VISIT ON 17 NOVEMBER 1966 BY DR. ANTHONY OETTINGER AND MR. JOHN GRIFFITH OF THE PRESIDENT'S GUIDANCE AND EVALUATION PANEL TO DISCUSS THE BIOGRAPHIC PROBLEM IN INTELLIGENCE WITH DR. SHERMAN KENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00967A001100020034-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2006
• Sequence Number: 34
• Publication Date: January 11, 1967
• Content Type: MF

Approved ForiR~elea
912 ~~~ P79R009 A001100020034-1
13 JAN 196Z~
11 d7ntzar~r 1~~67
igencc Caa~ntinily I.ia~.r;arx
I~ztel~
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for ttxe YFT~B/II~T Gtz~.P~nr:r and Evd~3.tkatian ~~~?c~.
;~crxiar CIrA Representative, Ct3DIB ~up~t~rt ,tafz
Chief? CC3DIB support Staff
Visit an ~.7 ~lczvrrr~er 1866 Pay Par. ?'~zthany ~3ettn;er
a~r~ Pair. Jahn Cri~ith c-f the Fx?e~:as~ent'=? ~nir~nnae
and Evaluation P~.rkel to I3isett5~ the IIia~-ra~P~i.c:
~'rraial+em irx T.zxtell.3genCe with i}r. ;-~he~~?m~rx Kent
~.. ilnePc~rourzd. The inter+~st of Dr. Clettinger and P*1x~. ~rai:xitt~
in ePxatting toitix fir. Kent ara~e in~.tially from i4ir. Griffi.tPz' 4: rea~-Pirzg
oi: Dr. Kent' ~ hook crn Strateg~.e Intell.?mence, particularly tPinae ;xarts
dea3.3.ra with aspects ctf the bits+gra.~Pxie g~PSlem ns seen by Dr. Kent
~fi ter Pxis experience in the filffice of Strategic ;t'~r4=zt:e, during .;c~rl~'.
:f~rrr II. TPxi~ itxterest was ztei ixtenecl by 'the reali'F3t3.oIx tli~~t I3r. Kera-t
L}1Ei:?s th@ ~.UT1~T-t~.lL1E' 3xeaC1, of till' ~alt~tiQZxa1 ~`~;t~:fYlat~~ ~~'~:k'f:~ 5`1~tii .~'.~`:
reputetivn of he~.rzg a highly respected. ?'~zro:~es~ional" 3ntell~.~ence
,~et~.vity. PKr. Cri~f$tPl chatted. :vith dlr. Kent can the phone, ar.:i there
ensued a recruest far a meeting ~-zth him thraugh regular channel:.; of
the Cuicianc~ ancP Evaluation F?rzrtel. friar to the day of t;ae rrreeting,
I grovic~esi Dr. K,ekxt witPx a eq~fy of the latest ~.lr. aft cif the B~.ographic
tte~aort by Dr. t3ta~-tinger and dir. Dx=ifith, with r~ br3.?~f b~ckgrounc~
stt~terr~rzt.
2. Tile ctiscussi.ort w~.tRk Dr. Kant ~.~.:=fed about en hotkr. n?zc~ a
~zalf c'lrlt~ ~Civered d wire r~:nge of suh~eci.:~, some related ctirect~.y to
tlxe ~iiograpllic problem in i.ntelligenc;e ~zl~ some re~.~ated io l+rozxd
rstarla~;es~nt and. c?evelopm~ent ~spect:~ Qt tizc National Intel.la~ence eftart.
In pur:?~uirlg cPue~tians rl.irectly rei.k~t+~d. P:o the Uing~,rnpllie ~xx~obiem in
a.rltelligence, I3r. f3ett3rz~;er and ~3r. Gri:[1:iP:h reflected concern ~~a.tx
t~c~ 13ghtnes~ of their eoverag~e of the 'tultfma~:e tiser~~" e~:~ hir~~raph~.r~
~,ntelligence in tiaeir ~tki'1/~'y snd :~tttt3y of the biagr~,phie ~~rohlem irz
the intellib*encc catnzzunity. Dr. Kent 3ointed atzt P:h~rat he wa:= ntrt
really fate P~re at soux.~ce for t:xern arz th3.s ~Q~.nt pri.mari3.y iaecau:~~e liy
ttze time t;te Lwational. E~>tintate_-a material reAehQ~ the c ~tin~t~.te~ ~-ta:k
mv~t of the tiletailed. 1~3.agraphic a.rz:~ormata.an anci. its analytic a~sglica-
tion~> izad Izecome 3ndistizxc;uisPxa:~~.e in the estiriative d~.~til.late. Iie
:~ikg~;e~steti th$~: `L'~1e ~iE>~t way tt) ~urFau@ these cP.etailec~ poa.tlt:: ~art`ker
~ri1:h ~resfit t~au].ct be far Par. Oetti.nger ?trrd M~=. Gr~.ffit~r tea ~penci e
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.half a clay or $o in the operat:h~ crampone~~t? of the res+eareh ar~cl.
