BIOGRAPHIC REGISTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00951R000100010004-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 44
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 1, 2003
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: REPORT

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At one time or another over the years officials of
us
variousna3encies have expressed a desire for a "national
biographic center"--n single repository for the collection
of all positive biographic intelligence. Such a center
has never come to pass, but during its 20-year existence
(1947-67) the Biographic Register (BR) of OCR came
closest to it, acquiring first the community responsibility
for data on scientific personalities and later that for
biographic information on all except military figures.
Of the four OCR Registers (BR, GR, IR, SR) it was the
largest and by far the best known.
Background
By the end of World War II duplication of biographic
information on foreign nationals was widespread in the US
Government. No attempt had ever been made to coordinate
the activities of the various intelligence agencies in
Washington arid their representatives abroad concerned with
the collection, control and production of such information.
As of 1 January 1946, OSS had a Biographical Records
Section staffed by 33 people; State had a Personal Intel-
ligence Section with 34; and Army had a Who's Who Branch,
which at one point during the 1942-45 period had as many
as 80. In January 1946 the picture chan?ed: The OSS
and State sections merged to form the Division of Bio-
graphic Information (BI) in the Bureau for Intelligence
and Research (INR), Department of State. The War Depart-
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merit's Who's Who Branch was abolished, and its files were
transferred to PI.
CIG 16
Consolidating the files had not solved the prob-
lem of biographic coordination, however. Therefore,
one of the first tasks that the newly created ICAPS
took up in mid-1946 was the development of a "Plan for
Coordination of Biographic Intelligence." The result
was CIG Directive No. 16. It provided for
...allocation of primary responsibilities for
reporting biographic data, producing biographic
intelligence, and maintaining comprehensive
supporting files on various categories of per-
sonalities-to the intelligence agencies rep-
resented on the Intelligence Advisory Board....
These primary responsibilities were assigned as follows:
political, cultural, sociological, economic and inter-
national personalities to State; military and na-ral
figures to the War and Navy Departments, respectively;
and scientific personalities to "each agency as jointly
agreed or in accordance with categories above." (CIG 16 p.l)
The Directive further stated that each agency was to
...produce and evaluate biographic intelligence on
personalities within its own categories of primary
responsibility for the other agencies requesting
and authorized to receive same, or if desired, to
make available the appropriate source r.mterial.
It went on to outline procedures for coordination of bio-
graphic activities in the field, delegating; the chief
responsibility for such coordination to the Chief of
Mission at each post. (CIG 16 p.2) Finally, it stated,
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The Director of Central Intelligence will
undertake to exploit, for the benefit of CIG and
the departmental agencies, sources of biographic
information from Government agencies not rep-
resented on the IAB, and will maintain such other
biographic files within CIG as he deems necessary
to comply with the President's directive. (CIG 16 p.)+)
The planners had originally tried to incorporate into
CIG 16 a requirement for the establishment within CIG of a
Central Biographic reference File, which would contain
basic factual data on all individuals on whom the other
a,,Iencies maintained supporting files. This file was to
be kep't on business machine cards. Such an arrangement
was obviously desirable, inasmuch as no agency then had
a master index of its own files, much less of those of
any other agency or department. Complete agreement on
the system could not be reached, however, and it became
obvious that'more time was needed--after all, CIG was
still only a fledglin
and the biographic unit was not
even out of the I. CIG 16 was therefore approved
without the central reference file provision, while planning
for such a file continued.
The logical place for the biographic index was the
reference facility being developed within ORE. By June
1P47 ICAPS had approved the mission and functions of the
Reference Branch, and it was in operation. One of its
elements was the Biographical Intelligence Register (BIR--
apparently when OGD and 4-k (fie FereKCe ParaNC 4 UmWp weraped
it became BRPrrT en r Tsit n,,
Its job, according to a memorandum of 29 May 1947 from Dr.
then Acting Chief of the Reference Branch,
,as to"cross index and record information on key foreign
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individuals and foreign organizations, including ?overn-
ment structure, for future reference and compilation." (t3J41Q&O Tht )
't
F,a rly Days
For some time BIR shared with the rest of the
Reference Branch problems related to staffing, or-
ganization and development of procedures. Competition
within CIG for first-class employees was keen, and the
Reference Branch was low in priority compared with the
production offices. FIR therefore accumulated a staff
that by 1952 was described by its Chief
"only slightly above average."
memo 26/2/52)
Numerous changes were made in the planned Tb0 for BIR
as procedures and functions were developed. The final
figure for 1947 was apparently 23. Changes also
occurred in the structuring of the Register. When it
1,egan operations in 1947, BIR contained an Office of
the Chief (occupied, as noted in Volume I of this
History, by a series of temporary incumbents until
January 1949) and the Intelligence and Index Sections.
