Mr. Clyde Snider,,Chief,
.Intelligence Services Branch,. Intelligence Coordination
Division,INR. The memorandum, accompanied by:a list of
Ambassadors for whom briefings were being organized,
solicited CIA participation.
C. The INR proposal was discussed briefly at the 7 March USIB
meeting and also at one of the Director's meetings with the
Deputy. Directors, It was decided that the.DDP.could not
participate, but that the DDI would.
D. The INR proposal calls for two briefings for each Ambassador:
a:"working-level" and a "high-level" briefing (the latter
level,to be no lower than Office or Division Chief level).
In practice,, senior OCI analysts have been going to the
"high-level" briefing. The briefings are at State and in-
volve, in addition to INR persons, representatives from the
Armed Forces, USIA, AEC, Labor, etc. The OCI analyst is
assigned up to 5 minutes and is asked to speak on "require-
ments." There is a contrast in time involved away from the
desk between the old and the new briefing patterns. For
example,,one senior OCI analyst was away from his desk for
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80BO1676R003400150001-0
 Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80BO1676R003400150001-0
CONFIDENTIAL
SUBJECT: Briefing of US Ambassadors
40 minutes to give Ambassador Biddle a 30-minute substantive
briefing. He was away for one hour and 40 minutes to give
Ambassador Gavin a 3-minute non-substantive.briefing. The
time factor,as it relates to traveling to and from,-State,
will become even more significant after the,Agency moves-to
Its new building. -OCI.anal,ysts.have not been enthusiastic
for the.new ,system. Neither have I NR. ana l ys ts,? , they have
expressed-the view .to OCI.participants,that the sessions are
"too general and too vague."
E. Mr.,Scott of the Under-Secretary's Office was not aware of
the new.INR plan. Nor was 'QTR, The old system.con.tinugs,
.but without OCI participation.
F. Apart from all this, there is now.a new. development within
State which bears directly on the
directed, Ambassador Thorsten Kalijarvilto.planeaneorientation
program, for new Ambassadors.. Included in the program will be
a-"CJA.Briefing." Whether or not It should include an'OCI
substantive briefing is a matter for the appropriate-senior
Agency officials to decide. There will be a meeting on 17
March between a representative of Mr. Scott's office (Mr.-Scott
is working closely with. Ambassador'Kalijarvi) and the QTR
Briefing Officer.
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/07/29: CIA-RDP80BO1676R003400150001-0
 Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80B01676R003400150001-0
our Briefing Officer, came to me
for help in his attempts to straighten out what appears
to be a very confused and, from our point of view, un-
satisfactory situation with regard to the briefing of U. S.
Ambassadors. I asked him to prepare the attached
memorandum, copies of which I have taken the liberty
of sending to General Cabell, Dick Bissell and Bob Amor
on the assumption that you might wish to discuss it at
an early Deputies' Meeting.
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