REPORT OF THE HISTORY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00896R000100210007-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 21, 2002
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: July 19, 1980
• Content Type: MF

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
VIA: Deputy. Director for Administration
25X1A FROM:
Chairman, History Advisory Committee
SUBJECT: Report of the History Advisory Committee
25X1A REFERENCE-:
TAB A) "CIA History Program"
'IL 196U
1. Since its appointment in January of this year,
the History Advisory Committee has met almost weekly to
investigate and discuss the past and present state of the
Agency's history program with the objective of determining
a proper role and scope for a future history program. We
have interviewed officers associated with the program in the
past and held meetings with representatives of concerned
componF'rats. We have benefited from the in r s and
advice of an eminent historian,
25X1A
F
Throu
hout
h
g
, we
ave taken a deli ra e and open approach
to the question of what the Agency needs and should have
in the way of a history program.
2. As recorded in our interim status report, we
found that the history program which flourished in the
1960s and early 1,970s is essentially dormant, if not dea.d..
The two cleiical employees remaining from the original staff
manage to answer the most pressing requirements for historical
data on. a catch.-as catch-can basis; nothing else is being
done either to identify and capture historical. documents or
to exploit existing material. dated 8 August 1973,
is a. model charter which directs the performance of proper
historical functions and grants the historical. staff access
to the records, but it is a dead letter.. Indeed, from 1973
onward the historical program progressively declined to its
present moribund state.
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3. We found. that past efforts to create and maintain
historical records proceeded from a general misunderstanding
of the value to the Agency of an effective historical program.
As a result, the program suffered from peaks and valleys of
executive and organizational interest, from competition for
space, funds and personnel, from conflicting perceptions of
its benefits and costs, and from precipitate and short-term
actions. Even during its most productive period, the program
yielded results ranging from good to horrid; component support
has varied from grudging tolerance to lethal opposition.
4. Yet we find at the beginning of 1980 wide support
within the Agency for a program which will provide an accessible
accord of Agency activity, a teaching resource, a means of more
easily and reliably providing data to the Congress and the
public, and a way to respond to the requirements of other agencies
involved in the maintaining and recording of Government histories.
Although there IS no strictly legal requirement for the Agency
to write histories or even to maintain records purely for the
preparation of histories, there Is a strongly felt demand from
the Congress, from academia, from the Departments of State and
Defense, and from the press that the Agency be able to produce
authoritative accounts of its activities, particularly those
undertaken as part of larger Government programs. We found a.
keen awareness of this demand among all the component represen-
tatives we interviewed, and a desire that the Agency put itself
in a better position to respond to external demands and internal
requirements consistent with the DCT's responsibilities under the
law to protect intelligence sources and methods.
5. This change in perception can be accounted for by the
Agency's having been required to "go public" since the mid-70s
as a result of new Congressional and Executive Branch oversight
requirements, In the course of responding to these demands for
?ccounting of past Agency activities, our managers and employees
have had to devote enormous time and effort to not-always-successful
attempts to recapture knowledge of facts and events from the past --
not to mention documents. At the same time, with the passing into
retirement of the Agency's founding generation, much of a quarter
century of institutional memory has faded away and should be
recaptured. A new generation of operators, analysts, and managers
finds itself reinventing wheels, systems, techniques, and. paper-
clips simply because lessons of the past have not been recorded
and passed on,
6. In his report to the Committee has stated
succinctly why the Agency should, and indeed must, embark on aa.
respectable program of historical accounting:
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"An Historical Activity -- I use the term to denote
the totality of an historical effort, its personnel, program,
and activities -- is not a luxury but rather a legitimate
tool that can and should facilitate the Agency's work.
Certain characteristics of the Agency, both structural
and procedural, militate against the establishment and
performance of an Historical Activity, and they should be
clearly recognized and hardly minimized. Among them are
the decentralized nature of the Agency's operational
framework; the virtual independence of the major components;
compartmentation control; the extreme sensitivity of much
of the Agency's production; and the understandable reluctance,
particularly on the part of the Directorate of Operations, to
record actions and events.
Despite these conditions, a competent Historical
Activity, if properly supported, directed and managed,
can and should contribute to the Agency's missions, roles,
and functions.