Throughout 19L=7 DIR officials visited other govern-
ment departments all over Washington and even in other
cities to survey biographic holdings and gather both
ideas and actual material. On 28 July 1947
submitted the first FIR monthly progress report. In it
he stated, "This Register is'prepared to process any bio-
graphic material which may be received providing the vol-
ume does not exceed the production capacity of our present
personnel." In that month BIR processed into its files
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information on 1,360 individuals and answered 35 requests.
(July report) It also began work on a special project for
the Scientific Branch, ORE, collecting and processing all
information available in the TAB agencies on scientific
personnel working in Russian territory. This project was
eventually to lead to NSCID 8, which in 1048 gave CIA
fIG became CIA in July 191,77 the community responsibility
for biographic coverage of foreign scientific and technical
personalities.
DIR was not able to confine itself for long to merely
collecting and machine-processing biographic data. Other
Agency offices were more and more often requiring bio-
graphic reports on foreign personalities, primarily in the
~ o d
M~o-y G
political and related fields. State
up nolbl@ 4w provide, this driA? in accordance with
Ifyj but State/PI was short of personnel and usually claimed
that it could not cope with the volume of CIA requests. In
effect, CIG 16 had riven State an out by offering the
Department thloption of "making availal-,le the appropa.:iate
source material" instead of providing reports.
Analysts in DIR therefore he-,an to collect data on
political figures and to write 1biographic reports on an
for /agency re$uts5tvs.
"emergency" basisA They were never to give up the latter
?unction, although various A1ana?ement Office surveyors of
the Register would recommend from time to time that they
should stick to the routine indexing and filing of the
information and leave the production of intelligence to
those offices meant to do it, thus saving time and obv,,ating
the necessity for hiring more professional employees. This
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insistence on assigning a strictly reference function to
the Register was to create problems for years to come,
particularly in retaining qualified; educated personnel,
who soon resented being considered second-class citizens
by the production office analysts and others who looked
down on "the reference types."
By October 19+7 FIR was fairly well established, and
a list of its functions was drawn up. The Intelligence
Section, among other things, planned long-ranl?e projects;
and
planned and reviewed special research reports;/contacted
government aid nongovernment offices, including libraries
and research institutions to ascertain the availability of
pertinent biographic material. The Section's Analysis Unit
analyzed the incoming documents to see if they should be
retained; prepared bibliographies, research papers and
special research reports in response to requests; and
analyzed biographic intelligence material of other insti-
tutions throughout the United States to determine its use-
fulness. The Master File Unit filed the documents; handled
?equests for direct reference to the original source and
verified information, dates, etc.; and maintained a Flexoline
file for the purpose of identifying documents and assigning
case numbers (individual identification numbers) to them.
The Index Section directed methods of coding, machine
operations and overall processing; analyzed procedural prob-
lems in the control of biographic intelligence so far as the
punch card method and coding; were concerned; and colla?orated
with representatives of other branches in conducting surveys
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to determine further uses of punch card methods in recording
b~i.ographic intelligence. The Code Unit within the Section
established, re~riewed and revised code structures; classified
material in accordance with established lodes so that intel-
ligence could-he recorded on punch cards; maintained a library
of the entire organization file by country for reference pur-
poses; and maintained control of documents received and the
number of individual items coded. The Machine Unit punched
and verified all material to the included in the biographic
c
punch card files; servi/ed those files through ?machine techniques;
and prepared listings and statistical. reports. (1/10/47 pers. reqmts)
The Scientific Responsibility--NSCID 8
CIG .1F, as noted, had riven no specific responsibility
for scientific personality coverage, and this field soon became
confused and neglected. Apparently, as long as noone had the
responsibility, nopne wanted it. During, their work on the
rnecial scientific project for Scientific Branch mentioned
earlier, BIB analysts found that much duplication of effort
in compiling data on foreign scientists existed among the
various agencies. Meanwhile, they were bbbuilding. up what would
arnor+
soon be the most complete file available s,the Ift agencies
on scientists believed to be in Russian terriIotry--a file that
in the end contained some 10,000 names. With this file BIB
could locate dossiers on individuals, whether filed bynState,
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With such a file DIR became a natural home for community
responsibility for scientific personalities. After consid-
erable discussion with biographic analysts in the other IAC
agencies, BIB proposed for ICAPS consideration that CIA
assume primary responsibility for the maintenance of lbio-
graphic data on foreign scientific personalities.
