ORGANIZATION OF FORMER EMPLOYEES OF CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00823R000200120003-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: MEMO

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MLNMORAWDUM TO: The Executive Director Comptroller
FROM
SUBJECT : Organization of Former Employees of CIA
QUESTION
Is it in the interest of the Central Intelligence Agency for an
organization of former employees of CIA to be formed under conditions
that can be controlled by senior and reliable former employees?
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study is to present the advantages and dis-
advantages of an organization of former employees of the Central Intelli-
gence Agency, how such an organization could be formed, an initial set
of bylaws, draft articles of incorporation, and some of the security con-
sidcrations involved. It is believed that by starting the organization
as proposed that there will always be sufficient responsible strength to
prevent undesirable changes.
The desirability and feasibility of an Association of Former Employees
of CIA, Inc. has been discussed with a number of current employees, pro-
bably over a hundred, to obtain their ideas and suggestions, many of which
are incorporated in this study. The feasibility of forming such an
association is incomplete at this time due to the following factors:
a) A determination by the Director of what, if any, kind of former
employee association is advisable;
b) A determination of whether former employees want an association
and what they want it to do;
c) Whether there are enough contributions to enable the association
to. get started and on what scale;
d) Are security considerations such as to make the formation of such
an association undesirable?;
e) Do security considerations make it necessary t'^at the headquarters
of the association be on CIA premises and under the custody of a
CIA staff or contruct employee? Is support of this typo, legally
or politically desirable?
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.The study recommends a, course of action that will answer the
question of feasibility.
In conducting research in connection with this study it has been
made clear that the study is to present a paper concerning the desir-
ability and feasibility of an association of former employees.
A factor in the growth of the association is that CIA does not know
the current address of but a small percentage of its former employees.
1. Over a period of years there have been discussions about some
type of former employee organization. Some study has been made con-
cerning such an organization but the few documents that still exist are
of little current value since they are very incomplete and do not reflect
the staff work necessary to fully consider the problem. It would appear
that either documents have been destroyed or that not much work has been
done of the 'nuts and bolts' type necessary for a determination of the
advisability of such an organization and if advisable how to form it.
2. From CIA's standpoint there are both potential dangers and
advantages.
3. Some of the potential dangers are:
a) A possible hostile reaction by Congress if the organization
appears to be a political pressure association organized by
CIA;
b) Hostile press reaction for the same reason as set out in
(a) above.
c) Hostile and damaging action by anti-CIA members if they are
allowed to become members;
d) Danger to the security of CIA. This will be discussed in
a separate, attachment.
4. Some of the benefits to CIA are:
a) Public relations on a planned basis;
b) An organization that can affirmatively act to counter a
Smear-CIA campaign or a broader smear all intelligence campaign;
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c) Serve as a type of safety and security valve for individual
former employees;
d) Eventually serve as a locator of former employees on a broad
basis as contrasted to the rather narrow capability of CIA
to produce the current address of anything but a small
percentage of its former employees;
e) Assist in making the transition from employment to retire-
ment easier;
f) Give former employees, particularly retirees, a sense of
still belonging and being of service to CIA.
5. The eventual purposes of the organization will contain some
additional direct and indirect benefits as set out in the proposed initial
letter to former employees but the purposes must be carefully worded to
avoid the dangers set out in paras 3(a) and (b).
6. The above potential dangers and benefits to CIA are not specifi-
cally mentioned in any of the papers relating to the organization except
security which is attachment "A".
7. The bylaws, membership committee and control by the Board of
Directors plus expulsion should go very far to prevent undesirable members.
The draft Bylaws are set out in attachment "B".
8. The proposed letter, attachment "C", which surveys the views of
former employees should go a long way to guard against criticism by Con-
gress and the press that CIA formed the organization as a political
instrument. The proposed letter of invitation to join the association
is designed to further negate adverse criticism. As desirable as some
he:Lp from CIA would be in the forming of the organization and during its
first year of 'getting going', it is believed that this would not be
defensible to Congress or the press even on valid security grounds. This
must clearly be an organization formed by former employees with only the
normal and necessary cooperation by CIA.
9. The discussion of assistance by CIA in paragraph 8 may not be
valid. The argument to the contrary should therefore be presented. While
the directory when published will contain only name, address, and current
occupation if any, and will not indicate what it is a. lirectory of, there
will inevitably be more information in the member's file. In the event
an employment opportunity file is set up in the National headquarters there
will have to be considerably more information in the file of the members
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seeking employment. Even if the member sticks exactly to his approved
profile, where one is necessary, the accumulated background of so many
members, most of whom will have been overt in CIA, might make these col-
lective files a counterintelligence target. The files will also contain
actions for refusing membership to a former employee and reasons for
expulsion if such should become necessary. There will be minutes of
Board meetings and correspondence with chapters of the organization that
might be embarrassing to CIA if the files were compromised. The above
would argue for the National office to be on CIA premises in the custody
of a CIA secretary, even if contract.
