CIA HISTORICAL PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 7, 1970
• Content Type: MF

Approved. For Release,;2005/12/23: CIA-RDP84-00022R00Q100100001-2
e/A ~l tpTo,~ e co t PRe~ +2 .e-r+-~
7 /.s.vu`.er /.97
Approved For Release 2005/12/23 : CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
 Approved For Release 206f$21?3:, CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
MEMORANDUM FOR: The Executive Director-Comptroller
SUBJECT: Current Status of the CIA Historical Program
1. This memorandum, with its five attachments, reviews
the current state of the CIA Historical Program. It lists
the histories completed since the last reports of 10 and 23
April 1969, and shows the histories in progress. It is sub-
mitted in response to your request, and is intended also for
the information of the Director, should occasion arise.
2. As was the case last April, the Historical Staff
continues to devote its energies primarily to the support
of historical production: in securing writers, counselling
and guiding them in their research, and providing critical
assistance in the review of their manuscripts, both in the
overall and in the directorate programs.,
3. In the overall program three histories are in course
of preparation at the DCI level. Furthest along is
ccount of the Allan Dulles period. Since February,
as written 110 pages using one plan of organiza-
tion and 215 pages on another basis. His treatment, at present,
is more analytical and descriptive than historical, but the
product is very good, as one would expect.
report will be found under. Attachment "Overa
4. Ludwell Montague is writing on the administration of
Walter Bedell Smith, but with a. different assignment from that
I
25
25
25X1 of Dr. Montague has been asked to supplement
the histories written by The Central Intelli- 25
gence Agency: An Instrument of Government, to 1950, and by
25X11 Organiza.tiona.l History
ige ce Agency, i u- , particularly in
bringing out the activities of the Clandestine Services and
their place in CIA, and by offering an interpretation and
evaluation of the role of General Smith as DCI. Dr. Montague
has written two memorandums for the record as preliminary to
his project, "Texts Relating to the Conception of National
Intelligence Estimates and How They Should be Produced," and
c~oG~ i
E'ali!de! from a..?crs9i:
G~'ti1;~rrda= s~3
Approved For Release 2005 4IA-RDP84- 00100 01
le I a., 51.i,;:1311
 Approved For Release 2005/=1)2/23': C iA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
"Intelligence Service, 1940-1950," the latter a. personal
memoir. He has recently interviewed Admiral Souers in St.
Louis and Mr. William Jackson in Tucson, and will start
writing shortly. He writes thoughtfully and extremely
well. He still has duties as a member of the Board of
National Estimates, which keep him from giving full time
to General Smith. His report is under Attachment "Overall."
5. Walter Elder is likewise not in a. position to give
full time to his assignment, "John A. McCone as DCI." He
has received permission from Mr. McCone to use the McCone
files; a. very rich source of documentation. So fa.r, Mr.
Elder has written what he terms an ideological outline, and
has nearly completed a chronological outline. While he has
not yet begun to write, he has a clear idea of what he
intends to do. He writes briskly and with freshness. His
progress report is also to be found under Attachment "Overall."
6. The overall program also includes histories of
components of the Office of the Director and of the DCI
Area, and histories of the four Directorates. The last
mentioned histories are of a. comprehensive character and
are to be distinguished from histories of components of
these directorates which are part of the directorate programs.
7. Approximately a, third of the histories of the
overall program are without writers and two-thirds are
without completion dates. These are serious gaps which
it is hoped will be filled when the two memorandums of
the Executive Director-Comptroller of 8 December 1969 are
given effect. These stipulate that writers for all histories
in the CIA Historical Program are to be chosen and suspense
dates set by 7 January 1970, and that the ca.tch-up part of
the program is to be completed by 31 December 1971.
8. Thus far almost no writing has been done in the
overall program a.~art from that by the three writers at
the DCI level. is writing on the origins
of USIB. has prepared a. topical outline
of the Cable Secretariat, has done intensive
research on the Office of Policy Coordination, and
on the Office of Inspector General. There should be
a. considerable improvement by the time of the next status
report. Attachment "Overall" shows titles, authors,a.nd
suspense dates for the overall program where these have been
determined.
Approved For Release 2005/ A-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
25
25
 Approved For Release 265/213: CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
9. The status of the program in each directorate is
given in the remaining attachments under the headings "DDP,"
"DDI," "DDS," and "DDS&T." For the DDP and DDS, the reports
have been prepared by their I-Iistorica.l Officers; for the DDI
and the DDS&T by the Chairmen of their Historical Boards.
These reports list the histories which have been completed
since April, show those which are in course of prepa.ra.tion,
and those which have been admitted to a. program, but lack
writers. Historical Officers and Chairmen of Historical
Boards have been a.sked to review the programs of their
directorates to determine the existence of gaps and omissions
in coverage and the presence of titles that might be dropped.