The Agency should significantly expand its Historical
Activity to enable it to serve the Agency and to help it
25X1A discharge its obligations."
7. In consideration of our own findings and of 25X1A
advice (a copy of his full report is attached
as Tab B), the History Advisory Committee therefore recommends
the following:
a. Establish, an Office of the CIA Historian.as
an independent office under the Director of Central
Intelligence. The CIA Historian, occupying an upper-level
SIS slot, will in effect sit at the Director's left hand
(so that he may record history) and enjoy DCI-level access
to programs and.documents (so that he may determine the
requirements of an historical program).
b. Recruit an historian of professional stature to
head up the program and oversee its organization and
development. The professional officers staffing the
office can conic from a variety of sources. Most of these
people will be professional or practical historians; some
few may be officers detailed or contracted to the office
to write up historical data for rewriting into professional
histories, assembling reference materials and conducting
oral histories. These include:
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(1) Professional historians hired permanently,
temporarily, or part-time to turn existing data into
finished histories.
(2) On-duty Agency personnel who are qualified
historians assigned rotationally to the office to
complete specific historical projects (possibly as
"Historical Fellows"'similar to the present DCI
Fellows at the Center for the Study of Intelligence).
(3) Annuitants hired to record historical data or
write finished. histories of programs or components.
c. Transfer the existing three positions and the
two incumbent clerks to the new staff. In addition to the
slots, clerical personnel, and holdings of the existing
historical program, the new office should eventually absorb
the Historical Intelligence Collection and its personnel
from the Office of Central. Reference to assure the continued
functioning of that collection and the services it now provides.
Likewise, any collection of historical artifacts should, in
time, be housed within the new office, and the records of the
various "museum committees" of the past should be reviewed to
this end.
d. Provide as a deputy to the historian a career
operational or analytical intelligence officer selected
primarily for his/her knowledge of the Agency, preferably
chosen in consultation with the Historian.
e. Provide a seasoned executive officer to help the
Historian preserve current documents for historical purposes
and provide the practical administrative support required for
the exploitation of existing records. Even more important,
according to is the assignment to our Records
Management Program of a full-time, in-house Archivist to
help the Historian identify and preserve records of potential
historical value which, according to present criteria, will
otherwise be destroyed.
f Reinvoke the provisions of as a charter 25X1A
.
for the program.
8. Nothing in those recommendations should be considered
as binding on the CIA historian to be hired, except that
earch
some initial organizational steps might be taken if the s
for a qualified historian from outside is protracted..
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has recommended a number of qualified historians as possible
candidates, and he is available for further consultation by
the Director. To a considerable extent, our recommendations
25X1A parallel those of and they reflect the advice
we have had from the many Agency officers consulted. But the
CIA Historian to be appointed, in consultation with the
Director and the Deputy Directors, should have the key role
in how the office is staffed and how it functions.
25X1A'
Attachments:
Tabs A & B
Distribution:
Addressee
DDCI
Executive Registry
DDA
Members, History Advisory Committee.
DDTR
OTR Registry
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This Notice Expires I Se temherw1974 I1)
ORGANIZATION
CIA HISTORY PROGRAM
t 973
1. The CIA History Program has two major objectives
which are the principal responsibilities of the CIA Fiis?-
t+orical Staff. One is to compile an accurate, comprehc sine
record of significant Agency activities. The second is to
develop accurate accounts of certain of CIA's past activi-
ties in terms suitable for inclusion in Government-wide
historical and declassification programs, while protecting
intelligence sources and methods.
2. As a corollary to the first objective, the His-
torical Staff will be responsible for compiling classified
and unclassified histories on an Agency-wide basis and
continue to offer guidance and review of an orderly
completion of component histories in progress. The
Historical Staff will also monitor the r:;ainter)ance of
Agency reco$ds and archives.
3. To accomplish its objectives, the Historical Staff
is granted access to all Agency personricl and records,
subject to the approval of the Deputy Director concerned,
provided that the Historical Staff may ,appeal a refusal to
the DDCI. Completed histories will be under the control. of
the Deputy Director concerned, provided that release to the
public will be subject to the approval of the Director.