ICAPSrespomt,ed favorably to the proposal, and on 25
May 1948 NSCID 8 (old series) was issued. It assigned to
CIA as a service of common concern the primary responsibility
for the maintenance of biographic data on foreign scientific
and technoloqicai figures and for furnishing information on
such figures upon request from any member of the intelligence
community. (NSCID 8) Even before the Directive was issued.
3?R /the name changed around this tim7 had begun to prepare
for the reorientation of its operations. Because it still
had to go on servicing CIA analysts without interruption, it
temporarily discontinued various other projects, such as that
of indexing the holdings of the State Department (evideftly
begun during the scientific project). All analysts that could
be spared were set to combing the files of the IAC agencies for
information on scientific personalities to be indexed into CIA's
files.
The assumption of the scientific responsibility was to solve
-many problems but create numerous new ones, though most would be
resolved in time. Virtually everyone in PR was helping to
integrate into the files the backlog of scientific data of the
other agencies. As a result, the operations of the Register
were reduced to little more than a mechanical process, the
routine aspects of which caused a serious morale problem amon
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the professional employees. Analysts were also concerned
because the old data they were integrating into their files
was so fragmentary and undigested that its value seemed
limited when measured against the loss of time for current
material.
Furthermore, when PR began taking over the files of the
other agencies (beginning with Scientific Branch, Department
of the Navy) a new method of recording data was initiated,
which transferred all dossiers to a machine system by requiring
that all biographical data obtained be transcribed onto machine
cards that could be punchel as to name, nationality and case
number. This system would make biographic facts readily
available by machine sorting and would facilitate repro-
auction of data on large numbers of indi -ideals 1--.v meane
of the Telefax process (still not in operation), but it
allowed for virtually no flexibility with reference to
materiel processed,and it required complex controls. The
procedure was slow and involved and was drastically cur-
tailing the number of persons processed. Most important,
perhaps, was that the routineness of the operation made
it difficult for the Register to obtain and keep qualified
personnel. (28 Sep 48 nemo)
Register. In late September 1948 the AD/CD
described it as "in poor shape, working ineffectively,
and suffering from poor morale." He therefore considered
it of utmost importanee.th&t "a proper head man" be located
for PR as soon as possible. His choice for the lob was Dr.
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with very broad knowledge of science and
scientists, much experience and an excel-
lent reputation in dealing with scientists,
and the reputation of being a driver who
can drive without creating resentment in
his subordinates. (21 Sep 11.8 memo)
arrived in January 1949. His inheritance was
, of whom
about two-thirds were scientific; an index of dossiers
a?.railable in other government agencies that listed about
and aT/Oo1
were brand new to the Register.
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The Register began to sort itself out--a painstaking,
rather agoniping process. One major undertakin?i; concerned
the dossier system. The disadvant ges of the rigid machine
an sit of rarentil discent%r~ued i4 in skort order.
iwrir?ith a master list of its
dossier holdings and to permit the rapid preparation of
country listings for departmental and Foreign Service
Officers. A
In 1950 PR initiated a long-term program to collect data
on foreign scientific and technological students tudying in
the United States. Usually, covelt arrangements with govern-
of OCR by the time maintenance of the file ceased in early 19(1 S.
