THE AGENCY'S IMAGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00823R000600260043-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 43
• Publication Date: November 18, 1970
• Content Type: MF

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MEMORANDUM FOR:.: The Executive Director-Comptroller
SUBJECT The Agency's Image
1. In mid-May the Director asked the MAG to review the
Agency's image and to inform him through you of our findings
and recommendations. Since that time we have interviewed a
number of agency officials about this matter, and have spent
additional time in discussion and review among ourselves. Our
major conclusion is, perhaps, too obvious: that the Agency's
image is determined mainly by the quality of 'its work. No
:amount of public relations can hide or offset the damage done
our reputation by poor analys:Ls, sloppy operations, or other
forms of ineptitude. This study does'not specifically address
the problem of achieving excellence.. Rattier it concentrates
..on communication.
2. In the main, our discussions have revealed a balance
sheet with regard to the Agency's image. Due largely to the
emergence of new values among the young, and to some extent
'within the. general public, our share of professionals drawn
recruiters operate almost in stealth around campus fringes.
'
'
S
he fact that there is so little information about either the
intelligence' profess ion or CIA. available to the public gives
the moderate person little knowledge against which to evaluate
the sensational charges sometimes made against us. There is
GROUP I
Excluded from automatic
;:downgrading and
declassification
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 3. The balance sheet is not all red ink, however. We
undcrs'Land that at present our relations with Congress and the
l~zite IYouse arc sound: ~;ecent efforts by the media to involve
?Lhc Agency in "ho'L" press issues have had short-term impact, at
most. The monthly flow of unsol7.cited professional applicants
for employment greatly exceeds our hiring capacity.
~+. We recognize that present policy is aimed at keeping
the CIA profile as low as possible, and that our public rela-
'.tions posture is fundamentally defensive. We endorse this
policy as preferable to ari all-out. public reJ.ations offensive.
Yet, we believe ?that it would 'be both prudent and possible to
build greater public knowledge ,and acceptance of the intell.i-
~. gence profession and of CIA's ro1.e in the government; through
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were?adopted it might provoke same public reaction (especially
media xeaction), but within broad 1im~.ts, such. a ? reapons? should
be tolerated .rather than feared.
A. We believe that the ,Agency's image would be aided by .
two kinds of publications. '.['h~a first, a general statement
which described how the CIA fi'Irs into the spectrum of govern-
ment activities, would include a brief history of the events
-which caused CIA to be created, an analytical reporting state-:-
ment of -the laws governing ou.r activities, a description of
our relationship to other inte.lli.gence agencies, and documen-
tation about the strict controls planed upon our activities
by both the legislative and executive branches of government.
This study would be an inexpensive reference work far distri-
,bution by the Government Printing Office to libraries, scholars,
? or the curious public.. The second publication we suggest is
an authoritative study, of the Tnt;eLligence. Community.. ~ This
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B. It would be mast helpful if the PFIAB would make an
annual, low key public report about the intelligence community.
work should be written by a scho:Lar doing independent research
for an organization such as th.e Brookings Institution. It
could be a book, a monograph,, or a chapter in a textbook.
'as a.whole, with occasional more detailed reports on the vari-
C. The PI~'IAB should encourage the Smithsonian Institu-
tion to develop an "Intelligence Exhibit" which traces the
~olc of intelligence from the .Revolution to the sateLtite.
~It should be a.broadly focused exhibit which also portrays
the gathering of data by businesses, banks, ,and scholars in
.order that they can function more effectively.and act more
.wisely. A short film in conjwlction with such an exhibit
would be an effective way to 'u,~e the motion, picture medium.
Beyond suggesting this project and giving limited research
support, the hand of the intelligence community should not
be visible.
n. Encourage selected Agency retirees to write articles
-about their experiences for high ~,uality magazines and journals.
Topics might include the ways ~:n which information and analysis
were used at times of great nal;ional tension, a description of
'the deTi>ands a?nd deadlines facecl by the various ofi'ice~, or our ?
a?c~le as ti "thinlc tank". Some articles from past issues of
tud?ies in Intelligence should be considered for general re-
lease .
E. Encourage employees who-are not under cover to attend
meetings of professional societies without even informalltiy
trying to hide their place of employment. In the same vein, '
we recommend wider contact between Agency scholars and those
outside through Agency-sponsored conferences on special sub-
,jects. And we believe that 'broader substantive exchanges with
members of the business community -- both in the US and with
US company officials overseas -- would be beneficial to both
:`participants.
T', The Agency's summer intern program should be continued
S-E-C-~t-~E-T
"with even greater emphasis upan its good management.. Interns ~
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G. Increase the distribution of c].eaxly identified Agency
reference materials, which are unique., Map folios have been well
';received by schools and.scholars,.and weishould make available
other fruits of our. research such as basic'~ecoh,omio analysis on .
selected areas. ~ j i~~
H. Continue to deal with the press through background
bri.ofl.n~s wklon appropr:tatc. :Cncourago press analysts to ex-
change their views anal insights on a wide variety of~subjects
frith us, perhaps in a manner similar to OTR's recent~presenta-
`tion of Richard Scaamnon and other outside speakers.'
Z. Develop substantive seminars about CIA's role in the.
government for representatives of other agencies with whom we
deal in the field. promote t:he idea that we a:L'7. work for .the
.same government, with ultimate cLirection ,from ?the same .set of
superiors. ~ ~~
J. 7nternall.y, continue the State of the Agency address,
tridening its effect by producing a transcript for the perusal
. of employees who cannot attend. Encourage more open intra-
directorate communication in, the mode of the State of the Agency
address, so that employees will be able to see, hear, and query
their ~.eputy directors on matters important mainly to their own
componentu. Whenever possible, encourage the members of the
,top management to make-some. contact with their employees in the
areas where they actually work. A Deputy Director should be
.known as a person, not as a designator on an office door.
K. Finally, the DCZ is a public figure and should have
at least occasional structured exposure outside the White House
"and the committees of Congress. We are confident that he would
be well received at an occasional prestigious spealting engage-
rncnt or in a television interview conducted by a sophisticated
journalist. Allen Dulles' hour on 'television waste, distinct
plus for"the intelligence profession; we believe, in its
p}ailosophical.`~our.,d'horisoaa.
THE MANAGEMENT ADV150RY GROUP
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fu~tere~tiot~s only of der canafderat~l.e itt,ceu~tat.
~? Fie aro mativatod prizeci~sa~L~.p by th~r d~ae~l.r~ to en~a~~
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witt~e ~e ~Yyra+~tnx+~ irel:~arest in joix~i~~ ~.rith ~~ ~.,~~~~- pro;~e~s~aic~nal.s ~~
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