THE AGENCY AND THE YOUNG EMPLOYEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00357R000900060002-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 12, 2001
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: REPORT

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The Agency and the Yeenrt E;-:r~lo tee
The Agency recruits ninny of its professional employees
directly from the college campus where the life-styles,
values, experience and priorities of the young are at odds
with the Values and attitudes of Agency supervisors.
Motivating and gaining the maximum jo::o effort and coopera-
tion from the young employee is a challenge for many "old-
line" supervisors. Supervising and directing of the young
today is frustrating and can even be y,opeless unless an
effort is made to understand "where ts'ie young employee is
at." If this effort is not made, the young employees will
suffer in the short term, but the Agency will be the loser
in the long run.
This paper presents the writer's view of the historical,
social and political consciousness of Arr,erican youth who
are now moving into the job market and who will do so in
increasing numbers throughout the SevE:,nties. The paper
explores the values and attitudes of the youthful job se.cker,
where these values have been derived, slat the young employe;
is likely to expect from a position within the Agency, the
type of work environment that "turns 1irr on," and areas of
divergence between the young worker a::,cl the older manager.
The youth counter-culture cons.is.s of several elements.
There is a core of those who lh:1ve I)ec-e to so disillusioned with
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the dominant society that they have rejected the values
and structures of our society and have dropped out or
turned on. Among these elements would be users of hard drugs,
those who have a prolonged history of soft drug use, and
those whose life-style includes commune living or "rip-off"
(living off society through stealing). They also include
the extreme activists who actively work to destroy "the
establishment" -- the campus radical or factions of the
underground, i.e., the Weathermen.
Outside this core there are those who have experimented
in the counter.-culture, perhaps briefly, or who share some
if not all counter-culture values, but do not carry through
on these values to the point of extreme action. This latter
group includes the social activists who follow Ralph Nader
and the political activists who are still willing to work
for change from within the system but who reject in varying
degrees the assumptions and views of the dominant culture.
It appears likely that the Agency will not be recruiting
from the core of the youth counter-culture but is likely
.to come into contact with those outside this core.
American youth of today are loosely bound together in
at least one regard -- a fairly homogeneous experience of
chi.ldliood, adolescence and early maturity. To some degree
this shared experience has shaped the perceptions and
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perspectives of most of today's young -- from counter-
culturist to straight.
The typical young employee was born between the years
1945 to 1950, and grew up during the decade of the Fifties.
Through the eyes of the youth of today, this decade was
shallow if not hypocritical. To them it was an age when.
liberalism was overshadowed by the McCarthy witch hunt.
It was the time of another "silent majority" -- the mass
consumer who sought creature comforts and was complacent
toward the social problems which lay beneath the surface
and were to erupt on the American scene during the
Sixties -- poverty and inequality amidst the Affluent
Democracy.
Still, the Fifties had a profound effect upon the
development of the child. For within this environment the
child grew up in resplendent affluence and technological
wonder. The parents lavished their new abundance upon the
child. Basic needs were over-met, material desires were
encouraged and over-fed. The society around him was
mobile and he became accustomed to rapid change through
technological breakthroughs. The wonders of television
enabled him to gorge himself on violence and easy solutions
to a myriad of world problems. Unlike any earlier generation,
he gleaned from television a sophistication and consciousness
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of man's troubles before his time. Child psychologists
encouraged and began the era of child permissiveness and
continued progressive education. In his early years, at
home and in school, he was Qncouraged to seek and find for
himself the rules by-which he should live and the life he
should follow. His place in society was to be determined
by his ability and interests. He was taught to question,
not only his peers, but also those in authority.
By the time of President. Kennedy, our typical youth
was in or approaching high school. Kennedy caught the
imagination and spirit of his older brothers and sisters
through his dynamism and vigor in seeking the involvement
and commitment of the young in solving America's problems.
