PARTICIPATION OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY IN THE NATIONAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL SEMINAR (NIS)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00780R004300110037-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 11, 2006
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: November 6, 1970
• Content Type: MF

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MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT
Executive iler,fitry 0037-5
DTR-5608
It: Executive Director-Comptroller
7/2
: Participittion of the Central Intelligence
Agency in the National Interdepart-
mental Seminar (NIS)
I. This report responds to your request of 9 September for a
review of the CIA-NIS relationship ? an inquiry prompted by a letter of
the same date from Howard Haugerud. Chairman of the Seminar, 13form-
ins you that no Agency representatives had been registered for the 5let
Session of the NIS beginning 14 September. I have examined the eetire
record of Agency participation in the NIS chasing the eight and one hslf
years of its operation and report on it below. I also have made some
recommendations in paragraph 15.
Z. The recent failure to nominate candidates to the NIS wa.:3simply
the latest chapter in the eight-year history of conflict and confusion
revolving around three elementary questions: should CIA participate?
who should go? and bow many? This time, however, the long-standing
reluctance of the Directorates; to support the NIS was given further
encouragement by the prevelent rumor that predicted the imminent dis-
solution of the Seminar as the result of recommendations made in reports
of the Mac.ember 'Task Torces. Like many others before it, the predica-
ment of 9 September was resolved by the last-minute selection of four
rather surprised officers to be our representatives.
3. Efforts to solve the NIS dilemma have been made periodically
from 1963, when Matt Baird first outlined his complaints about Cleades-
tine Service participation to the Executive Director, to the most recent
action represented by your memorandum of 15 December 1969 to the
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Deputy Directors requesting their cooperation. Compliance is still mini-
mal in that our registry has received only five nominations (by career
service of the officer: DDS - 2, DDI - 2, DDSitT - 1) against a quota of
eight for the 52nd Session of the Seminar beginning 2 November.
4. Comparatively, the record of the Agency in filling its quota al
these years has been neither brilliant nor dismal usually alternating with
State for third or fourth place among the five participating agencies.
Defense consistently fills or exceeds its quota. AID occasionally falls
short, and in recent years USIA has ranked fifth In attendance. Against a
quota of 400 for the 51 sessions conducted since Anse 1962, the Agency
has *aro= 337 student. equalling $4 per cent of its allocation and repre-
senting 12.4 per cent of the cumulative HIS registration of 2, 700. Aver-
age CIA attendance has been 6.7 students per session. These figures do
not demonstrate the unevenness of our performance from session to
session or from year to year. The table in Attachment 1 is a record of
Agency enrollments by Year as compared to established quotas and pro-
vides a concise surnmarToTour participation.
5.
Over the life span of the NIS, the Clandestine Service has uider-
77 per cent (223) of our enrollment,the pport erv,"=x.4;.-int7-FeT
and the Intell euce Directorater cent 31). No member
ectorate o Science ino o y has attended the Seminar.
nt Office have nominated ca.ndidates, but they have been item-
of other career services and have therefore been counted as part of
antribution from their parent offices. Attachments 2 (Plans), 3
(Support), and 4 (Intelligence) are tables which show enrollments of the
respective Directorates by Cameonent (Division, Staff, Office) and Grade.
6. In terms of grade input to the Seminar, 72 per cent (244) of the
337 Agency students were in grade 05-14 and above, but only 26 per cent
(94) were 05 -15. or higher. Supergrades totaled 20, half of whom came
from the Clandestine Service. To provide a measure of perspective,
note that enrollments from State and Defense for the 51 sessions Wive
Included 47 ambassadors, 45 generals (one and two star), two adzair ale,
34 rso-ls. 123 FSO-Zs, and 212 full colonels or equivalent. Generally.
Agency students have been of lower rank than those from the other organi-
zations, especially State and Defense. Attachments 5 (Plans). 6 (Support),
and? (Intelligence) are tables analyzing eftrothrients of the Directorates
by Grade and Year.