4. Effective 30 June 1973, the Chief, CIA Historicj(.
Staff is Walter Elcler, vice I , retired.
W. fl. COLBY
DISTRIBUTION': AB
ADMINISTr A'I'I\'E INTJ`PJ1,':1I. (J.7>E ONLY
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8 August 1973
STATINTL
STATINTL
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15 June 1980
WHY THE AGENCY NEEDS AN EXPANDED HISTORICAL ACTIVITY
AND 1-IOW TO GET IT: SOME OBSERVATIONS, THOUGHTS,
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
General Statements
An historical program or activity is valid and can be
justified only if it is useful to the organization that
shelters and nourishes it.
So too at CIA. A strong and competent Historical
Activity, if revived and supported, will indeed by useful
and prove to be valuable.
An Historical Activity - I use the term to denote
the totality of an historical effort, its personnel, program,
and activities -- is not a luxury but rather a legitimate
tool that can and should facilitate the Agency's work.
An Historical Activity performs a staff function.
It serves the Agency's line officers.
Certain characteristics of the Agency, both structural
and procedural, militate against the establishment and
performance of an Historical Activity, and they should be
clearly recognized and hardly minimized. Amoongem aremework;
the decentralized nature of the Agency operational the virtual independence of the major components; compartmef.-
tation control; the extreme sensitivity of much. of the
Agency's production; and the understandable reluctance,
particularly on the part of the Directorate of Operations,
to record actions and events.
Despite these conditions, a competent Historical
Activity, if properly supported, directed, and managed
can and should contribute to the Agency's missions, roles,
and functions.
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Bacround
About a decade ago, the Agency sponsored an historical
25XlAeffort of some magnitude. dated 8 August 1973
and. entitled "CIA Historical Program," directed the Historical
Activity to fulfill three major functions: 1) maintain a
record of the Agency's activities; 2) write histories of
past events;.and 3) monitor the records to insure the preser-
vation of important documents relating to the history of the
Agency. To fulfill these responsibilities, granted
the Historical Activity'acce'ss to all the records without
regard to compartmentati_on control..
The missions thus outlined and the permission thus
granted established the basis of an adequate and satisfactory
historical program that could be successfully executed,
Unfortunately, I, suspect, misunderstanding at higher
Agency levels of the legitimate historical functions led
to a misdirection of the effort and to mismanagement of
the historical. resources, Lessening interest in. and support
of, perhaps mounting opposition to, an Historical Activity
prompted the Agency to move the Historical Activity organiza-
tionally from the Office of the Director, specifically the
Office of the Comptroller, to the Directorate of Administration.
As a consequence of these developments, the Historical
Activity began to wither away, to decline and erode to
virtual atrophy. About 23 persons were engaged in the
Historical Activity around. 1970; today there are two.
25X1A Although I[ presumably still remains in effect,
the personnel re uc ions obviously make it impossible for
the historians to fulfill the responsibilities outlined
25X1A in the 0 program of 1973.
The Present Situatiion
Two ladies, one a GS-08, the other a GS-06, presently
comprise the entire Historical Activity at CIA. Until
early this year, they worked under the direction and
supervision of an Historian whose time was mainly devoted
to writing a long-range and, I have no doubt, scholarly
and sound history of the Bay of Pigs.
Since about January 1980, when the Historian was
removed from the Historical Activity and reassigned, the
two ladies have faithfully endeavored. to sustain and to
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11~ 1"e
fulfill a. single facet of the historical functions. They
are responding, as best they can, and with informal guidance
from the former Historian, to requests for historical informa-
tion. These come for the most part from other governmental
agencies, for example, the Departments of State and Defense.
A few come from inside the Agency itself. The requests for
information number about ten to fifteen per month; responding
to them requires identifying, retrieving, and dispatching
appropriate records and making certain that these documents
are returned to the Agency. In addition, the ladies respond
to about ten or fifteen requests per month by answering them
over the telephone.