In January 1951
'ranch, was sent to
r rT hic files maintained by US agencies in the European
I (27 July 50 memo)
ef-
Chief of the Scientific
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Theater on foreign scientific and technological personaltlies
and to obtain the permission of the responsible authorities
for CIA to microfilm such files or sections thereof as were
found to be of intelligence interest. As a result of his 6-
treeir tour of 11 installations, BR acquired some 228,600 files
(primarily cards) in their original form and 66,850 more that
were later microfilmed. (
trip report)
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.Tanuary 101 also marked. the beginning; of PR's 1Rr-e3t
ser-*ice project to date--a rer;ister of Soviet scientists that
would provide an instantaneous reference available to all
7overnment a.7encies. At that time there T?ras no such register
in existence that ;rive more than a partial list of scientific
and technolo?ical personnel of the USSR, though such bio-
graphic information was a daily requirenent of OSI and of
numerous other offices. The end product of the project was
OCD's first biographic tesearch-Aid- -Soviet Men of Science
(MOs), published in May 1972 and containing delta on some
(SMOS was so useful that in 1959 a second
edition was published, which covered nearly
By early l952 ER was again suffering, under inequitable
distribution of workload, with its attendant problems of low
morale among the staff. In the 2 years since the first increase
in the Regional Branch, the Scientific Branch staff had also
been increased, and the two were once more equal in slots
but unequal in amount of work. The Chief of PR pointed out
that this was due to a reluctance on a higher le-Tel to recognize
that the intelligence demands of CIA on the Regional Branch
-;sere unique and exceeded in number and variety those levied
against the Scientific Branch. This reluctance, he said, was
based in part on the false assumption that State/PI could,
if absolutely necessary, backstop PR, and in part on the
"nppa.rently overwhelming influence of NSCID 8."
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Another impasse had been reached, but pith each new
prolb)lem it became more obvious that something had to be done
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soon to resolve the problem of the demands for non-
seientifid information. finalll, SOML-441hl WAS done.
Arran,,ement with State
Around mid-1952 the Chief of State/BI informally
suggested that CIA cease processing biographic intelligence
on political personalities and that CIA provide for State/pi
enough funds for the latter to meet all CIA requirements
for intelligence of this sort. CIA's Office of Intelligence
Con nation then studied the situation and recommended
acceptatce of State's proposal.
the AD/CD
objected to the proposal, feeling that the disadvantages
would, in the long run, outweighs the advantages. His most
serious ol,jections were that such an arrangement would
cierpetuate the existing dispersal of biogranhic files,
rather than contributing to the eventual merger of all
such files in one place (prefer ably PR, e a~~it had enough
space to accomodate them), and that once State started getting
CIA money, it would diminish its own allocations to FI and
increase its demands for CIA support. (22 Sep 52 memo)
I ice of dissent was not strong enough. The
DDI approved the proposal subject to the working out of
arrangements with State, and on 5 November 1952
I DI/CIA; anal W. Park Armstrong, Jr., Special Assis-
tant, Intelligence, Department of State; and Lawrence G.
Houston, General Counsel, CIA, si,,7;ned an agreement. State/BI
agreed to provide complete biographic service to CIA on
foreign political, sociological and cultural personalities,
in return for which CIA agreed to make funds available to PI,
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in accordance with Section 6 (a), Public Law 110, computed on the
basis of the additional costs incurred by State in servicing
CIA requests. (a ;re~pent )
r
It was determined that State would need 27 positions,
at an annual cost of 130,000 to discharge its new respon-
s ibilities. CIA continued to maintain the
political files it held for a short time, while State
recruited new personnel, but Le; ;inning in Nlarc'h 125? all
the '?R political files were shifted to State/FI; after which
T"' was once again reorganized,and its mission was restated.
The restated mission c'as
To provide to authorized recipients in the
:i.;:itelli-ence community hio'-raphic information
on all foreign scientific, technical, industrial
and economic personalities and the or;anisxtions
with which they were affiliated.
FR's Chief jhe LA Fake?
To carry out this mission, 7,after consul-
over ;nw.
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Lqn; see V.I..nt~ A
Ter rms)
Cation with his Branch Chiefs, reorganized the he;ister
:Ilon ; geographical rather than functional lines. Each
;eo,raphic unit was a complete entity, responsible for
all information re7ardless of its nature--scientific,
economic or or-,anizational, and each analyst was expected
to undertake all aspects of the FR mission in his area.
The new division of labor was alonry, the f'ollowin7
lines: a Soviet Branch, a Non-Soviet Branch, a Support
Drench (classification by cater;ory of lio7raphic and
er'?anizational information as well as coordination and
administration of those functions that could best he
handled centrally, such as publications, reference facilities
and international ornanizations), and an Index Branch
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maintenance of dossier file, control and dissemination
of intelligence routed to the Register, general clerical
r.,ork).
1052-61--New Files and New Services
No major upheavals occurred in PR for the next
years. The 1252-61 period was devoted to developin
new files, as needs for special collections arose, and
expanding services.
