PUBLIC RELATION VISITS TO CIA AND A CIA MUSUEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00498A000600060036-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 16, 2001
• Sequence Number: 36
• Publication Date: April 13, 1976
• Content Type: MF

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13 April 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR: Angus MacLean Thuermer
Assistant to the Director
SUBJECT : Public Relation Visits to CIA and a CIA Museum
REFERENCE : Your memo of 5 April 1976, same subject
1. Your suggestion to create a CIA Museum for public relations
and general education purposes has my full support. As Chairman
of the Fine Arts Commission, it is my view that a well-designed
and maintained museum of the sort you suggest would be a continuing
source of pride and satisfaction to Agency employees. It would
also provide an excellent and interesting introduction to those
parts of the Agency's work that can be discussed and shown. I do
not know how far the top management of the Agency proposes to move
in the direction of more public exposure of the Agency and its
activities. But even at present levels, there is a very clear need
for something to supplement -- and in some instances to take the
place of -- the current briefings and question-and-answer periods
conducted for selected groups of visitors.
2. As you know, for 2 1/2 years during the height of the unrest
on American college campuses, I was chosen to create the job of Coor-
dinator for Academic Relations and invited to develop programs to
ease the friction between the intelligence and academic communities.
At my initiative, some of the earliest visits of college groups to
the Agency took place. Looking back on the situation, it occurs to
me now what a very useful, educational and interesting adjunct to my
efforts as Coordinator for Academic Relations the existence of a
museum such as you propose would have been.
7 Chairman
Fine Arts Commission
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 Approved FOO WF&e)84'flj8 ffltft ~
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2 6 APR 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Administration
FROM Robert W. Gambino
Director of Security
SUBJECT Public Relations Visits to CIA
and a CIA Museum
REFERENCE Memo to DCI from Assistant to the
Director, dtd 31 Mar 76, same subj.
1. This memorandum is for your information only.
2. This Office fully appreciates the public relations
value of offering visitors the opportunity to visit the
Agency, view an exhibit, and return home with positive view-
points. As you are aware, recent Headquarters exhibits
which have been opened to family viewing, have necessitated
increased manpower allocations on an overtime basis. Our
primary concern is that a public museum located at Head-
quarters would require a very substantial increase in
manpower to provide adequate security for visitor control.
3. In 1969, Director Richard Helms was considering a
suggestion to locate an Agency museum or public exhibit room
at the Smithsonian Institution. It was felt that this type
of location would draw the greatest amount of tourist traffic
and pose no security problems to the Headquarters compound.
It is further suggested that consideration be given to
dividing the museum concept into two parts; a classified
museum, so located that it is viewed by Agency personnel
only; and a non-classified museum that could be viewed by
official visitors to this Agency, located in an area similar
to the exhibit corridor or the Bubble.
4. Mr. Thuermer had cited the National Security Agency
as an example of a classified-type organization having a
museum. An appropriate official of that Agency was contacted
by this Office in an effort to learn the physical layout and
relative security procedures. The NSA museum is in the
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 ratiVe
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planning stages only, and two professional slots have been
allocated for planning the museum. The NSA Cryptologic
History Staff is the focal point group for the museum. They
are currently planning for a museum in the Main Lobby under
controlled access. Persons who are on official business and
NSA applicants may view this unclassified exhibit. They
further plan for a classified exhibit for employees only in
a restricted area of the main building.
5. Although this Office is not enthusiastic about the
concept of a museum at Headquarters, we will, of course,
support any final plan that is adopted and will provide
security guidance in any manner as the suggestion develops
to the point where specific locations and types of exhibit
items have been identified.
Robert W. Gambino
Distribution:
Orig & 1 - Adse
DDA Distribution:
Orig - DDA
1 - Asst to DCI
in strativa - Internal use -only
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 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP79-00498A000600060036-0
MEMORANDUM FOR:
5 April 1976
D/ OS
SUBJECT.. Public Relation Visits to CIA and a CIA
Museum
The possibility of a CIA museum interests the Director.
He would like to have the Management Committee consider it.
First however, he has asked me to have you make some input.
See the attached memo, including his handwritten note
in the corner.
DDA
Chairman, FAC
Curator,kHIC
Could you send me any comments you have by ga*eh 19?
I will then forward the results to the Management Committee
for their consideration.
Angus MacLean Thuermer
Assistant to the Director
mb
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 STATINTL
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March 31, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
FROM : Angus MacLean Thuermer
Assistant to the Director
SUBJECT : Public Relation Visits to CIA and a
CIA Museum
Intermittently, during past years, there have been
suggestions that we have a CIA museum. The National Security
Agency has one, as does the Pentagon. We have a collection
of material that would be of interest to both Agency folk
and visitors.
Similarly, through the years, we have had inquiries
from the public about visiting the Agency. Hitherto, we
have not been able to oblige such persons on security
grounds, or have we had any "show & tell" exhibit for them.
Student groups particularly have wanted to visit us as they
do the FBI. Although we obviously can't have an open FBI
type visitors' program, perhaps some middle ground is avail-
able.
With the reshuffling of space in connection with the
IC Staff move, there might be some spare corner for a
museum. Space near the Bubble would be good. Those who
come to attend briefings or "Presidential Classroom"
lectures there could be brought up to look at our intelligence
museum without trotting them through the whole building.
If this interests you -- and I hope it does -- you
might want the Management Committee to look into it.
ExecLldvo
^G -
Angus MacLean Thuermer
6,1-
Yes, have Management
No, forget it
Other
cc: DDA.
Fine Arts Commission
HIC
Security
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Committee consider I~
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ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
FROM:
Robert W. Gambino
EX!ENSION
NO.
STATI
Director of Security
DATE
2 6 APR 1976
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITI
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
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FORM 61 0 USEDTIONSUS F-1 SECRET E] CONFIDENTIAL ^ INTERNAL ^ UNCLASSIFIED
3-62I
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