The historical holdings the ladies use to identify
sources of information into their work consists of:
1. About 360 "histories" written approximately
between 1953 and 1968. These are documented texts, and
sometimes the supporting papers are filed with the
"history. Some are held in the historical vault,
others in the Archives These "histories" STATINTL
appear to be, in reality, historical studies and monographs,
sometimes little more than lists of events, They are more
or less ambitious in scope, and their individual value as
historical sources ranges from poor to excellent. (Not
long ago -'a year or so perhaps -- a Congressional committee
or sub-committee asked to see one or more histories, and the
Agency complied. and was subsequently embarrassed; had these
works been labeled "preliminary studies: instead of being
dignified by the term "histories," they would no doubt have
been recognized for whit they are, actually reference materials..)
2. Miscellaneous "histories," for the most part
unfinished studies, and miscellaneous documentary collections.
The Historical Activity obtained them because the authors and.
collectors offered them out of the goodness of their hearts
in order to prevent their destruction,
3. About 35 oral "histories" obtained in the same
manner as above. Some of the tapes have been transcribed.
4. The most important-, an impressive and excellent
card index (36 cubic feet of 5" x 8" cards) referenced and.
cross- referenit to records that can be retrieved
STATINTL from files in and in the Agency. Unfortunately,
the work of keeping the reference cards up-to-date with
the records came to an end about ten years ago because of
reductions in historical personnel.
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Minimum Action
In order to maintain even this rudimentary Historical
Activity, the following actions should be taken:
1. Compile and write additional short studies
and monographs to cover the Agency's activities during
the years subsequent to the end of the "histories" program;
2. Update reference aids -- index cards, lists of
events and key personnel, chronologies, etc. --- beyond
1968, when this work ceased;
3. Monitor the records to keep abreast and informed
of the Agency's recent and current activities.
This requires Agency support, historical leadership,
and additional personnel.
But this, I believe, would be a minimal effort., a
holding operation, essentially unworthy of the status,
dignity, and importance of the Agency and its well-recognized
and accepted place in the governmental structure.
What Should be-Done and why
The Agency should significantly expand its Historical
Activity to enable it to serve the Agency and to help it
discharge its obligations.
A well-defined Historical Activity should:
1. Create and preserve an institutional memory
for the Agency. A properly functioning Historical
Activity would be able to respond to requests for
information from within the Agency and without. This
requires an Historical Activity with knowledge of and
insight into past operations, processes, methods,
cangig organizational structures, names, events, etc.
We might call this the Reference function.
2. Present to the public from time to time accurate
and credible narratives of the Agency's work and. accomplish-
ments. All agencies of the government are accountable to
the American people, and the CIA should be no exception, that
is, to the extent that sensitivity of mission and materials
permits. Denying or deliberately overlooking this obligation
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leaves it to be fulfilled by groups, organizations, and
individuals outside the CIA establishment -- the press,
disgruntled ex-employees, etc. Their descriptions result
in a more or less distorted picture of what the Agency does.
That in turn denies the Agency public recognition of its
achievements and also undermines public confidence in its
activities. CIA histories can and should correct the
public image. We might call this the Writing function.
(Some writing will be done for the purpose of reference.)
Records
In order for the Historical Activity to fulfill both
Reference and Writing functions, it must be able to perform.
research. Historical research, whether pursued for Reference
or Writing, is impossible without records.
Although records collection is not a primary
historical responsibility, it is closely allied to
the historical process. The Historical Activity must
be reasonably certain that the records being collected
and preserved are indeed and will continue to be germane
to proper historical research. Although the Historical
Activity should take no active part in records management,
it should have some advisory connection or association
with the records collecting process, as 18 August
1973, indicated and directed.
Collecting and preserving records are responsibilities
of records managers and archivists. If I may oversimplify,
records managers are concerned primarily with disposing
papers, while archivists are more closely concerned with
preserving historical papers.
In view of the tremendous production of paper at
the Agency, it is no wonder or accident that no professional
and. senior archivist is presently employed by the records
managers. On the other hand, it is only fair to state that
the records managers, through their records management
schedules, follow closely and scrupulously the guidance
of the National Archives on what historical records to
preserve. This guidance comes from published National
Archives regulations and directives, clarified and interpreted
specifically for the Agency by a National Archives representa-
tive who makes occasional or periodic visits to the Agency.
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The Historical Activity must be bound by the same
rules and regulations imposed on all components of the
Agency with one exception: compartmentation control.
If II is indeed still in effect, there is no problem.
But perhaps permission of access to Agency-wide records'
.(and officials) should be restated.
Organizational Placement
The Historical Activity should be organizationally
located at the top, as?a separate entity directly under
the Director. This is necessary for two reasons: 1) to
break down the compartmentation control; and 2) to indicate
to the Agency that the Activity enjoys the fullest support
and confidence at the highest level.
(The Activity should not be structurally co-located
with the Public Affairs Office, which performs an altogether
different function. The Historical Activity should respond
to Public Affairs requests for information, and Public Affairs
should be represented on any review board deciding whether
or not to publish a particular open historical work. Nor
should the Activity be placed in the Directorate of Administration,
which has interests and concerns wholly different from those of
historians.)
Expected Results
A strong and professional Historical.Activity, enjoying
the support of the Director, if it performs properly and
effectively, will relieve"Agency components in large part
from having, as at present, to act as their own historians.
In addition to providing helpful reference guides and materials,
it can produce historical case studies and other instructional
materials for use in Training. It will, by its publications,
enhance the public image of the Agency.
Personnel and Duties
There should be a Chief Historian. He or she should
be a. senior person who is vigorous, competent, and likable.
He/she should. have stature and reputatidn in the academic
world and probably should have written several good books..
He should have proved his prior success to manage programs
and people. Ile should be acquainted, even familiar, with the
government, preferably the Washington scene and its bureaucracy,
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This person will be difficult to identify, and it will
be difficult to persuade him to join the Agency. Two things
will have to challenge him: the opportunity to create and
direct a. meaningful historical program; and the opportunity
to write history for the public.
Ile should have access to whatever documents and
officials (for interview) that he deems necessary
in order to perform his duties. He should be invited
to attend as an observer the regular and important meetings
and conferences at the highest Agency levels. He should. have
knowledge of all the activities engaged in by the Agency so that
he can record decisions, events, personalities, processes,
organizational shifts, and the like.
He should be exempt from rotational assignments. He
and his professional staff should have a special career track to
insure promotions, commendations, and the like.
There should be a Deputy Chief Historian to run the
shop and to act in the absence of the Chief I,?:istorian. He
could come from within the Agency, and if so, should be
well-known and well-liked, but he too should have proper
historical credentials, probably have written a book or two,
and. have what is called the historical temperament and outlook.
Beyond that, the staff should grow as the program develops.
To set forth specific personnel requirements at this stage
seems premature. The Chief Historian, with the help of his
Deputy, should fashion a. program and lay out his requirements
for personnel, space, clerical assistance, etc. His office
and at least some of his staff should probably be located
at Headquarters.
Desirable Actions
It would be helpful to have an Historical Advisory
Committee formed somewhat later of three to five members,
They should visit the Historical Activity annually, meet
with the historical staff, discuss historical problems, and
the like. This can be done without compromising sensitivity
and classification.'
I would. be glad to het establish an expanded Historical
Activity, but I suggest I las being better
qualifi. For many years until ii_s rece retirement, he
25X1A was the He created and managed
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an historical program that might well be a model for the
Agency. Operating in a. sensitive area, he performed the
various historical functions, including publishing several
excellent volumes of official history. I do not know him
personally, but I recommend that he be requested, under
contract, to help set up the detailed guidelines, procedures,
methods, and relationships necessary to establish and maintain
a strong Historical Activity at CIA.
Conclusion
Such an Activity will, above all, serve the Agency
by providing an institutional memory for internal use,
being a, point of contact with other governmental agencies
and departments, and eventually enhancing the stature of
the Agency in the public awareness.
Recommendations
To recapitulate, I recommend that:
1. A. decision be made to strengthen the
Historical Activity and to place it dirc:"tly under
the Director;
2. A Chief Historian be appointed;
3. A Deputy Chief Historian be appointed;
be asked to help establish the
Historical Activity;
5. The Chief Historian and his Deputy formulate
a charter to establish and govern an historical
program might be enough);
6. An Historical Advisory Committee eventually
be appointed, I venture to guess that, in the best
of circumstances, it will take at least a year or two
for the Historical Activity to gain the confidence and
cooperation of the Agency at large.
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