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7. From Impressions gained through a review of more than 100
written evaluations of the NIS prepared by former Agency students. I find
it somewhat perplexing to reconcile the predominantly favorable remarks
with the apparent widespread reluctance of the Directorates ? particu-
larly the Clandestine Service people for whom the Seminar is most appli-
cable -- to render worthy support to it. Surprisingly, relatively few
critiques were overall negative to the extent of recommending Agency
withdrawal or abolition of the Seminar, although many contained sugge
dons for improvements. I did note, however, that some of the harshest
complaints came from Clandeetine Service officers and, for the most
part, were concentrated on a relatively few sessions presented in 1968
and early 1969 -- all prior to the extensive revisions made in the curric
nix= as directed by the Committee on Training to implement FIDP train-
ing policies. These changes were called to the attention of the Deputy
Directors In your memorandum of 15 December 1969. Still other Inodifi-
cations have been made within the last few Months to reflect the "Nixon
Doctrine" and recent developments in the United States (student revolts,
racial conflict, environmental problems) affecting U. 5. foreign policy
and overseas programs. They all demonstrate the great distance the
Seminar has traveled from a program focused narrowly on counter ins
gency.
reports that all
four .Agency students at the 5.1 at Session, completed 2 October, caioe
away with a distinctly favorable outlook on the Seminar. I
Chief of Intelligence Faculty and a student in this Session, gave the NIS
very high marks on all points -- objectives, goals, organisation, reading
materials, caliber of student and speaker, and levelottizphistication --
and urges our continued support. Of course, not alrgstadente submitted
evaluations to the Agency Faculty Adviser, and I am aware that scone
strongly critical papers were given directly to officials of the various
career services in addition to some stinging vocal criticism. Much of
the letter is difficult to pin down precisely, but some of it seems to have
? exhibited personal bias and the existence of personal problems.
9. Notwithstanding the preponderance of favorable views on the NIS
many from its own officers the prevalent attitude in the Clasadestine
Service is clearly negative. In the minds of many. the HIS has been dis-
credited as a training experience because it is irrelevant and outdated.
Astonishingly, some pep le still think the emphasis is on counteriesur-
gency, yet says he heard the term mentioned only once or
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d it is not a popular cotteept.
plague the C. however,
I aceoun for the dWtc1ty in getting dates. The principal one
La the conflict b teen training prioritie and time available for training.
Mandatory requirements, such as the Soviet Moe and European Opera-
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tions courses or thej which vras recently can-
celled for lack of stettent j. take precedence over the NZ. The second
problem concerns the view that the MS is suitable training only foe' the
inexperienced ittdividual and not for the veteran officer who has served
abroad, particularly in command positions.
10. Paraskadcally. today' 6 Seminar is able to accommodate both
the scalar official and the relatively Junior officer. I
sures me that each is needed and welcomed. Ideally, I
like to hays at least four well-qualified CS people - - station chiefs, base
chiefs, and senior operations people. From the Intelligence side of the
hese*, he welcomes the senior analyst who requires updating, and. from
the Support Services, the senior support officer. To function effectively,
an absolute minimum of four Agency people are needed and thee* should
be CS officers.
11. Appraiul. of the NIS by tu4euts from the other four participat-
ing organisations, like those from Agency graduates, have been over-
whelmingly favorable. In response to a directive issued in May 1963 by
the Senior Interdepartmental Group (SIG). the NIS staff sent more than
300 questionnaires to former students to determine the relevancy ef
Seminar training to their field assigeiments. Over ZOO replies clime in --
none from Agency alumni -- and nearly all were complimentary. The
point here is that we keep hearing, most recent!y from lioward Haugerud,
that one consistently high value of the course ha been the participation
of people from CIA.