It was probably in this period, though it may have
been earlier, that DR analysts began to supplement the
dossier and :iachine files with a manually controlled
?x , card file. This became the repository for infor-
mation received on an individual if the data were not
sufficient for a dossier, if the names were not impor-?
tant enough`to index in detail, or if the material
arrived in card form. The card file soon became and was
to reppin one of the three major files maintained by
the Register (the first, of course, having been the
dossier file).
The third most important DR file got its start in
We 102. This was the Sovbloc Bibliographic Card File.
It resulted from an OSI study prepared in September 1952
that recommended establishment in the A: envy of a biblio-
ct r-}i ~- -
1~raphic file of Soviet s"'' articles, arranged by
the name and institutional affiliation of the author. The
responsibility for developing such a file naturally fell to
which immediately undertook an investigation of possible
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sources of material. The basis of the file was drawn
from an arrangement with the Air Technical Intelligence
Ctnter. (ATIC), Wright Field, Ohio, which had contracted
for the receipt of such bilbliographic data from the
Pattelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio (this
contract was known as Project l White Stork). Subsequently,
the major source of cards was the Library of Con-;.r. ess
Mrr RA pro :ram (see chapter of this History on the CIA Libra r
for details ol-the MGRA). Contracts with other
research institutes and libraries yielded still more
cards over the years.
The Pilblio File, which was manually controlled,
consisted of two sets of 5x8 cards, one filed by name
of author and the other by organizational affiliation, ilk'
WmAjp as OSI had asked. Each card contained the author's
name, the title of the article or book, the date of pub-
lication, and the name of the publishing house or the
title of the journal, as well as the journal volume,
issue and page numi,ers. Many cards also contained an
abstract or even the full text of the article. Py early
1951+ this file contained
by 1960 over
desks developed similar files, especially in Eastern
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Europe, but none were as voluminous or as important as
the Sovl-hloc file. (M;CrOf-lminJ
D *e S'av6lec F; le began lw 'fie ~+- a~? IgbO's
In September 1953 PR published CD "-B--German1Austrian
Scientists and Technicians in the USSR--a monumental and
extremely valuable work, which evolved in a manner similar
to SMOS into a reference worts for many
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potential requesters. The basis for the publication
scientific and technical per-
sonnel in the USSR. On a continuin- basis, the eister
;Forwarded to the requester over 4,500 reports.
The personnel in question were considered to he of
particular interest to all scientific and technical intel-
ligence offices, not just the Recer';ion Center, and
considerable enthusiasm was expressed within CIA and
other IAC members for the formal publication of the
information. During the project the reports had been
brought under extensive IBM machine control, which made
possible the alphabetic arrangement of the biographic
summaries and the preparation of a number of indexes to
the names involved. I+eptember 1953 the compilation
of reports, with attendant indexes, was published. (In
1955 a revised edition was issued as a result of
increasing community demand for a version that would
incorporate information ,gathered from the scientists
after they were released and repatriated.)
The Register's chief intelligence support activity
during the lO54-55 period was the compilation and
publication of CD -f,'l9, a biographic intelligence research
aid covering the International Conference on the Peaceful
Uses of Atomic Energy, which convened at Geneva during
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August 1955. CD ;1'19, Grho's Who, "Atoms-for-Peace" Con-
ference, Geneva, August 1955, contained narrative bio-
Travelers and Still More Files
In 1955
Deputy Chief of BR, and
Chief of the Non-Soviet Branch, went to
Europe to survey all available captttred files on scien-
tists, technicians and economists and assume possession
of 1iographic material thein before the expected im-
plementation of restrictive measures subsequent to rat-
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Biographic material required for the successful revision
of CD ,!'8; and to visit thel
I o review methods and procedures and
become familiar with the general file content.
Another team of travLers visited Europe in the fall of
1957 Chief of the Soviet Branch, and
rojects Officer in that Branch. A- - -- {,,,,,,
I
___& _. ___e, %t_ t#imfmxmi nm?mEmx visited
foreign installations believed to have biographic intel-
B ence potential and determined the availability of bio-
graphic materials to which BR had not previously had access.
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They also determined how BR could increase the
effectiveness of its support of the field elements of CIA
and other components of the intelligence community abroad;
and familiarized themselves with the nature of field
installations and problems of field opcratir-ns, with
the use beinn made of PR research aids in the field, and
with the dtifficulties invol-red in the free flow of infor-
mation between headquarters and the field.
