PROJECT NO. 4-59 - PSYCHIATRIC TESTING.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP57-00042A000200200015-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2001
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: January 11, 1954
• Content Type: MEMO

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Office Memorandum UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO : Asst. Management Officer (DD/A Area)
DATE: 12 January 1951
Document No. ,L/
FROM : Acting Management Officer NO CHANGE in Class. (]
DECLASSIFIED
Cla y. CHANCED TO: TS S
suBJEcr: Project No. 4-59 - Psychiatric 'Testing. DDA Memo, 4 Apr 77
Auth: D ft. 7%G. 77,6703
(?
Date; BY:
1. On or about January 6, 19511, following instructions from
General Cabell, he, the Inspector General, and I met to discuss
ground rules and concepts regarding assessment testing and psychia-
try in CIA. The following is the sense of our meeting
a. Everyone in CIA is to receive a psychological assess-
ment, 1) EOD cases as rapidly as OTR can gear up to take them,
and 2) on-board cases just as soon as OTT can accomplish them.
2. General Cabell stated that aptitude testing, such as the
type now done by the Office of Personnel and Comoro is to be specifi-
cally excluded from the proposed Regulation and made permissive.
3. General Cabell stated that the major responsibility for
assessments was to be placed upon the Office of Training and that
consideration would be given to performance in Training, and the
reaction of the supervisors who are assigning employees to particular
jobs. He further stated that the OfficQ of Training, during the
assessment process, will spot and raise psychiatric question and
refer it to the Medical Office.
14. The Medical Office is to examine all EOD's, and as indicated
by medical examination, will spot and accomplish psychiatric exant-
nations on all EOD's where indicated. Those on board will be given
psychiatric examinations as indicated, and in this case we should
probably limit it for the present to regular examinations for higher
graded personnel and examinations as necessary in accordance with
working conditions, such as placement of an individual in a sensitive
job,., or indications of need arising from emotional instability.
5. General Cabell was firm in his belief that there is a
responsibility for every supervisor to refer employees to the Medi-
cal Office and to the Office of Training for assessment and evalua-
tion as necessary.
6. General Cabell also ordered that actions taken as a result
of psychological or psychiatric evaluations or examinations be taken
by the Personnel Office. This is presumed to mean that the Person-
nel Office makes all contacts with employees and relatives of
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employees if this step is considered necessary, and in doing so acts
in accordance with recommendations of the Medical Office, and in a
few cases perhaps, in accordance with reconaendations of the Office
of Training. General Cabell further stated that emotional stability
was to be a Medical Officer's determination.
7. General Cabell asked that we develop a general Regulation
on this entire subject, proposing amendments and modifications to
existing regulations and functions where feasible.
8. General Cabell expressed the opinion that there should be
no psychologist on the T/O of the Medical Office, but that he was
perfectly willing to discuss the situation with John ZLetjen, if
John was opposed to this approach.
9. Subsequent discussions with
and my own thinking on the subject, indicate the feasibility of con-
sidering a plan whereby Medical would have one psychologist., and
Training would render psychological testing service a re$ ed by
Medical. This would provide for the detail of ar{~S~tprt
needed by Medical from the Office of Training in order to give them
on-the-spot service. It has the advantage of setting up a mechanism
which would eliminate duplication while providing for career rotation
of professional psychologists.
10, took minutes of a
meeting approximately six weeks ago in the rector's Conference
Room, attended by all concerned, including representation from Medi-
cal.. Training, and Colonel hhite. I suggest, in accordance with Mr.
offer to me, that you get a copy of those minutes from
25X1A9a
11. Genet] Cabell and ` feel that there is
nothing wrong` ving under Personnel's jurisdiction their own aptitude
testing program. I would suggest, however, becaue I believe this will
encourage duplication, that we give General Cabell what he asked for,
and at the same time offer an alternative Regulation providing for
any necessary aptitude testing under the direct control of the OTR.
if we did this, we would have a centralized support service throughout
CIA.
12. Inherent in this entire problem is General Cabell's directive
to get going on it right away. This means that we do not have time
to recruit for additional personnel before starting the program along
the scopes indicated. It probably means that we will have to arrive
at some method of giving extremely short tests and/or assessments to
messengers, clericals and other-non-professional people in order to
have enough time available for reasonably valid professional assessments.
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13. and General Cabell stated that the ultimate
goal was to arrive at a point where all employees on board will have
received a psychological assessment and a psychiatric screening and/or
examination. Having accomplished this, incapacitations at a later
date can be handled more easily in the light of line-of-duty bench-
marks. ie must be extremely careful in our choice of phraseology
to avoid the use of language which might make employees apprehensive
about this Regulation.
11. I believe we should shoot for January 22 as the date for
completion of our initial draft of the entire package. I will work
with you closely on the project,, making myself available to you on
call.
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