a~-~alysis offices of tie Agerscy. ~nather s~a~or poitafi raised Baas ht~l
l~r. KPnt had been ~bl.e t~ver the years to develop and maintain the
evident -sigh de ;ree Qf general prt~fess.iranal competence in the
Aatianal. E:.,timat.ve 5t~aff. He respta along the full.oi~ring lines:
fir:=t, ~iy ~:taffing at t~~e upper Iev~els ~~itls sigh erxtaug,`s grades or
ranks to attract at mid-ce7reer ar~i lstcr the lest pas~;ible talent
related to the est3t~ative 3ntell nce funeticsn; by staffing at the
lower level,.; ~:~~,th carefully selec~iazg candl.dal;es pas:~essi~tg the
renuired. aeacacmi~: tx~a~.n.~.ng and baekgrouacl arsd by r~srsring there every
opp?rtun~.ty ~st~th to :~sroaden sand tas intensify t.ieir training through-
ti~zt -khe~tr career path; and, g+~nerally, by pravicl3a.~g a prafessiQnal.
env.irc~nment u~itz truly challenging intellectual. and substantive
prc-alern~s. ~~ third paint raised by Ur. pettinge~' and Aar. Grifl3th,
r~nci ane ~.rs which they sho~~ed 4=~:=->ta ine~i interest, ecrncerrtr~ri the ~ae~ys
sect means used. Say. Dx. Kant to r,?~ainta,#,rs the essential hi3 duality
prcrfessato?.al performance in bath the cantinuing estimative flt~~~. asap
tine individual estimative pr~.uct. #lz~ t~~3 cane, IIr. Kent spent con-
sic~erabl~ tires. tie carefully tiefinecl. atzd described his functiar~I
relaticrxtship 'to t2ze DCI, i,c., Dr. Kent serves as the executive ,gent
for the Nalr3onsl Estimative part of the IICI's role a~~ the President's
Chief of staff far National Intell.3.gence. I{e t~iet~ carefully talked
Ilr. IIettir~,er and Mr. Griffit~r ttmough the various revietil and
calib~akiost ~ar~int~~ irs the ~}rraees~ for presducing national estimates,
expl.a3.xiing t~sc r;uality el~eck' ~~ exerci~ett At eacf} stew up to Ilse IICZ * ~s
final determirsaticrn as to ghat cc+n~ttutes t~~e F,rsational. intel.I.i?ence
sstimateT, and. what eoxsAtitutes d~t~~sent3ng views on a given groLlem.
Dr. Kent e~tphasi~ed that the quality eontral exercised wzta obviously
based upon subjective 3ud~nen?ts, wtxich, of ecnirse, reeked upgn the
~~ubstantive knoc~rle~ige and prc~fesssionel com~setence o.t= l:he indivi.c~ssals
at al.l points in the estimative proeev~x.
~. Dr. t~ettz,nger and A'Ir. Gr~..ffith were deeply ~.nnpressec~ by
I}r. Kcnt'a rem~rk:~ regarding gisal,ity control and. ~~ro'essicucal, elan.
Their past-gr sli.,cusbian crf their chat ~3ith Dr. Kcrs?t, 3.n ~~rhich Z
participated at their invitat3.on, indicated. that Dr. Kent's remark3
on estimative prafessic~rtalism and. quality cantrc~i ire ~oi.n~; to
have a nrc~-fc~sand effect ai~aan t~ie~.r tttink3ng regarding the .~.~ency' s
eor~asiun3,ty les~dership pcsterstial, regarding the content of tine final
version of t,~zeit biographicr report to the Guidance and ~valuat%on
~'an+el. arsd regarding their ecrntribution to tI?ze overall report of tixe
Guidance send IIval.uation Parsel.
Approved For Relea~
5 ? ~,A,-QP79R00967A001100020034-1
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