NIC COLLEGIALITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87T00307R000100030049-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2008
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: June 7, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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The Director of Central Intelligence
Washington, D.C. 20505
National Intelligence Council NIC #03324-84
7 June 1984
NOTE FOR: Bob Gates
FROM: Dave Gri es
SUBJECT: NIC Collegiality
You asked for suggestions on how the NIC could better realize its
potential as a collegial body.
First, the written product. Broadly speaking, the NIC currently produces
regional estimates and cross-cutting estimates. The former in many cases will
not benefit from collegial treatment; the latter, the cross-cutting estimates,
in most cases will benefit and you have recognized this in institutionalizing
a panel system to bring several NIOs into the process.
Under the panel system, a single NIO chairs an estimate and other NIOs
are brought in as advisors. What I am proposing is a little different. For
cross-cutting papers a collegial grouping of NIOs would have co-equal
responsibility for production of a very short paper--not an estimate--that
would probably be written by a single AG drafter and intended for the OCT.
Although a little unusual or untidy from a management point of view, the NIOs
are a cohesive enough group to work in this fashion. The prototype of course
is the original Board of National Estimates which acted collegially in
reviewing drafts submitted by a large ONE staff.
Two cross-cutting topics for short, bottom line only treatment that might
be used to test this approach are:
-- Economic reform in communist countries such as China, Hungary, East
Germany and Czechoslovakia. What does it mean and where will it
lead? Such a paper might lead the OCT to assign analytical resources
to the topic, request an interagency view or yawn.
-- Why do some developing countries develop when others don't? What are
South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and to a lesser
extent, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina doing right and what are all the
other developing countries doing wrong? Is there a formula? Do US
policies take account of this formula if it exists?
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Second, oral presentations. The NIC acting collegially can be a sort of
think tank, meeting occasionally to address orally a preset topic. Some of
these sessions might spin off a memo from the Council to the DCI; others would
enlarge the intellectual capital of the participants. One Tuesday staff
meeting could be set aside each month for consideration of a topic of interest
to all. Discussion topics need not be cross-cut, that is, they need not draw
on the experience of each NIO, since there is good value in asking an officer
to participate in discussion of a topic in which he may have had only passing
interest. Some topics for this kind of oral discussion could include:
-- Strengthening the Intelligence Community. What could be done?
Should CIA play a more active role in recruiting analysts for DIA and
INR? Should analysts be exchanged among Intelligence Community
agencies with greater regularity? Can we convince State to increase
INR's budget and develop a professional core of analysts?
-- Is the Intelligence Community's written product apportioned in the
same fashion as the interests of the policy community? For example,
do we overwhelm policymakers following Soviet activity and
"underwhelm" those following Third World issues? What do the
statistics show?
-- Imagery and signals intelligence play an ever increasing role in
production. Are analysts throughout the Intelligence Community
properly trained to use this information? Does CIA have a training
role in helping other Intelligence Community agencies?
Third, if not exactly collegial, the NIC can avail itself of educational
opportunities that are there for the taking. Outside speakers can be asked to
address us on a whole range of topics. Since the NIOs are inveterate
briefers, they have a lot of chits out in the government and academia and
could take charge of arranging a program of outside speakers from among these
obligated contacts. Some subjects worth exploring:
-- Kremlinology: what is the state-of-the-art? Speakers in academia
could at least provoke us on this topic.
-- Social spending and GNP growth. Among OECD countries statistics
support the notion that high social spending is the enemy of high GNP
growth. But the reverse is not necessarily true unless a range of
other conditions is met. This is a fascinating subject and has been
widely addressed in academia.
-- Third World or third rate? The six or so newly industrialized
countries notwithstanding, why have so few Third World countries
shown progress towards development? Do the political systems of the
slow growers have anything in common? Is there a political
correlation between growth and drift? Again, such general questions
are frequently addressed in academia and probably in such agencies as
Ain as well.
Beyond these suggestions, it would be helpful in fosterin g a collegial
spirit if individual NIOs knew more about each other's work. One simple step
would he the creation of an Estimates lihrary in the registry--because it is
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vaulted--where all NIFs, SNIFs and IIMs of the last several years could he
permanently located and arranged by subject. This would make it possible to
browse through the works of other NIOs as time became available. The current
system of circulating drafts is not productive. Which busy NTO wants to read
a draft that may he changed at the table?
Collegiality would also be enhanced if each of us had a clearer picture
of what other NIOs were doing. Most NIOs have distinctive work styles and
unless communication between NIOs is promoted, there is no ready way to
benefit from the best points of the styles of other NIOs. This can be
accomplished by allotting 30 minutes at the large Thursday staff meeting
during which each NIO would give a two-minute report on his recent and future
activities.
cc: Herb Meyer
Hal Ford
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SF(PFT
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