Another new file was instituted in 1Q57--the Inter-
national Conference File. This collection be-an at the
request of the International Conference Branch of the
Liaison and Collection Division, which was seeking a
perma.nett repository for source materials used in dompilinn
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ras initiated for personalities from the Soviet satellite,,
Communist China 1960 the travel of
scientific personnel from the reaUnin; forei,:;n countries to
the Soviet bloc and China was bin indexed. in the same
;tanner.
In early 19?58 l r-~ - ?tR -a _ __ ry
was chosen for a slot 'ln the DDI Strategic Branch,
where he remained for 4 years, tbecomin,iz Branch
Chief in 19(l. While he performed current
intelligence support duties concerning the Soviet bloc,
Africa, the Middle East and Western Europe. He also
served as OCR representative
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Base officials *6 obtain assistance from the central reference
system and m.Onitorit- the flow of intelligence from
area to the7DI consumers.
In November 191
]Chief of the Western Section,
Non-Soviet Branch, left for a monthlon; tour of major West
l!u?,opean countries. Hers was the first trip by a PR official
that was oriented primarily toward area familiarization rather
than file searching and other work activities.
h owe,-er, brief officials at various CIA, State
installations on potential t'iographic support from BR and alert
them to ER's continuing field requirements. In the years to come,
her trip was followed by many others, to all parts of the world.
Although the first such trips were taken by fairly high level
officials, it eventually became standard procedure for analysts
or the journeyman level to visit their areas of responsibility
at some point in their careers.
all
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DC.ID 1 9"
On 17 December 1058 a major event occurred in the
progress of biographic information handling in the intel-
ligence community. This was the issuance, unddr the
sponsorship of CODIB, of DCID 1/9. This Directive, in
effect, combined the provisions of CIG 16 and NSCID 8
and for the first time allocated community responsibility
for the maintenance of biographic data on foreign person-
alities in all spheres. The specific division was to
State for political, politico-economic, social and
cultural fi_g;ures, to the Departments of the Army, Navy
and Air Force for military, naval and air force personnel,
respecti-ely; and to CIA for scientific, technical and
technico-economic personalities. Each department or
agency was assignod the responsibility for producing,
evaluating or making available to authorized recipients
Q;raphic intelligence on persons within its own cater-~;ories
?a: respnnsi`bili_ty. (DCID 1/9)
Durin ; 1959 TR l.e,-;an to control contact l etween scientists
and technicians of different countries in a system similar to
one used for conferences and travel. The contact system
had its origins in a manual index of ?x5 cards listing contacts
eta een E-#t and 'lest "r_r?mens and the scientists of other
countries. Section had begun this file
in response to operational .requirements from the field. ddItions1
r,eerntinnal requirements 1 ein levied on BR as a whole, as
i-*ell as an increased interest in contact information in the
ccommunity, made it desirable for the file to be shifted to
as
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r;..chine control anrl expanded to include all forei*n countries.
In July 1`?
5t' PR's Chief,
departed for a
served as Acting Chief, and in July 19(0
ecame Chief in his own right when
his return to OCR, as transferred to become Chief of SR.
library S-Y' ) -
RR-FBI Merger
In 1961 change took place in the t--iorraphic
Yinerged
community--**@ !~-ems State/PIAwith CIA/ER. Darin ;
1952-(1 State had steadily cut lack on its support to PI
until iy early 1961 CIA was funding over 75 percent of
slots
RI's positions (29/supported by BR; 22 ry the NIS program).
After the Kennedy adminittration Cool-. office, State officials
reviewed the Department's role in intelligence operations and
instituted a .reor,canization in INR. At U pt time, the neuj
Director of INR, Roger Hilsr:n, decided that the 1-1o;raphic
function could be more effectively handled ley CIA and pro-
posed that the FI files and availai'l e personnel T -,e transferred
to BR.