The early years of the Sixties also saw the struggle for
human civil rights by the Black minority. Through television
this struggle was poignantly brought into the living rooms
of American homes where emotionally charged pictures of
adult whites taunting black children and the policeman's
dog snarling at the disenfranchized blacks left a marked
imprint upon impressionable young minds. ;Moreover, the
assassination of President Kennedy -- a .blow, to the country
as a whole -- had a special impact upon the young.
had
During the presidential campaign of 1964, youth sought
the election of President Johnson. The SDS (Students for
a Democratic Society) endorsed him as their choice over
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Goldwater primarily because Johnson promised a leveling
off of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The idea that
international differences can be solved by military force
is absurd to the young. They watched as the military
build-up in Vietnam escalated under President Johnson, and
they were shocked but united against what they regarded
as a betrayal. Despite the vocal dissent, peaceful pro-
tests and demonstrations, the system remained unresponsive.
In 1968, another election year, first Eugene McCarthy and
then Robert Kennedy -- both of whom youth felt were working
against the war-and for minorities, the poor and the young -
were able to siphon off a great deal of the volatile youth-
ful tendencies and to put them to work for changing the
system from within. The defeat of McCarthy in the face of
an escalation of the Vietnam War by a Democratic administratio
and the assassination of Kennedy were bitter blows for young
idealists. But the final disillusionment was still to come
at the Democratic Convention. In the eyes of the young,
this was "the Chicago police riot" where dissent could not
be tolerated and therefore had to be crushed. The year
1968 saw the beginnings of the counter-culture movement in
the form of hippies moving into the Haight -Asbury district
of California. The movement gained ground rapidly and,
during the early part of the next year, violence rocked the
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American campuses, reaching its apex with the shocking
deaths of the students at Kent State and Jackson State
in early 19 70 .
The impact of this social and political environment on
individual American youths has been diffuse, but it is within
the context of these perceived experiences that the future
CIA employee worked his way through college and graduate
school. On the one hand, this environment spawned the
counter-culture in which the young, repelled by society
and its institutions, disgusted by white indifference to
the black's struggle for equality, and sickened by an
immoral war, seek refuge.
The basis of the movement, the adherents claim, is
rejection of the dominant culture. The symbols of the
rejection are the long-hair, colorful clothing, drugs
and bearded faces. They claim to har e found the "new
morality" when, in fact, the young seem to have reordered
and restructured the priorities of the dominant society.
They reject deferred gratification and instead seek what
they desire now, whether it be sex., ea.rugs or politics.
One manifestation "of this can be seer.; in. their slogans
and signs "Peace Now." The.counter-culture movement is
also a return to the basics of human life. Interpersonal
relationships and feelings for other human beings are far more
important than the mats __ial ,cods 0 ;-27 Our
_;O(- NT `L:1 e a
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is more beautiful and serene than all of man's technology
combined. Counter-culturists are twilling to live at the
subsistence level and cooperate with the establishment only
to the extent of fulfilling their basic wants. The youthful.
adherents reject authoritarian,figures and institutions.
They hold the government in particular contempt and are
basically disinterested in its policies unless they impact
on them directly as in the case of draft laws or laws
against the use of drugs.
The young Agency employee or the potential employee
shares common experiences with his counterparts in the sub-
culture and, although he may not have been in most instances
an active participant in this counter-culture, he has been
in close touch with it and its views. These two influences
seem to combine to give the young employee within our midst
a different orientation. and motivation. His world outlook
is different from the typical older supervisor.
The typical young employee is not motivated by money.
This does not mean-that he rejects it nor the goods which
money implies, but money is not his primary goal of life.
He simply takes an adequate salary and a certain standard
of living as given. Less money and he would not work for
a particular company or institution; more money, so much
the better, but not a significant factor in determining his
motivation or loyalties. In a similar vein, he expects an
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 O t i s one.
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The wooden furniture of tipper manage-.::n t leaves him unim-
pressed and does not elicit his respect. One value which
has replaced the emphasis upon materialism is that of social
commitment, a commitment. which is not seen as divorced from
the work environment. Every work organization, in his view,
has a responsibility to respond to social problems. This
Agency has already been challenged to think through its
policies and to redouble its efforts to recruit, train and
place professionals from minority groups. Moreover, the
time may not be far away when questions will be raised
inside the Agency about the value to :'.,-aerican society of
one or more of the major Agency functions.