.10.. There follows the steps necessary in forming the organization:
a) Conduct a survey of 300 retired CIA employees by letter to
ascertain their views;
b) Compile the results of the survey. If these results are not
favorable and it appears that a high enough percentage of
the former employees surveyed are not interested in joining;
then the organization should be dropped at this time;
c) Start compiling a list of all known last addresses of former
employees. Without doing the totally unrealistic pulling
of files of former employees -- there are about 40,000 --
existing card indices and lists such as CIA retirement system,
CIA reserve, locator cards which go back at least one year,
address given at time of separation which goes back three
years and other smaller lists that have been located will be
used;
d) Prepare non-profit incorporation papers - attachment "D";
e) Prepare a guess estimate budget based on expected contri-
butions, membership fees, and dues. There is no basis on
which this can be done at this time.
11. Ways to go about forming the organization:
a) Form a Florida Chapter and go on from there, this would be
easy but growing into a national organiza-t on would take a
long time;
b) Form a Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter and start very
modestly as a type of luncheon or dinner club;
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c) Start with CIA and CS retirees only with bylaws permitting
the membership committee recommending to the Board of
Directors that :former employees who are not retirees be
progressively admitted as rapidly as the association can
absorb them. This would be a progressive way of proceeding
and expansion into a full national program. It could expand
as funds are available;
d) All-out effort to initially organize all "desirable" former
employees on a national basis.
2. Plan (a) offers the advantage of getting started on an obviously
former employee-initiated organization. It could invite former employees
in other areas to form chapters, and furnish them assistance in the form
of bylaws, how to organize, etc. The disadvantage of this'plan is that
it would be a long time before a national organization got going. At the
same time it would run no risk of a failure.
3. Plan (b) is more likely to immediately draw Congressional and
press attention. It offers possibilities of a larger initial membership
with more rapid growth into a national organization. It has the disadvan-
tage of having a larger percentage of its membership who are working and
cannot contribute time to assist the new organization.
4. Plan (c) offers the advantage of a national organization but
still is modest enough to operate initially on a small budget. It also
could accomplish some of the objectives envisioned for the ultimate
organization. It offers the advantage of starting with a membership that
has had longer service, greater understanding and more loyalty to CIA.
The reliability and experience of the membership would insure adoption of
adequate bylaws. There would also be a greater percentage of the member-
ship who would have time to do work for the organization.
5. Plan (d) has the disadvantage of possible failure through lack
of funds to get off the ground or from lack of initial interest or both.
It has the advantage of offering the opportunity for rapid growth into a
fairly large national organization. Contributions may be sufficient to
insure its survival through its growing pains. The problem of growth is
that the last addresses of former employees prior to 1968 and possibly
1967 are not known unless they are retirees under the rlA retirement plan.
There is a possibility that the CS retirees addresses can be retrieved.
In addition, the former employee list can be built up through memory of
present and former employees. It is believed that this plan would hit
the press at an early date. Some members of Congress and the press may
be suspicious that it was organized by CIA as a political pressure group.
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6. All thinking up to the writing of this paper has been along
the lines of Plan (d). The Bylaws and other papers were originally
pointed to Plan (d). It is now our considered opinion that Plan (c)
is best. The organization, once formed, can move towards Plan (d) as
rapidly as is deemed advisable. If Plan (d) is favored the papers can
easily be revised.
IT IS RECCMi 1V'DED THAT :
a) Plan (c) be approved as the basic former employee association
plan and that progressive steps towards Plan (d), which is the
ultimate goal, be developed by the Board of Directors;
b)' The Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, former employee letter,
be discussed at a meeting of 10 senior retired former employees
for their views and sponsorship of a survey of 300 retirees;
c) The letter to former employees (initially retirees only) be pre-
pared in finished form incorporating the views of the para B meet-
ing and be submitted to the Executive Director Comptroller for
approval and be mailed to 300 retirees and that these letters
solicit voluntary contributions to assist the association if.it
is formed;
d) If the results of the survey is favorable at least 20 senior
retired employees be selected by the sponsoring committee and
invited to attend an organizing meeting where Plan (c) together
with all accompanying papers, draft articles of incorporation,
bylaws, and all other papers, except this study, necessary to
start the association will be presented and left for their deci-
sion as to action. The results of the surveys shall be among
the papers presented;
e) If the organizing committee decides to proceed with the associa-
tion, incorporates and elects temporary officers and Board of
Directors, then the names and addresses of all CIA system retirees
and as many as can be found of CS system retirees be furnished
to the association;
g)
f) A decision be made Lis to whether CIA should be of any initial
assistance to the association other than close cooperation;
If these recommendations are tentatively approved, or if any
alternate plan for forming the association is tentatively approved,
that the entire plan and attachments be submitted to the Office
of Security, Counter Intelligence Staff and Central Cover Staff
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for comments concerning the security aspects of the association.
The most sensitive part of this plan is the publishing of a
directory of members who can be listed. This must be faced at
this time since if the association is formed the question will
certainly come up and there is hardly a question that the
members will vote for it. If publishing a membership directory
on a national basis presents an unacceptable danger to the
security of CIA then the bylaws should be changed to prohibit
a national directory from ever being published. References to
a national directory in other papers will be deleted except to
state that it cannot be published for security reasons.
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