NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR NO. 57

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05S00620R000601400005-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 5, 2009
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: September 15, 1980
• Content Type: MISC

Approved For Release 2009/06/05: CIA-RDP05SO062OR000601400005-6
Notes from the Director No. 57
15 September 1980
SENIOR OFFICER DEVELOPMENT COURSE
.On 20 October, the new Senior Officer Development Course will begin. Its
purpose, its content, the criteria for student selection and its relevance to the career
prospects of professional GS-14's and 15's make it unlike any educational program
the Agency has ever offered.
During four months, one each spent on the intelligence product, collection, anal-
ysis and management, this course will provide participants with a unique opportunity
to step back from their operational responsibilities and make an investment in their
future. The experience will be a demanding one, but because it will broaden and
deepen participants' understanding of the whole Agency, it will enhance significantly
their potential for early advancement and Agency-wide responsibilities. Every mid-
dle-level professional who expects to advance to the senior ranks in the Agency should
look forward to taking this course.
The course will be taught primarily through extensive outside reading, oral and
written analysis of case studies and directed seminars and tutorials. Subject matter
will range from a careful examination of the intelligence product and whether it
really meets consumers' needs, to the issues and conflicts inherent in good collection
and analysis, to the problems of effective management from the office through
community levels. Rather than attempting to cover everything of relevance to a
prospective supergrade-which would result in a superficial, survey course of limited
long-term value-a few carefully chosen cases and substantive issues will be studied
deeply in search of insights which can then be applied more universally. The student
will learn by doing, by testing ideas against those of classmates, by challenging
conventional wisdom, by being actively involved in the educational process. It will
require a great deal of hard work, but the intellectual growth and the sense of sat-
isfaction will be great too.
I want to personally congratulate those who have been chosen to be in the first
class in this exciting new program. Your selection is an honor. It is evidence of
the confidence which the top management in your directorate has in your bright
prospects as a future leader in this Agency. It is evidence of the confidence that
I have in you.
Approved For Release 2009/06/05: CIA-RDP05SO062OR000601400005-6
 Approved For Release 2009/06/05: CIA-RDP05SO062OR000601400005-6
NEW RECRUITMENT SYSTEM CUTS PROCESSING TIME
DRAMATICALLY
Last November, Harry Fitzwater, our Director of Personnel Policy, Planning,
and Management, initiated a significant new program to improve personnel recruit-
ing for the Agency. Together with his Deputy for Recruitment and Placement, their
principal assistants, and officers from the Offices of Medical Services and Security,
they comprised an action team to look at the issues and determine what changes
would both speed up the hiring process and improve it. A computer simulation model
was used to replicate the existing system and permit quick and consistent evaluations
of how proposed changes might affect the recruiting system before a decision was
made to implement them.
By mid-March several promising innovations were identified. Time savers were
put into use to identify ineligible applicants quickly.
Significant progress has now been achieved in putting these changes into prac-
tice in spite of complications arising from the hiring freeze and other uncertainties.
The revised applicant screening by the Security/ Medical team is culling out 10%
to 15% of the applicants prior to beginning the expensive background investigation
and full medical examination. Some applicants for clerical positions have entered
on duty with full security and medical approval only two to three weeks after their
inquiring about possible employment.
Ultimately, the average time to hire professionals should drop from the 325
days of last November to about 80 to 90 days. The average time to hire clericals
should drop to about 40 days. In shortening this time, the administrative burdens
of recruiting are reduced by about 75%, and the load on Security and Medical staffs
by 40%. Most important, reduced hiring times make Agency employment more
attractive to candidates in the highly competitive categories who would be unwilling
to wait out the earlier system.
Particularly pleasing to me is the exemplary teamwork in this effort primarily
among the Offices of Personnel Policy, Planning, and Management, Security, Medi-
cal, as well as all other Agency elements in their response and cooperation in adapting
to these changes. These important achievements will ensure we have the ability to
hire the best candidates faster and at less cost.
NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE WEEK
The President has designated September 14-20 as National Hispanic Heritage
Week. This national celebration is important for several reasons. The week provides
an opportunity to recognize and focus on Hispanic culture and the ways it has en-
riched all our lives. Moreover, the week provides an occasion to emphasize the pro-
found contribution that Americans of Hispanic descent have made to the devel-
opment of this nation.
National Hispanic Heritage Week is also a time for us all to reaffirm our
commitment to the fullest possible utilization of the talents and skills of Hispanic
Americans. The CIA Hispanic Employment Program and our individual commit-
ment to its goals are key means to this end.
Please take note of attendant publicity and join me in enjoying the activities
planned for this special week of celebration. i Celebramos la Hispanidad!
2
Approved For Release 2009/06/05: CIA-RDP05SO062OR000601400005-6
 ti
Approved For Release 2009/06/05: CIA-RDP05SO062OR000601400005-6
PROGRESS REPORT ON NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR
On 3 May 1977, -I inaugurated Notes From the Director. I felt there were
not enough established systems of personalized communications between senior man-
agement and the employees of the Agency. In the ensuing years, a total of 57 Notes
have been published, covering such subjects as Security, Budget, ' and Personnel,
among others. The feedback from you indicates this form of communication has
been reasonably successful in keeping you informed about issues of broad interest.
I have always solicited your ideas for inclusion, and would again like to request
topics you consider to be of interest to all. You may submit your ideas to the Office
of Public Affairs, 11706, Headquarters.
STANSFIELD TURNER
Director
Approved For Release 2009/06/05: CIA-RDP05SO062OR000601400005-6