THE NIO ROSTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00140R000200010025-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 30, 2007
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: January 28, 1981
• Content Type: MEMO

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THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
Deputy Director for National Foreign Assessment
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
FROM . Richard Lehman
Chairman, National Intelligence Council
SUBJECT : The NIO Roster
28 January 1981
1. This memorandum is in response to your request for an analysis of
the NIOs. I thought it would be useful, however, to provide a little context.
2. In addition to Hal Ford (my deputy) and myself, the National Intelli-
gence Council includes twelve NIOs: eight regional and military, and four
general (NIOs-at-Large). As I mentioned to you, the responsibilities of the
eight NIOs with accounts are three: each, within his field, serves as the
DCI's senior staff officer for NSC affairs, links the policy and intelligence
communities, and produces national intelligence. The NIOs-at-Large represent
a new concept and their duties are not yet fully defined. We see them as
providing critical review of National Estimates in preparation, managing the
production of estimates on topics transcending the boundaries of the defined
NIO accounts, standing in for hard-pressed NIOs, and in general serving as a
reserve of thinkers and writers for the DCI.
-- The stature to speak for the DCI, and the respect
of his associates.
-- Certain qualities of mind: analytic, skeptical,
innovative, curious, intellectually courageous; able to
harness diverse people and organizations with a minimum of
supervision; willing to take the initiative.
-- Deep knowledge of his subject.
-- Broad understanding of intelligence organiza-
tions and processes, and active contact with the appropriate
senior officers of the intelligence and policymaking communi-
ties.
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Obviously, not all NIOs, however effective, totally meet all of these require-
ments; there are no renaissance men among us. In fact, the last two requirements
must be balanced. An NIO must be deft in handling the bureaucracy, but inexper-
ience in intelligence can be dealt with by the assignment of a professional
intelligence officer as assistant. On the other hand, a really skillful senior
intelligence officer can be an effective NIO without having devoted his career
to his assigned specialty.
4. Since the NIOs are the DCI's officers for the Community, they are
recruited from all agencies and from private institutions. A proper mix might
be half from CIA and half from elsewhere. We are close to that now, but the
principle is hard to maintain. CIA is a source of first-rate people for whom
assignment as an NIO is a very desirable step on the career track, not always
the case in other agencies. Moreover, recruitment in CIA can be done quickly,
unhampered by freezes and other serious administrative obstacles. We have
nonetheless been actively seeking an expanded number of NIOs from non-CIA ranks.
5. The present roster is as follows:
-- USSR-Eastern Europe: Bob Gates. Appointed December
1980. CIA Soviet specialist with policy experience in Soviet
affairs on the NSC Staff and as a Special Assistant to
Brzezinski. Most recently Executive Assistant to Stan Turner.
Young, very bright, a driver.
-- East Asia: Ambassador John Holdridge, appointed
1979. Career State China specialist with service in Peking
and as Ambassador to Singapore. Returning imminently to
State to become Assistant Secretary for East Asia. There are
three present possibilities for a replacement:
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-- Near East-South Asia: Bob Ames, CIA/DDO Arabist. Perhaos
the best of the lot. He is leaving this summer
-- Africa: Gray Cowan, a long-time African scholar at Columbia.
Joined January 1980 and has worked out well. Unlike some academics,
has a real feel for the bureaucracy and is widely respected.
Latin America: Jack Davis, CIA/NFAC. Is a Latin Am ri an
specialist, with wide experience as well on other questions.
good in policy
coordination settings,
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-- Western Europe: Joe Zaring has just retired and is serving
on contract until February. We expected a fine (ex-CIA) officer from
State to come in, but she opted for an overseas assignment. Joe and his
predecessor were more the contemplative than the activist type, and
the account has consequently been less well linked to the policy
community than it should have been. We need someone with considerable
prestige to set the situation right and have alerted State to
our interest in a ranking career Ambassador. See comment on
Holdridge.
