REMARKS OF ALLEN W. DULLES AT THE TENTH AGENCY ORIENTATION COURSE 8 MAY 1953
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Collection:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
CIA-RDP78-03921A000200010013-1
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RIFPUB
Original Classification:
S
Document Page Count:
6
Document Creation Date:
December 9, 2016
Document Release Date:
August 10, 2001
Sequence Number:
13
Case Number:
Publication Date:
May 8, 1953
Content Type:
SPEECH
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REMARKS OF
ALLEN W. DULLES
AT THE
TENTH AGENCY ORIENTATION COURSE
8 May 1953
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am deeply touched by your welcome. This is the
first time I have had the honor of addressing you as the Director of Central
Intelligence. The last time I was here, I was on the verge of it, but I had
not yet been confirmed and taken over my office. As far as I know, I am here
from now on until they throw me out. I plan to devote the balance of my time
to doing what I can to build up the Agency; to build up its esprit 41 corps,
its morale, its effectiveness, and its place in the Government of the United
States.
From time to time, I have received presents from visiting dignitaries,
very small presents. The other day, I received rather an unusual one from
the head of a friendly service. It was a long package which I opened in his
presence. I was somewhat surprised to find that the present was a boomerang.
I asked him whether he thought I should accept the boomerang as the emblem of
office. He said, "Oh, this boomerang is all right. It only comes back half
way," I have adopted the symbol of the "boomerang-only-comes-back-half-way"
for the moment. Occasionally I find the boomerang comes back all the way.
But we're trying to out down the number of occasions when that happens.
In my experience in intelligence work, I have been impressed with two
primary factors: one is the character of personnel; the other is the training
that such personnel receive. There is no alternative, no substitute for either.
Intelligence, above all professions, is no assembly-line business. It requires
unique attributes of mind and character. I hope to do everything possible to
try to find out, with the help of those working with me, who among you (and I
hope it will be practically all of you) have those attributes of mind, ingenu-
ity, resourcefulness, perseverence, and patience, which are the essence of a
good intelligence officer.
One of the hardest things in intelligence work, for Americans particularly,
is the question of security. I realize many of your problems in explaining
to outsiders what you do--how in your ordinary social life can you appear to
tell what you are doing without really doing so?--and I've been looking into
that because I don't think as yet we've handled that properly. I hope to get
out some other regulations on this subject, as soon as we've explored it fur-
ther, because I think there have been a good deal too many rigid rules without
the flexibility that is necessary to permit you to be natural in your ordinary
contacts without giving away any of the secrets of your work. In the work I
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did in Switzerland.. I found that it was very desirable to have a perfectly
.legitimate and natural story; it was a little bit near the truth, but it put
the inquirer off on the wrong scent. If I had tried to pretend that I was
doing something totally different from what I was doing, I never would have
gotten away with it.
I plan to do everything I can to build up CIA as a career service. It
is not easy, but it is possible. We've already made real strides in that di-
rection. Intelligence is a kind of career in which satisfaction has to come
largely from the work itself. But I can assure you that in the long run, that
is the greatest satisfaction one gets out of any career. It's not the ephem-
eral self-advertisement that one may get.
We are working now in the most difficult era that intelligence has ever
known. It was child's play to get intelligence during the war compared to
getting intelligence today from behind the Iron Curtain. There are new dif-
ficulties because some of the most important targets are in the scientific
and technical fields, which makes it harder and harder for the ordinary indi-
vidual to be able to operate. But that difficulty is, and must remain, a
challenge to us all.
I can assure you that intelligence in this government has come of age;
it has found its position; its importance is recognized; it is being supported.
Each week, I give the intelligence briefing for the National Security Council;
that privilege, which I exercise to some extent on behalf of the intelligence
community indicates the importance which the highest officials of government
place on the intelligence phase of their work. Policy cannot be established
firmly unless it is established on the basis of'fact.
Finally, I want to say that, as your Director, I propose to see that the
rights of the individual employee are protected and I shall see to it as a
high privilege and a high duty.
I was told that really what you wanted today was to fire some questions
at me. I'll do my best to answer all your questions, but if any of them are
not answerable, I shall see that they are referred to our very able Inspector
General for study and later answer.
