LETTER TO DAVID A. STOCKMAN FROM WILLIAM J. CASEY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00443R001103890005-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2007
• Sequence Number: 5
• Content Type: LETTER

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Central intelligence Agency
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The Honorable David A. Stockman
Director
Office of Management and Budget
Washington, D. C, 20503
Dear Dave:
I take a back seat to no one in support for the President's efforts
to get government spending under control and to reduce government employ-
ment. As you know, the President is determined to strengthen this nation's
defenses and its intelligence capability after a decade of reductions.
With his and your strong support, T took steps to strengthen CIA's resource
? base. We not only supplemented the 1982 budget, but I gave instructions
? to my staff to move smartly in FY 1981 to get the Agency's personnel
strength up to authorized levels and to get a jump on FY' 1982 when our
ceiling will increase by =positions. T was struck by the fact that
in the 1970s CIA lost about 25 percent of its personnel.
My letter of 10 August asked your support to breach the 1981 ceiling
so'that''we would not have to slack off our recruitment and processing
effort in the last month, only to start it up again in October. I do not
think this request violated the spirit or the letter of the President's
goals to curtail government employment or to strengthen intelligence. 0
In the absence of any response to my 10 August letter, my staff took
every step possible--short of firing people--to hold to our authorized
level. We quit giving entry on duty dates to new employees. We rescinded
some that we had given. We postponed training courses for new operations
and security officers.- This was painful and, I firmly believe, easily
avoidable. As a consequence, CIA on 30 September was within its Congres-
sional ceiling. 0
I take strong exception to your assertion that our personnel planning
and reporting system is deficient. On the contrary, the system told me
that we were moving ahead forthrightly to get the personnel we need to
do the job the President has assigned us. It told me that we were in
danger of breaching the ceiling at the end of the year. It caused me to
ask you for relief. And when no response was forthcoming, it enabled me
to take corrective action to live within the Congressional ceiling. The
system worked well, and I do not intend to take any "corrective action."
We will provide you, as previously agreed, regular reports on our personnel
status under the new FTE reporting system.
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It is unfortunate that you failed to respond to my request favorably.
I believe you are badly served in being asked to sign a letter on the last
day of the fiscal year asking us to take all steps necessary to stay within
ceiling. Fortunately, our personnel management practices and our staff
had assured that we would stay within our Congressional ceiling.
Sincerely,
William J. Casey
Director of Central Intelligence .
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