-- Strategic Programs: Dave Brandwein joined us this spring
after.several years in DDS&T. Before that he was a ranking CIA
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manager and analyst in the strategic field. Strong, outspoken,
first-rate analyst.
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-- General Purpose Forces: Maj. Gen. Ennis Whitehead, USA,
also joined in 1980, replacing Lt. Gen. Paul Gorman, USA, now J-5.
Ennis is a serving officer who came to us from heading the Army's
think tank. He has fitted in well, an old-shoe type, and is extracting
a large volume of important work from the system.
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-- At Large: Hans Heymann, joined from Rand in 1975 as (then)
NIO for Economics. Versatile, able to handle Soviet matters as
well as broader economic questions. Works at the politico-economic
boundary but also deals with technology transfer and a variety of
miscellaneous subjects. Has a wide range of contacts, enjoys wide
respect, and is uniquely useful to us.
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-- At Large: Jeremy Azrael, late a professor at the
University of Chicago. Soviet and Islamic background. Joined
in 1980 after a year or so in Office of Political Analysis. Widely
respected among Soviet specialists in and out of government
-- At Large: Vacant. Should you approve, we will bring
i , about whom Bruce has spoken to you. His field
is the intersections of technology and political science, and of
military and political questions. Has been a useful consultant
to the Agency and has served on the Science and Technology
Advisory Panel.
-- At Large: Vacant. We have taken our time on this one,
looking for someone quite different from the others. One possibility
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6. In summary, we will have five vacancies in 1981. Two, Near East
and one At Large, are tentatively filled. We need to fill East Asia, Western
Europe, and another At Large, if the hiring freeze will let us.
7. Biographic sketches are attached at Tab A. In addition, as you
requested, at Tab B I have annotated our 1979 and 1980 production report to
indicate the responsible NIO in each case.
Richard Le man
Chairman, National
Intelligence Council
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ROBERT M. GATES
Robert Gates, a native of Kansas, received his B.A. degree from the
College of William and Mary; his Master's from. Indiana University,
where he was a Fellow of the Institute for Russian and East European
Studies; and his doctorate in Russian History and Soviet Studies from
Georgetown University.
Dr. Gates began his government career in 1968 as a specialist on the
Soviet Union with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1971, he was
invited to join the United States delegation to the Strategic Arms
Limitation Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union as'an adviser on Soviet
political and military affairs.
Following two years service with the US SALT delegation in Washington,
Vienna, Austria and Geneva, Switzerland, Dr. Gates was asked by the
Director of Central Intelligence to become Assistant National Intelligence
Officer for Foreign Strategic Programs.
In 1974, Dr. Gates joined the National Security Council Staff with
responsibility for national security policy and issues relating to the
Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe. For the ensuing three years,
Dr. Gates was responsible for preparing the President for meetings with
European and Soviet leaders, representing the Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs in interdepartmentL.l meetings concerned
with formulation of policy in the European and Soviet areas, and
performing operational assignments.
Dr. Gates returned to CIA in December 1976 to serve as coordinator
of CIA research on the Soviet Union. He was responsible for monitoring
research and production activities of all components of the Directorate
of Intelligence relating to the USSR, organizing research and analysis of
selected critical intelligence issues, and representing the Directorate
of Intelligence with the policy making departments of Government..
Dr. Gates was invited to rejoin the National Security Council staff
in May 1977, when he became Special Assistant to Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski,
.the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
In January 1980, Dr. Gates returned to CIA to become Director of the
Strategic Evaluation Center in the Office of Strategic Research.
On February 1, 1980 The Director of Central Intelligence appointed
Dr. Gates as his Executive Assistant.
Dr. Gates was named as National Intelligence Officer for the Soviet Union
and Eastern Europe on November 24, 1980.
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ROBERT M. GATES (4 tineed)
The United States Chamber of Commerce in 1978 named Dr. Gates as
a recipient of the Arthur S. Flemming Award, presented annually by
the Chamber of Commerce to the 10 most outstanding young men and
women in the Federal Service. -
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