The challenge of the young employee's position, the
meaning and depth of his work are his primary motivators.
He wants to be able to see that his :1 ork has purpose and
meaning and is of value to others or to society. His work
is important to him because he is involved ., ith helping
others. Menial work -- until "he learns the business" --
is anathema and is met with derision. He similarly views
long periods of training, job orientation and job rotation
as wasteful of his time. He wants to accept responsibility
and he wants to do so "now." The young employee is not
asking or demanding to be made Dircc or or 'Executive
Di.rect.or, but he is asking for the freedom, on the one hand,
to hang h l.msel E i F: 111.s ) l:C::Tui.e 1tS an:~ :.e i51 o s Li re wron
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and, on the other hand, to savor his success when he
proves right. It is not unlikely that you will find among
the new employees some who have held far more important and
responsible positions on the college campus than they will
hold with the Agency for some years. He wants the quality
of his previous experience to count for something rather
than just quantity of time spent on the job.
The young employee is a mobile employee even in the
present tight job market and economic difficulties. Change
is common and familiar to him as well as expected. His
employment with the Agency does not have the sancity of a
marriage contract. If dissatisfied he will leave, even at
a lower rate of pay if the new opening offers challenge
and responsibility. He is not disloyal,. but his loyality
to an institution is an emotionally complex issue. The
"credibility gaps" of the Sixties make him distrustful,
not only of government, but of most institutions. His
respect and loyalty must be earned.
The young employee intensely craves feedback. His
respect can be earned through honest and forthright leveling
with him. In reverse, holding back or distorting the
truth are eventually recognized, and he is confused or
angered. Moreover, because his perspectives are related
to the here and now, he wants frequent feedback. The yearly
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fitness report is not frCquenl: enough. When his efforts
succeed he wants to know that others knot;', and he wants
to enjoy the satisfaction now. Similarly, if he fails in his
supervisor's view, he expects equal treatment so he can
take his own corrective actions.
People who command important squares in the organiza-
tional chart are not ipso facto brighter or deserving of
instant respect. In fact, the young employee may be
suspicious of authoritarian figures and holds his own views
and prejudices toward those assigned over him. He will not
cower from directly confronting higher management. Moreover,
lie may seek out members of top management for their view
of Agency policies and attitudes, since who is better able
than the office chiefs or the Deputy Directors to translate
policy. He may even challenge them directly or in concert
with his peers.
Throughout his childhood and adolescence he was
encouraged to question the "conventional wisdom" and the
sources of this wisdom. During early maturity he learned
that America's institutions can and in some cases must be
challenged to make them more responsive to human needs.
Thus, a supervisor can anticipate that 'lgency decisions and
policies will come under close scrutiny by the young
employee. Questions ?,rill be asked of the oldest and most
basic purposes of intelligence work. The cauestionin-T is
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not a threat and can be a healthy and refreshing exercise.
The worst response is to refuse the dialogue or to hide
or obscure the answer since it closes off communication
and forces the opening of unofficial lines and channels
which are often confused and distorted. Moreover, to
close the lines of communication, to be inflexible and
authoritarian is to risk a more radical response from the
young. This occurred in the domestic arena, and on college
campus.
Finally, a word on the young employee's life-style,
dress, appearance and speech. These mannerisms are meant
to distinguish him as different; one whose outlook, in his
own perception of himself, is different. They can cause
anguish and aggravation but they should be recognized for
what they are -- the outward appearance of- a differently
oriented individual.
CIA is just beginning to see the influx of the new
generation. Agency managers and supervisors should welcome,
understand and motivate our young employees, for many are
representative of the best educated and most articulate of the
generation. They can be a great asset to the present and
future of CIA. In the words of several young employees
already on the Agency campus: "This is a good Agency; let's
make it a great one."
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