12. The most serious threat to continuance of the NIS was unleashed
by Reconun.endetion #16 in the report of the Macomber Task Force on
Personnel and Training (IV) dated 10 June 1970, which stated that the
MS was an inefficient and unsatisfactory program for exposing agencies
to State leadership and only of marginal value as a training experience for
Foreign Service Officers. The report concluded that efforts to refocus
the curriculum have not succeeded and therefore recommended that it be
phased out, and its functions, stea14 and facilities used am a base for a
new Foreign Affairs Executive Training Center within the roreign ervice
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Task Force X on URCorganiutton of the Foreign Service Insti-
*sending the proposal of Tr IV, refines the suggestion a bit criore
by recommending that certain function of the Seminar be allotted to a
new foreign Affairs Executive Seminar to be established in the new
Training Center.
13. Within the State Department. contrary to impressions left by
the Task Force reports. the NIS finds such powerful advocates as Under
Secretary of State U. Alexis Johnson, often referred to as the "father" of
the Seminar, and Marshall Green, Assistant Secretary of State for East
Asian and Pacific Affair.. rst Director Howard Sollenberger is also
known to he generally in favor of retaining the NIS. Howard Haugerud,
negative and skeptical at the time he assumed the Directorship a year ago.
is a strong proponent and intends to fight this thing all the way. Not with-
out friends on Capitol Hill, he has forwarded a letter outlining NIS prob-
lems to Senator Fulbright. Mr. Johnson has asked for the appointment of
an ad hoc committee to examine the status of the NIS with a view not only
to maintain, but to expand its charter. He has ale* applied strong pre-
cur. strategic at strategic points in the Department to restore State participation
and leadership to respectable levels -- two conditions considered indis-
pensable to the successful operation of the Seminar. Meanwhile, Mr.
Johnson has asked participating agencies to continue supporting the NIS.
and Mr. Macomber is reported to be "feverishly" redrafting some of the
Taek Force papers.
14. for your farther information and as additional background in
support of the recommendation/I I have made in par 15, I have
listed below certain other observations or comments pertinent to this
review of the NIS.
a. Participation of the Agency in the NIS. is optional,
though it certainly can exercise its right to petition per
authority for relief from unworkable requirements. The HIS
was established by direction of the President in 1962, ultimately
reflected in National Security Action lyieroorandum (NSAM) 283.
and reaffirmed by succeeding Administrations through 1769.
Quotas for participating agencies and guidelines for the selec-
tion of students were originally set forth in the NSAMs, now
superseded by policies formulated by the Senior Interdepart-
ntal Group ($IG) and its subordinate element. the Committee
on Training, which is responsible for overseeing the training
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aspects of the Foreign lnteina.1 Defense Polic
Accordingly, any modification of the Agency
to be processed through the Committee on Training.
b. Zech element of the Agency has regarded its own
participation as optional rather than mandatory. advance
planning and scheduling have been neglected. and participation
has been urged rather than directed.
c. A current, overall assessment of the NIS, on which to
bass a position in reference to Agency support, is not avail-
able because the majority of evaluations were completed prior
to recent end continuing efforts at revision and therefore should
be discounted. Present attitudes rest on outdated coacepts and
misinformation.
4. Benefits accruing to the Agency are clearly on the pin&
side of the ledger, the chief dividend being the oppo tunity to
improve oar image and to remove barriers preventing a more
balanced view of our mission. No participation. or token parti-
oiOotione or participation by unqualified representatives severely
limits the effectiveness of the Seminar and may subject the
Agency to somewhat more than its share of criticism if the
Serrtiner collapses from non-support. Further, limited or no
participation is contrary to efforts we support at other federal
training institutions for the primary purpose of bringing the
Agency into better focus. Finally, continued participation will
ensure the Agency a voice in the design of any new inter-agency
programs that may be forthcoming. Put another way, we will
be espected to participate, or as Task Force X sees basic
objectives of the Foreign Service Institute, there will be
". . .institutionalisation of interagency integration. . . .
