THE CIA HISTORICAL STAFF AND THE CS HISTORICAL PROGRAM

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP83-00764R000300110049-4
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
December 19, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 19, 2001
Sequence Number: 
49
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
October 15, 1969
Content Type: 
MEMO
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP83-00764R000300110049-4.pdf170.66 KB
Body: 
Approved For Release 2006/11/05: CIA-RDP83-00764R000300110049-4 TAB Approved For Release 2006/11/05: CIA-RDP83-00764R000300110049-4 Approved For Release 2006/11/05: CIA-RDP83-00764R000300110049-4 low, SECRET How to conduct the CS Historical Program in such a manner that it is still a part of the Agency Historical Program and yet is compartmented from non-CS personnel and provides safeguards for CS sources and methods. This problem has existed for some time but was exacerbated by the establishment of the Agency Historical Staff in January 1969 and, more recently, by the appointment (without consultation with, or concurrence of, the DDP) of a senior editor to the Historical Staff. The Chief, Historical Staff, (C/HS), feels strongly that he, his deputy and, now, his editor must have access to CS Historical Papers and to individual writers of CS Histories in their planning, writing and editing phases. The need for such access is predicated, inter alia, on the necessity to insure the uniformity and quality of-all Agency Historical Papers. It appears to the CS Historical Board that the Agency Historical Program involves two principles which have found themselves to be - but need not be - in opposition. One is the desirability of a centralized Historical Program for the Agency as a whole. C/HS interprets and seeks to implement this concept by an almost complete melding of the Historical Programs of the DCI's Office and the four Directorates. He, sees his role as director, in a command sense, of the various Historical Programs to insure uniform quality and completeness of coverage in all stages of the planning, writing and editing of the Historical Papers produced by each Directorate. SECRET GROUP t Excluded from automatic uuwngrading and ett;asuuicatian Approved For Release 2006/11/05: CIA-RDP83-00764R000300110049-4 Approved For Release 200 1 RDP83-00764R000300110049-4 "W SE The second principle is one which is the cornerstone of CS doctrine - to wit, the need to safeguard sources and methods, and to insure compartmentation and strict need to know. C/HS seeks to accommodate the second principle (which he seems reluctant to accept with the importance attributed to it by the CS) by averring that he, his deputy and, now, his editor will have access to CS Histories only with the consent of the controlling CS component. The difficulty with this accommoda- tion is the problem of identification by the CS component of those Papers which the HS needs to see in connection with the overall Agency Historical Program. This is particularly true since the CS has been counselled to cooperate fully with the C/HS and his deputy, who have full clearances to see any papers they feel the need to read. Without clarification of this need to know issue, such "need" might be predicated solely on the desire to insure uniform quality of all histori- cal papers. There would appear to be three alternative courses of action in this situation: 1. Seek agreement with the Executive Director - Comptroller along the following lines: a. C/HS to establish guidelines regarding the quality, uniformity and completeness of all Agency Historical Programs and Papers. b. C/HS to delegate responsibility to the Historical Officers of the four Directorates to implement their individual programs in conformity with the above guidelines. Note: Each HO would continue to make available to C/HS full information regarding the Historical Program of his Directorate, including Program Outline of papers to be written, production, writers, etc. Furthermore, he would consult with C/HS on a continuing basis regard- ing problems arising in the implementation of his program. c. When a substantive need arises, e.g., in the writing of a DCI paper, for the author to obtain information contained in a CS Historical Paper, his specific needs to be made known to the CS/HO. In most instances the writers of such overall histories can have their requirements satisfied by consultation with the component responsible for the CS History or by reading only a pertinent portion of the CS paper. When necessary, however, in the judgment of the controlling CS component, the entire paper would be made available to the writer. 2 T Approved For Release 2006 11 ~hKg -RDP83-00764R000300110049-4 Approved For Release lrlr% E 83-00764R000300110049-4 Note: CS Historical Papers contain a great deal of data about personalities, techniques and other operational matters of no pertinence to an overall history. 2. Continue as we have in the past with only the C/HS and his deputy authorized to read CS Histories on request to, and concurrence by, the controlling component. Note: See, however, the dilemma described above which the CS component faces in determing the C/HS's need. to know. The Historical Officer of one CS Division has suggested that, unless this need to know issue is resolved, some components may be inclined to avoid writing or contributing papers to the CS Historical Program or to write them in such broad terms as to destroy their usefulness. 3. Accede to the wishes of C/HS and permit the HS/Editor to have the same right of access to CS Histories enjoyed by the C/HS and his deputy. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the approval of the Executive Director - Comptroller be sought to the first alternative course of action described above. If this should receive his concurrence, the CS Historical Program would continue under the guidance of the C/HS as a compartmented segment of the Agency Historical Program. 21 A SECRET Approved For Release 2006/11/05: CIA-R?P83-00764R000300110049-4