After some hesitation, primarily concerned with the
c !
necessity for acuuirin. new personnel and firing a place for
them in thehew building at Langley, CIA accepted the proposal.
o.d,r+~htS~+ra~vt
The formal shift of responsibility too': place on 1 July lr(i,
n
clthou gh the physical relocation was delayed until Noveml er,
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after OCR moved to the new Headquarters'buildin PR
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The first problem related to the merger was that of
RI's
personnel. Of StRteitz T/O of 67, only 176 were actually
on board. This number was further reduced for many
reasons--several tiTQ employees were Foreign Service
Officers; many akl trs SirM did
d not Irish to transfer to CIA;
,s were found unacceptable for security or professional
reasons. The nu.ml-bber of State employees who actually made
the shift was 10--six professionals and four clericals.
To bring the 'knew DR" up to strength, seven fia w,
teams, composed of representatives from }-loth BR and the
Office of Personnel, canvassed colleges and universities
in an intensi-:re recruiting campaign. Within 0 months the
Register was up to strength, although it too'-:. somewhat
longer to provide the newcomers with area and 1n ;uage
knowl ~dge through training courses and on-the-job Et ntiMx
experience.
While recruitinm was in progress and plans for the
move to Langley were being made, selected Branch Chiefs
and analysts from PR were detailed to State to gain
firsthand experience with the political files, processing
A Fa-i+r Caw, e}: o feahs4+
and service procedures then in use in PI. ~ These indivi-
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duals f trained the remaining BR analysts, as
well as those who came in from the recruiting campaigns
A:' soon as agreement on the merger was reached, work
began on a revision of DCID 1/o. The new version, issued
on 2E October 10E1, gave ponsi? 1ty CIA for main-
tenance of biographic information and production of It io graphs
intelligence on fordjgn personalities in all fields except
military; the latter went to the Department of Defense.
Responsibility for the collection of bio;raphic data was
' w? ~rw.a"~?ia
also spelled out: State would collect on all tut
;;military figures, and Defense would collect on military
personalities and on scientific, technical and economic
i ;ures associated with activities of primary interest to
the Department. (DCID 119 revised) This collection bettern
had lone; been in existence, lut the formal responsibility
for it had not pre?:riously been c'esi,;nated.
The FR-PI merger made an enormous impact on Pn's
operations. First, of course, was the significant ipase
in the amount of reporting to be processed and the number
and kinds of requests. Processing; criteria were also
necessarily changed. Fortunately, processing methods
could remain essentially the same--State's files were
controlled by manual methods, but the dossiers used, were
the same size as those used in PR, so- that physical
merger was easy. Some of the newly acquired dossiers were
eventually converted to machine control; others, primarily
in Latin Amerce and i;ke Near East/Africa areas were not.
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State's Z-xO card files were reviewed after the transfer
and destroyed or gradually mer ed into the x8 files,
either by rein; pasted to a larger card, by 1eing placed
VW, W nN1Wt%t av+l~+rotee
in a 1.x8 pouch, or by hein`;~~~
In addition to the dossiers and card files, BR aloe
inherited State's category files for each country. These
listed incumbents of various important positions, such as
Cabinet officials or diplomats . There were also a number
of back-round or roup folders. BR had. a few of these
argonit M W&
already, on scientific institutions and but the
political function necessitated the maintenance of many
more--for example, folders on political parties or
;groups, labor organizations, subversive activities,
elections, and cultural or religious lodies. Increased
acquisition of the number of reference works, forei17n and
domestic newspapers and. other open-source materials was
also necessary.
swel
With the takeover of the vow functions, PR assumed a
new pattern of response oriented toward current intelli-ence
and quick-reaction support in answering; requests, the total
number of which had increased about 300 percent over that of
the previous year. Non-CIA requesters, originally comprising
about a third of the total, now represented about half, with
Ctate the major cubtomer. A noticeable change in the type of
'RR Providta
service provided also took place. Previously, BR-Ysre*erf^
the bulk ofs service in the form of oral responses to
queries or machine printouts axd by maki.nr; its files available
for inspection. After the merger, the number of requests for
dq
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vritten t:io,raphic summaries and full reports, as well as the
number of spot answer telephonic requests, increased sharply.
New Publications
PR had for years been publishing; compilations of data on
_individuals attending, scientific conferences throu,--,hout the
,;,orld. Now it took on State's responsibility for attendees
at all kinds of international Tatherin!s. A major annual
-project, for example, as the preparation of l ior;raphies on
forei.;n dPle ates to the VN general Assembly sessions. In
;addition, PR now had to produce t;riefinc; book 111o ;raphies for
'ii.-h-level US officials (especially the President and Vice
President) traveling al road or entert^inin