BRIEFING OF HPSCI STAFF ON SECURITY EVALUATION OFFICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91B00390R000400350019-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 6, 2013
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: April 27, 1988
• Content Type: MEMO

CODE-NTIAL
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/11/06: CIA-RDP91B00390R000400350019-8
OCA 88-1330
27 April 1988
OS REGISTRY
2 MAY 790
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Briefing of HPSCI Staff on Security Evaluation Office
1. On 25 April, Fred Hutchinson, Director of the Security
Evaluation Office (SEO), Executive Officer of
SEO, Leo Hazelwood, Deputy Comptroller, and the undersigned met
with Thomas Latimer, Thomas Smeeton, Michael O'Neil and Richard
Giza of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
staff to brief them on the newly established Security
Evaluation Office.
2. Hutchinson, using a series of charts (record copy in
OCA Registry), outlined the authorities, mission, functions and
resource requirements for SEO. Key points made by Hutchinson
were:
--The Director of SEO will be named by the DCI and
will be responsive to the DCI. There will be no
intervening levels of reporting. The Deputy to SEO
will be a State Department Officer, nominated by state
and approved by the DCI. A State candidate has been
identified and interviewed by Hutchinson who will soon
make a recommendation to the DCI about hiring the
candidate.
25X1 --Hutchinson will chair an Advisory Group on which
will sit, among others, Robert E. Lamb, Assistant
Secretary and Director of the Bureau of Diplomatic
Security. A High Level Board will be constituted,
chaired by the DCI and will include the Secretary of
State as a member. One purpose of the borad will be
adjudicate disputes over embassies which fail to meet
established standards. Hutchinson emphasized that
disputes which are not resolved by the Board must be
reported both to the President and the Congress.
--For FY 1989, SEO will need 60 positions and
--SEO will seek not to duplicate the efforts of
others; rather, it will draw upon the expertise
wherever it exists in the Intelligence Community. SEO
will monitor by reviewing reports of other agencies
and will be involved in the auditing of embassies
CONF TIAL
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/11/06: CIA-RDP91B00390R000400350019-8
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/11/06: CIA-RDP91B00390R000400350019-8
by establishing a presence on the audit teams.
3. Latimer indicated that "the Hill" was skeptical about
the willingness of the Intelligence Community to do truely
meaningful work to improve embassy security. The culture at
State on security issues makes improvements a most difficult
problem. Latimer was concerned that the SE0 was just another
"paper exercise" The SE0 effort seemed small in comparison to
the work needed done. The real problem was "getting something
done." Latimer cited a couple of examples about past failures
of the Community to analyze the vulnerabilities and threat at
U.S. embassies and the failure of the various agencies to
communicate with each other. Hutchinson replied that it is
important to start small, i.e. 60 people and to make small but
important in roads. The unit could always be expanded.
Hutchinson said he had already met with Lamb, and, based on
that conversation, he was optimistic that State was serious.
Hutchinson also said that he had no intention of making a paper
exercise out of the effort. He knows he faces a difficult
problem and fully appreciates the barriers which have to be
overcome. The effort will take time, and he is willing to keep
Congress appraised of results and problems.
4. Skepticism aside, Latimer indicated that Hutchinson had
his backing./
CC:
D/SEO
DDA
D/OCA
D/Comptroller
CONF NTIAL
congressional Affairs
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/11/06: CIA-RDP91B00390R000400350019-8
25X1
STAT