AGENCY RELATIONS WITH NEWS MEDIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00780R000600210009-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 28, 2002
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: January 1, 1964
• Content Type: MF

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Approved For Release 2002/08/15: CIA-RDP84-0078OR000600210009-6
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Support
SUBJECT : Agency Relations with News Media
REFERENCES : (a) Memo fr EO-DD/S dtd 24 Jan 64
Same Subject
(b) Exec Memo No. 121 dtd 16 Jan 64,
Same Subject
1. As you know various components of the Office of Finance
are engaged in official business with other government agencies,
banks, financial institutions, and industrial firms. I think we can
assume that the most recent incident referred to has impaired the
Agency image with these associates since it has been our constant
effort to emphasize the necessity of Agency obscurity and the recent
incident referred to certainly could leave the impression that this
has been overdone or was at least not as important as we have
attempted to constantly stress. Nevertheless despite this feeling
I am not able to sight a single specific incident where any of our
associates have made any statements or remarks which would
definitely support our suspicions. I can definitely state, however,
that I and some of my colleagues have experienced criticisms from
our social set with respect to this incident which have been to the
point generally that they were dissappointed to think that CIA would
feel it necessary to try to improve their image to the public since
they, the public, had learned to accept, after several years of
education, that an intelligence agency was expected to accept the
blame for failures, never brag about accomplishments and remain
anonymous individually !
2. On this point I would therefore in summary say that I do
not believe our office has been materially affected but that generally
the image of CIA has been impaired.
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3. With regard to paragraph 5 of Ref B I have the following
comments:
a. The image of CIA over the last ten years has
changed in the public eye from strictly a collector and
evaluator of intelligence to the Agency of the Government
primarily involved in cold war activities. Most of the
public understand this to include guerilla warfare, over-
throw of governments through revolutions or coups,
sabotage, propaganda campaigns, political warfare, and
economic warfare. The newspapers, magazines, radio,
television programs, etc. have done a good job of
exposing this as being factual and in my opinion nothing
can change this image unless drastic changes in the
agency missions are actually effected and publicized
just as strongly as the present image of CIA has been
publicized.
b. In considering this, however, one must seriously
contemplate the reasons why CIA has become the cold war
action agency and what would be necessary to change to
some other arrangement. Certainly the reasons for CIA
assuming the cold war role are known to most of us. In
order to perform the PM and PP activities certain broad
legal authorities must exist which are at present only
available to CIA. Also, we must face the fact that there
must always be an agency on which failures of international
political import can be blamed for not adhering to ostensible
national or international policy.
c. If it is important to the Director of CIA and/or the
administration that the image of the Agency be one of only
a collector and evaluator of intelligence then the other
functions should be removed. However, they would have
to be established in another agency, either a "cold war"
agency recognized as such, or the Defense Department.
In either event any such arrangement will be known to the
public and the congress will have to provide the legal
authorities to whatever agency is so designated.
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d. In the final analysis I don't see that this will
accomplish anything more Government wise than the
present arrangement. As a matter of fact implementa-
tion of such a change would probably be wrought with
confusion and there would be a period of considerable
inefficiency and ineptness.
4. In general, therefore, it is my feeling that the Agency should
continue to be the cold war agency, but that at all times we should avoid
publicly surfacing our mission or attempting to defend failures attri-
buted to us. It is also important that we listen rather than talk and in
every way possible stress that our primary mission (whether it is or
isn't) is to collect and evaluate intelligence.
5. The above comments are in response to the general question
posed in reference memoranda. I would however like to elaborate
further on one particular aspect of the CIA Image in which the Office
of Finance has a particular interest. I refer to recent press and
magazine articles which depict or infer that CIA's fiscal management
is irresponsible. It has been frequently pointed out in such articles
that the CIA has huge sums of secret funds which are expended for
purposes about which the taxpayer knows nothing, and that such
expenditures are not subject to the normal external control, review,
and audit which attend the expenditure of the taxpayers money by other
U. S. Government departments. It has sometimes been stated, hinted,
or inferred in some of these articles, as well as through word of mouth
"gossip", that this lack of control and review permits CIA to squander
public resources on ill conceived and unnecessary programs, to administer
its activities in a sloppy and dilitory manner, and to grant special
privileges, benefits or favors to its staff.
6. Although grossly distorted such articles or gossip can have
a serious adverse effect upon the public's impression of CIA. Up to
this time the adverse effect of such articles has been blunted because
they consist of generally vague, and sometimes wild, accusations or
allegations, unsupported by concrete example or proof. Needless to
say, such stories would have a devastating effect upon the CIA Image,
if they could be supported by concrete provable examples. It is
therefore important that the Agency redouble its efforts to insure that
its resources are expended and accounted for in such manner that no
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recurring provable examples of improper use of official funds can.
ever be cited to support these allegations of mismanagement.
7. One area in which the Agency must maintain constant
vigilance is with respect to the rights, privileges or benefits
granted its employees. Nothing would so damage the Agency's
"Image" as a responsible manager of resources as the use of the
Agency's secret funds authority to grant undeserved privileges,
benefits, or favors to its employees. For example if the Agency
should grant its overseas employees fringe benefits such as auto-
mobiles, housing, furniture, travel and entertainment expenses,
etc. , which are conspiciously greater than those afforded to
employees of other U. S. Government Agencies serving under
similar conditions, this could not help but attract the attention of
and cause comment and speculation by other U. S. Government
employees. Critical comparisons, often exaggerated, would
eventually be reported in the press thereby detracting from the
"Image" of responsible management which the CIA wishes to
project. Similarly the Agency "Image" would suffer if cases of
"conflict of interest" should occur, or if the Agency should permit
employees to utilize official secrecy as a screen or device to gain
special privileges or as a means of evading obligations such as the
payment of State and Federal income taxes.
8. The "Image" of CIA as a responsible fiscal manager might
be enhanced if all officers and employees of the Agency who make
arrangements with, or negotiate contracts or agreements, especially
informal agreements, with other U. S. Government Agencies, private
contractors, and others rendering service to CIA, were urged to make
a special effort to convince such persons that CIA's resourses are not
unlimited and that the CIA expected in all cases and under all circum-
stances to get a dollars worth of service for every dollar expended.
25X1
Director of Finance
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