It
commitment bY key forego affairs agencies is essential. . ?
e. A predominantly narctssitic attitude has prevailed in
the Agency over the years toward the NIS. The emphasis has
been almost entirely on the "What' s-in-it-for-ue" approach
with attendant evaluation* geared to this measurement. Return
en investment is legitimate, but this Agency with nearly a quar-
ter of a century of unique experience behind it should perhaps
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leadershipamong foreign sffiirs agen--
special contribution, I think can do
k course without any serious erosiOn of
L. Cost, should not.. as some have euggeeted, be the
si factor in determining future participation by the Agency.
acuity Adviser's annual salary (GS-15/41 --
the reimbursable expense to the Agency during the
ye year. has ranged from a five-year low of $26.280 in
rif 70 to a five-year high of $3/.80) in S'Y 65. In ry 70 the
Agency underwrote about 14. 5 per cent of the total NIS budget
of $374,000 and registered 12.4 per cent of the students.
Usdereubscription or oversubscription of quotas does not affect
coats. Excepting the Adviser's salary, FY 71 costs are bud-
geted at $23,000.
15. The following recommendations are submitted for your approval.
They are intended to keep Agency support of the NIS intact temporarily,
therety complying with the request of Under Secretary of State Johnson,
and to suggest action which will be useful in developing an ultimate posi-
tion vis-a-vis the Agency and the NIS. There is the possibility, of course,
that all planning will be overtaken by events and avoid the occasion for any
action on our part.
a. Ageacy participation in the Seminar should be contlnu
at e existing Agency quota of eight until the future of the
oar has been determined by appropriate authority and until
Agency receives official notification of such action. I recta
mend that the eight be divided as follows: DDP 4, ODS
DDI 2. (Any others in excess can be accommodated without
difficulty.)
b. A follow-up directive to your memorandumf 15 Decem-
ber 1969 to the Deputy Director. (Subject: NIS) is iodicted at
this time. I suggest that the memorandum include a statement
advieirsg the Deputies that participation in the Seminar is manda-
tory and that quotas must be filled. Additionally, I recommend
that alternate candidates be identified to beck up principal
nominees and that nominations be sent to the Office of Training.
by 1 December, for each of the first three Sessions of 1971
J
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11 Jastoa (#53),1 March (#54). and 3 May (#55
d also be submitted to OTR by 1 June
alone of 1971 beginniag 12 July Us),
November (#58), respectively. U you
I will forward a draft memorandum
u prefer to have me prepare one.
c. Subject to a determination that the NIS be retataed* I
ad that the *Director initiate action through the Corarnit-
Training. Senior Interdepartmental Group (SIG), to radar.
y quota from ejiht to aix to establish a more realistic
? goal. Tailing to secure approval of this request.
should be asked to consider the alternatives of
Seminar (now three weeks) or scheduling fewer
iz per year), or both. Allocations of the
six should be apportioned: DI)? -4, DC - I,
present. an occasional candidate from Indeper,-
e Science and Technology Directorate usually
tad without regard to quota.
oil two knowledgeable senior
begin on 11 January and 1 Mar
tine Service officer and the other an OTR
ants until January, rather than beginning the
S in the
7 ably,
r.
ew
session of 1970 in November, will allow the Semi-
over from the effect the Macomber reports have
peratlon., I will require comprehensive writte-a evaluations
cer conductins this review which should provide a timely,
professional look at the Seminar.
Cone
I. CUNNING:RA
of Tradable
Lir MalLaerillall
Deputy Director
for Support
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(a) contained in par aph 15 ie(are) approved, *
J1 K. %/Mks,
%Atte
Exec tit ve Otrector-Co ptroller
on:
Ads* (Return to DTR /att)
ER (what)
DD/S (wiatt)
DTR (w/att)
* With the modifications indicated below:
6 NOV 1970
Date
Paragraph 15a: Quota of eight to be divided as follows:
DD/P
-3
DD/S
-1
DD/1
-1
At large - 3
Paragraph 15c: Allocation of the revised quota of six should be -
apportioned as follows:
DD/P
-3
DD/S
-1
DD/1
-1
At large-1
The Director of Training is requested to prepare an approprikte
implementing directive for signature of the Executive Director-
Comptroller.
L. K White
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