LETTER TO(Sanitized) FROM (Sanitized)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00985R000100080020-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 8, 2005
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: September 30, 1980
• Content Type: LETTER

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20505
30 September 1980
Thank you for your letter of 19 September raising
concern about the possible ethical conflicts for anthro-
pologists considering employment with CIA. We share
your concern, for in no way would we wish to ask any
employee to perform a task which was in conflict with
his professional ethics, and welcome the opportunity
to clarify the areas of concern you have raised.
In response to your request that we comment on the
"potential conflicts between the requirements imposed
on anthropologists by (their) ethics code and the
responsibilities associated with the position: offered
by the CIA, it appears that the basis of the potential
conflict involves different concepts of "research" and
"secret research." Anthropological research is conducted
in the field and requires the establishment. of a unique
human relationship between the anthropologist and each
of his informants. This is a privileged relationship,
not unlike that between a doctor and his patients, and
is properly protected by the AAA Code of Ethics.
The kind of intelligence research (or more properly,
analysis) prescribed for the CIA position does not involve
traditional anthropological field work. It is essentially
library and files research. Its purposes are (l) to
provide the executive and legislative branches of the
government with impartial analyses from a social science
perspective of the social, economic, and political conditions
prevailing in a foreign country, and (2) estimates of the
ways those conditions may change in the future. In general,
such analyses provide background for more comprehensive
analysis which by their proprietary nature are classified
and not releasable to the public.
Anthropologists are needed because they bring a
unique perspective to interdisciplinary intelligence
research. Their holistic approach to the study of human
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behavior enables them to perform in intergrating function
that no other discipline provides. We believe strongly
that in. contributing to better understanding of foreign
cultures, anthropologists would be making a positive
contribution to more reasoned formulation of foreign
policy. From our perspective, such contributions are
in the National interest and consistent with the ethical
guidelines of your society. We hope you concur.
Deputy Chief
Recruitment Division
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