CIA HISTORY STAFF MONTHLY REPORT #1

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00780R005900020020-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 2, 2003
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: June 26, 1974
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2003/04/29 : CIA-RDP84-0078OR005
2 July 1974
Dear Walt:
Just a note to let you know how
well received was your "CIA History
(Historical ?) Staff Monthly Report #1".
Indeed, in certain aspects, it was more
interesting to read "between the lines"
than to have the eyeballs follow the
ADD/MFRS
ADD/M&S:JFB/ms (2 July 74)
Distribution:
Orig - Adse (Chief, CIA Historical Staff - Mfr.. Walt Eider)
1 - JFB Chrono
1 - DD/MMS Subject, w/Orig of Report' (D])/MF,S 74-2405) &
Background (DD/MF;S 74-2195)
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Please tell me -- do you
want me to just hold
Mr. Elder's report for
a week or two and then -
after his personal
situation-settles down -
set up a meeting for
discussion with him?
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SECRET
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
FROM: EXTENSION NO.
Walter Elder 25X1
C/CIA HS DATE
27 June 1974
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITIALS
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
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MEMORANDUM FOR: DD/M&S
THROUGH: A/DD/M&S
CIA History Staff Monthly Report #1
1. Approved Program
During June 1974,1 continued his
research and interviewing on the history of the overthrow
of Mossadeq. He has complete access to NE division files
and officers and confers frequently with John Waller who
is an enthusiastic supporter of this project.
also seesl :1 e
has interviewe aut or of a previous history);
he plans to sit im Roosevelt soon.
II has submitted an outline and a chronology
and is well on top of his work. He has space in NE division,
and I consult with him daily.
During June, Colby sent us a memorandum for the
record about a conversation at a WSAG meeting concerning the
role of a New York Times correspondent in the Iranian operation.
rote a reply setting the record straight.
I uis working on a massive, most complicated
project, e History of Vietnam. He has completed a working
chronology and a topical outline. This is not the kind of
work you can measure by discrete milestones. I am confident
that he is on top of an enormous amount of raw research
material, and he plans to complete his history before he
retires in two years. He has temporary quarters in EA
division, and I consult with him daily. He may lose his
space at any time. Should he be forced out of headquarters,
he would lose easy access to files and people.
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Kt, L_ I
During June, Larry dealt with a 25X1
retired Agency employee, who was seeking declassification
of a history of the Agency's involvement with the Vietnamese
Montaguards. This was at the request of ISAS and EA.
is working on the history of the Bay
of Pigs. acc as virtually completed his supervision of
the DD/M&S history program. He deserves very high marks
for this effort, and when the program is actually finished,
I shall opose that the DD/M&S take official notice of
I Iwork.
Jack is on his maiden voyage in creating an actual
history, and he has submitted one of the most elaborate work
plans I have ever seen. He is even thinking of interviewing
50 to 60 Cuban exile leaders. I am whittling away at this
and trying to compress his projected time schedule. During
June, Jack did, in response to my request, submit a chronology
and .a topical outline. After being moved many times within
WH, Jack has retreated to Key Building. This has hampered
his work. I don't see him regularly.
I retires as of 30 June 1974. She leaves
behind a comp ete, coherent, comprehensive component history
of the DD/S&T. She has also been doing research into the
tenure of James R. Schlesinger as DCI. She will turn the
material over to me when she leaves. I'll review it and
consult with Carl Duckett to see what further there is to
do. Carl is the prime mover behind this and claims that
Schlesinger has an active interest.
The other topic added by the Management Committee,
the history of Richard Helms as DCI, has been dropped for
sufficient reason.
by agreement with OCI who provide him
an office an set ary, is writing a segment of history covering
the Agency's involvement with for a period 25X1
of years. This he will work on until He retires in July.
Phil works with minimum supervision; he has submitted a
topical outline.