The results of this review will a.ppear in the next.progress
report.
10. In the directorate programs as in the overall program
there are a. number of histories tha.t lack authors and comple-
tion dates. Although in most instances, it is expected writers
will have been assigned and suspense da.tes set by 7 Janua.ry
1970, this is only a beginning. While some histories can be
written in six months, most will require from nine to fifteen
months, and a. few will need even more. Some staff members
? will be adding the writing of a. history to other duties, and
their progress will be slow. Where writers have been assigned
full-time or for a. substantial part of their time it is
importa.nt that they not be pulled off their a.ssignments for
other jobs. Workloads should be arra.nged and adhered to so
as to allow the opportunity for research a.nd writing.
11. Experience to date with both overall and directora.te
programs has shown how important it is for writers to have
guidance and direction in their work from beginning to the
end. They need advice and assistance in their research, in
making chronologies, and in writing their first and subsequent
drafts. The earlier they receive this help and the more
continuously it is given the less need there will be for
reworking and rewriting, and the better the history will be.
12. The providing of this guidance and direction to
historical writers has become the principal activity of the
senior, members of the Historical Staff, in the directorate
programs as well as in the overall program, and without dis-
tinguishing between them. Histories in the CIA Historical
Program must meet not only the needs of the various components
of the directorates, but must also contribute directly to the
40
Approved For Release 200 , IA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
 Approved For Release 200&4 2' :CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
writing of overall history, as it is not possible for the
author of an overall history to do all the ba.sic and essential
research required for his history within the time limits
assigned. Chief and Deputy Chief of the Historical Staff
have been meeting with heads of offices, groups of writers,
and individual authors to explain the Historical Program
and give advice on the writing of it. They have, along with
the Historical Officers, examined and discussed outlines and
rea.d drafts and nearly finished histories. The Documents
Officer, drawing on the resources of his growing Master Index,
has directed the attention of writers to records that they
should consult. The Senior Editor has recently completed the
preliminary draft of a. Style Manua.l, which is now being put
in final form, and guides to documentary collections and an
index to Agency regula.tory issuances are also in prepara.tion;
all to facilitate the work of historical writers.
13. This report has centered on the writing that has
been done recently in the CIA Historica.l Program, on the
writing that is in progress, and on the histories that are
planned but which a,t present lack writers. The report has,
purposely, not dealt in detail with the guidance
and direction,
nor with other, but rela.ted supporting activities
of the
Historical
Staff.
Completion of the catching-up
part of the
Historical
Program
is the overriding objective of
the Historical
Staff. To
achieve
this objective it is essential
that writers
be found for all the histories, that completion da.tes be firmly
set, that writers be granted the time necessary to do their
assignments, that they have all the counsel and assistance
that the Historical Staff can give them, and that the Historical
Program should have, in a.ddition to its present administrative
support, equally strong support throughout alllevels of the
Agency.
25
.Howard M. Ehrmann
Chief, CIA Historical Staff
Approved For Release 20058E t IA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
 Approved For Release 2005/12/23 : CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
TAB
Approved For Release 2005/12/23 : CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
 Approved For Release 20i48.~'CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
The W. B. Smith Project
CIA History during the
Dulles Period
John A. McCone as DCI
Office of Planning, Pro-
gramming.a.nd Budgeting
Deputy to the DCI for
National Intelligence
Programs Evaluation
0 Special Assistant for
Vietnamese Affairs
The President's Foreign
Intelligence Advisory
Board
U.S. Intelligence Board
USIB Committees
Office of the General
Counsel
THE OVERALL PROGRAM
Histories Planned or in Process
DCI Level
Ludwell L. Montague August 1970
Office of the Director
No writers
esponsi a or
Program
Writer
Office of the Legislative
-Counsel
1946-1956
1957-1967
Walter Pforzheimer
John S. Warner
February 1971
'First draft by
30 June 1970
No completion
date
No completion
date
No completion
date
No completion
date
No completion
dates
No completion
date
No completion
dates
Approved For Release 20? P CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
 Approved For Release 2 5J, ;212 : CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2
0
.No, completion
date
No completion
date
25
Office of the Inspector
General
Audit Staff
Office of National Estimates
The Directorate for Plans
Office of Policy
Coordination
Office of Special Opera-
tions
The Directorate for
Intelligence
The Directorate for-Support
the Directorate for Science
and Technology
No completion
date
The Directorates
No completion
date
February 1971
25
October 1970
30 June 1970
No completion
date
No completion
date
0
Approved For Release 20.5/ 2 : CIA-RDP84-00022R000100100001-2