Question: How do you evaluate the present intelligence support that we are
giving to the National Security Council? Is it as good as you would like
to have it?
Answer: If we are ever satisfied with our intelligence coverage, then some-
thing is wrong. One never has all the facts; all one can do is approximate.
I won't say that I am wholly satisfied, because if I were satisfied, then
I would not be urging on to even greater efforts those who are furnishing
the information. No, I'm not wholly satisfied, but I feel that, given our
capabilities, we are giving the National Security Council a good coverage
of fact on the basis of which to firm up policy.
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Question: In view of the fact that most well-known Republicans are known for
their rather conservative viewpoints relative to world affairs, in your
opinion will these conservative leanings have any effect upon our estimating
function?
Answer: If we allow ourselves to be influenced in our estimating by political
or other considerations such as right-wing or left-wing tendencies, then
we are failing in our work. Politics plays no role in this Agency. Any-
body that wants to get into politics actively or to have any political
activity, had better leave, right away quick, because I won't tolerate
that; I won't allow myself to do it; I won't allow anybody else to do it
while in the Agency. Obviously, you can exercise your right to vote, but
I don't want politics coming into this Agency. We're going to keep this
Agency out of politics, as far as I'm concerned, and we're going to keep
politics out of our estimating.
Question: The CIA organization is functional, but 90% of our problems are
regional and deal with capabilities or intentions of particular countries.
Wouldn't we, therefore, be better off with a regional set-up so that we
could go to one place for the answer to the average question instead of
going to half a dozen functional places at the present time?
Answer: Well, I don't think one has to go to half a dozen. I do often find
that I go to two places. Let's take a question like Iran. I want to get
ideas about Iran from the fellow that is carrying on the operations in that
area, collecting intelligence from that area, and then I also want to get,
as a check on him, the views of the person who is studying reports and
looking at the problem in the broad perspective. I find that if I get
those two angles on the subject, I am pretty well advised as to what the
situation is. Now I realize that there are many elements that feed up to
each of those two individuals, let us say, in his own side of the shop.
I don't think you could wisely put those two sides of the shop together,
because the operational fellow tends to have an operational view of things,
and it's well to temper that with the view of the person who looks at it
from the broad historical and research angle.
Question: Would you say that the Central Intelligence Agency will be a per-
manent governmental function, even if the USSR has a modified change of
heart and begins to behave itself?
Answer: I think the CIA is here to stay. I don't think there's any slight
doubt on that point. I've had a great deal of contact during these last
few weeks with the Congress and every once in a while we get a bit of
criticism here and there, but I have never run into anybody in Congress
who indicates that the CIA ought to be abolished or done away with or radi-
cally changed. Now, we've drawn up a lot of estimates with regard to the
peace offensive of the Soviet leaders. In all of them, we have gone back
`o the words of Lenin, repeated many times by Stalin, that while changes
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of tactics and strategic retreats are permissible, just as permissible as'
advances, the basic policy remains. I don't think, therefore, you need
expect, much as we might like it, that this peace offensive will change
in any way the workload of this Agency, or its importance,
Question: Do you contemplate any new organizational changes in the Agency?
Answer: I do not for the immediate future. We've gone through a lot of or-
ganizational changes. Those were very largely patterned on a report that
three of us prepared and submitted several years ago, the Jackson-Correa-
Dulles report, that was adopted by the NSC. By and large, the recommenda-
tions of that report are carried out in the present organization and I think
the thing to do now is to go ahead with the organization that we have and
let time tell us whether any further changes or adjustments are necessary.
Question: Is there a movement afoot at the present time, as the press indi-
cates, to sever overt functions from covert functions in CIA?
Answer: I do not believe that that is at all likely. You have probably read
in the press about the President's Committee on Informational Activities,
I believe it is called--somewhat of a cover name, because that Committee,
presided over by Mr. William Jackson, will also deal with the relationship
in government of our own activities. We have been in very close touch with
that Committee throughout its work. Our representatives have appeared be-
fore it. And I would doubt that its report would effect any substantial
organizational changes in so far as the relationship of overt and covert
intelligence is concerned in our Agency.
Question: Do you feel that in the long run the PM type of operation belongs
in an agency like this?
Answer: It is my view that this government cannot effectively carry on covert
operations through two different agencies with different controls. It is
hard enough to get one covert apparatus organized and functioning in the for-
eign field. If we had two trying to do it, I think that it would be extremely
difficult. The British had this same problem before them when, during the
war, they had their covert operations in two different baskets, and they
found that wisdom dictated that they be put together. I'm inclined to think
that our covert operations should remain under one leadership and that it
would be very difficult to separate secret intelligence from secret, covert
operations. On the other hand, I do believe that there are certain para-
military activities which may reach a volume and scope that they belong rather
in the Pentagon than with us, and that is a problem which is now under con-
sideration.
Question: Would you please comment upon a recent editorial in the public press
which implied that CIA's clandestine activities imperiled the orderly develop-
ment of the U.S. foreign policy?
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Answer: I don't agree with the editorial. I think I know the one you refer
to. We have quite a problem in dealing with the press. It's more or less
my policy to take it in my stride, not to get too excited about it. We're
going to be attacked from time to time. If we start to answer. attacks di-
rectly, even false attacks, I think we'll get ourselves into a lot of
trouble. If we answer the false attacks and don't answer the other attacks,
then we might be deemed to be confirming certain allegations made about us.
I believe in maintaining very friendly relations with the press. I think I
have very good relations personally with a large number of people of the
press, but I don't propose to get-into any newspaper controversies.
Question: In these days of economy, do you feel that CIA could stand a reduc-
tion in force without a marked decrease in efficiency?
Answer: In certain areas, yes. I'd like to see us somewhat smaller than we
are today. But I don't think that we can do much on that immediately. I
think as we all get more professional, we can possibly reduce our numbers.
I'm a great believer in small, efficient, well-knit organizations where we
don't have too much paper work and where, we can put our minds to doing the
essential thing that is to be done.
Question: When do we get a new building?
Answer: That's on the very top of the basket. I have canvassed the situation
in the Bureau of the Budget; I have canvassed the situation among the Con-
gressional leaders. I find everyone sympathetic, but the question is, what
to do. There are two possibilities: one is to find an existing building
from which we could oust the present occupants on the theory of the higher
sensitivity of our work, and the other is to get the authority and money to
build a new building. We're working along both of those lines, and it is
the highest priority that I have, because I realize the conditions under which
you work.
Question: Is the abundance of military personnel necessary in a civilian or-
ganization?
Answer: The percentage of military personnel with us is relatively low, about
10%. I consider them an extremely valuable and indispensible addition to
our staff. We have some of the ablest men in the armed services working for
us and with us. And I wouldn't change that in any respect. We have very
important responsibilities to the armed services in the field of intelligence.
Take the situation in Korea today. If we weren't equipped to go in there and
work with the armed services and very largely by the use of the people that
we have from the armed services, we wouldn't be able to do our job. No, I
don't think we have too many. The percentage is about right. I think the
caliber is very high.
Question: (1) Why are women hired at a lower grade than men? (2) Do you
think that women are given sufficient recognition in the Central Intelligence
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Agency? (3) And as the new Director of CIA, are you going to do something
about the professional discrimination against women?
Answer: That first, question I'll refer to the Inspector General for a report
as to whether the facts are true. As to the second question I am inclined
to think that they are not. And the third one: If it exists, I shall.
I'll give that to the Inspector General too, and get a report on it. I'm
serious about this. I think women have a very high place in this work, and
if there is discrimination, we're going to see that it's stopped.
Question: You stated upon becoming the Director of Central Intelligence that
you'd make every effort to meet as many employees as possible on the "work-
ing level." How successful have you been?
Answer: I haven't been very successful so far, but I'm going to be. As you
know, there was quite a long while before General Cabeil came on board and
took over as Deputy. Then with the change of administration there was a
tremendous amount of briefing to do. The new officials of government had
to be. briefed about our activities. The new work of the National Security
Council, which is very important, takes a vast amount of time--far more time
than it did in the past--because of the briefing that I referred to and be-
cause of certain new activities of the National Security Council. So that
during the last two or three months, I can assure you that I've been pretty
busy. Now General Cabell is on board and I think we're getting the adminis-
trative organization working more smoothly and I can assure you that before
the temperature gets to 110 in your buildings I'm going to visit them. Try
to keep the temperature down.
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