His history was to have been dovetailed with a more
comprehensive work on how the Agency has gone about estimat-
ing Chinese Communist intentions and capabilities. This was
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to have been done by I las a consultant. The project
has been disapproved, an nave no plans for work on this
history for the foreseeable future.
I Icontinues to slog away at the history
of Air America. give him substantive guidance from time
to time, but Charlie Kane supervises his work and pays his
salary. This is an enormously complicated chronicle, and
Tony is being very thorough. At some point, we shall confront
I hope to remain on the sidelines for that
event.
Sherm Kent has submitted to me during June a long
essay on the theory and practice of producing national
intelligence estimates. At Sherm's request, his paper is
being read by Sherm plans to let it simmer
while he summe ia. On first reading, I think
it will make an acceptable issuance in our miscellaneous
studies series and possibly an article for Studies in
Intelligence. Sherm is muttering about this being his swan
song. My response has always been that Sherm can do precisely
what he wants about staying or leaving.
Dave Phillips, WH Division, says he will shortly
nominate someone to write the history of the operation in
Guatemala. The writer will be detailed to the history staff
for six months at no cost to the staff.
Larry Devlin, AF Division, has been asked to detail
someone to take the pieces of Congo history and produce a
single, comprehensive account. I am confident that Larry
will leave this project for his successor to wrestle with.
Services Staff, has inherited the
remains o the old overt Action Staff which has produced a
number of motley histories bearing on the covert cold war,
particularly in Europe. Chuck is prepared to entertain a
request from me to nominate someone to work on this history,
but he has asked me to hold off until he learns his way in
his new job.
I have agreed to this.
There are two topics in Carl Duckett's bailiwick,
reconnaissance satellites and technical intelligence, which
require pulling together existing material into a coherent
history. Tactically, I plan to hold off pushing Carl until
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after I have reviewed the Schlesinger material. Otherwise,
when I talk about my approved topics, Carl will want to talk
about his favorite subject. I am holding off for another
reason. Should Colby approve in principle my suggestion to
have a go at sanitizing and releasing a history of the U-2,
I am going to need quantities of good will and support from
Carl and his people.
There is one approved topic, a history of the intel-
ligence community, which will involve the intelligence
community staff. The embryonic piece, John Bross' history
of NIPE, is being sourced She is on
contract to finish this for . She works when she is
able, which is not often. When Bross' history is finished,
I plan to go to the ICS, probably through John Clarke, and
induce them to think in terms of history. My tactic is to
use them as a. model for preserving history material which
we can then apply to other Agency components. The actual
production of an intelligence community history is somewhere
down the road.
Harold Brownman has agreed in principle to have an
overview of what I term support activity for the cold war.
The next step is to grab the right people at the right time
and have them go through the completed histories with a view
to producing segments of a single, coherent account.
Another approved topic is a history of the Agency's
involvement in Laos. I have asked Ted Shackley to nominate
a candidate, citing Colby's active interest in this project.
Finally, the Management Committee approved a topic
called before CIA. If I understand the exercise properly,
OSS-SSU papers are going to the National Archives and being
de-classified at a great rate. I hope this will resolve
this problem on its own.
Clearly, a major problem for the history program is
manpower. All components are reluctant to release people on
detail, and I frankly can't argue a high priority for the
history program. If we can hold our own on people assigned
to major topics, I'll be content. I continue to interview
candidates who want to write histories, but so far no
component, except for OCI and WH, has been willing to give
me anyone for free.
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C1 I
During June, I was told that my staff would be reduced
from 10 to 7. This is a mixed blessing. It will actually
help solve a couple of personnel problems. On the other hand,
I have had to re-think some of my priorities with the
following results:
The idea of a formal, full-scale oral history program
is out of the question for the foreseeable future. It has
been reduced to interviews with people in connection with
specific histories. You can't send any Tom, Dick or Harry
to talk to people like Bissell, Lundahl, Bannerman, