MANAGEMENT OF THE CIA HISTORICAL PROGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DDP HISTORICAL EFFORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00764R000300120040-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 3, 2003
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: June 8, 1970
• Content Type: MEMO

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8 June 1970
25X1A
MEMORANDUM FOR; The Deputy Director for Plans
SUBJECT Management of the CIA Historical
Program and its Impact on the DDP
Historical Effort
1. Paragraph 6 of this memorandum contains a
recommendation for your approval.
2. From the outset the Clandestine Service (CS)
has emphasized that among the primary uses for CS
historical papers would be "as basic chronicles for
the indoctrination of new Chiefs of Station, Branch
Chiefs, Desk Chiefs and other key officers," and
"as a type of case history for use by the Office of
Training in the conduct of operations courses," and
"to provide to those engaged in operational, organi-
zational and policy planning, analytical documentation
of previous CS programs and experiences....". These
uses are clearly articulated in CSHB 5--13-1.
3. n his 1 Gs annual report on the CS Historical
Program, n 28 February 1966, stated:
The present and future importance of [the] CS
historical effort has been difficult to convey to many
DDP officers. Simplified tools of the historian's
trade have helped the officer who is not a research
man and has no training as a historian. Thus standards
are set for the production of historical type papers
(emphasis added) : debriefings and' memoirype reports,
xistorical monographs on unique activities or programs,
and chronological histories of the DDP at Headquarters
and overseas.
4. In an August 1.966 memorandum, the Executive
Director-Comptroller expressed general satisfaction
with the results of the historical effort of the
Clandestine Service which, of course, was based on the
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principles set forth in the two preceding paragraphs.
These principles continued to govern the CS program
until the appointment of the new Chief, Historical
Staff, O/DCI. He believes that CS histories ought
to conform to standards of research, organization,
and presentation that would apply to many fields of
professional historiography. In particular, he feels
that they ought to be comprehensive with respect to
the total context in which activities were carried out.
In a Station history, for example, there would have to
be a careful interweaving of the various threads of FI,
CI, CA, the current political and military situation,
etc.--partly because these all affected each other, and
partly because he believes a good history ought to con-
vey an accurate sense of what the Station was doing
and what it was like during any given period.
5. This approach, however suitable it is for. the
professional historian, creates special problems for
the CS Historical Program:.
a. Audience - Station histories so written would
have limited use for indoctrination and training.
It is questionable whether any CS reader would
find the whole of such a Station history useful--
worth reading, in short. A newly appointed chief
of that station might, perhaps, find some value
in such a history. Most of us, however, including
most Station chiefs are more interested in having
a history provide conveniently assembled answers
to such questions as "What kind of FI (or CI or
CA, or liaison, etc.) activities succeeded at this
Station, and why? What kind failed, and why?
What lessons can we draw from this history as to
our future efforts?" This usually entails a
topical format which enables us to treat major
elements of a station history so that a reader
with a particular interest and need to know can
have available to him just that separable* portion
of the history relevant to his needs.
*CS histories have always been bound in a manner which
permits sections to be separated and given to readers
on a need to know basis.
S E C R E T
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b. We believe that Dr. Ehrmann's high standard
of professional historiography cannot be achieved
by the CS officers who have been and are likely
to be made available to the Program. The best: we
can hope for, given the large backlog and schedule
of papers yet to be completed (or, in many cases
yet to be begun), is that each writer will accurately
assemble. a considerable body of facts, and then
present thorn the best he can. It might be possible
later on (but we cannot count on it) for professional
historians to rework the data up to the standards
Dr. Ehrmann expects. In the long run such compre-
hensive histories as he would approve would be better
devoted to larger subjects than individual Station
histories-- e.g. the work of the CS in Eastern Europe
1948-1956--or to monographs on narrower subjects
like CIA and the Hungarian Revolution. Once the
program of Station Histories has been completed we
would like to go on to other types of operational
histories, keeping always in mind that their education-
al value to the Clandestine Service and the Office of
Training is of fundamental importance.
6. It is requested that.you approve our continuing
to record and document the organizational, operational,
policy, and other relevant facts of the CS past in a
manner best suited to the needs of the CS as determined
by the CS Historical Board (CSHB).
25X1A
Executive Secretary
CS Historical Board
SECRET
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SUBJECT: Management of the CIA Historical Program
and its Impact on the DDP Historical Effort
CONCUR:
Hugh T. Ctlh~rf3-n-g-h:-diC,-CljL-ai-rma,n~,
25X1A
m er, -
[, Member,-
m er, HB
APPROVED:
Thomas Karamessines, Deputy Director for Plans
S E C R E T
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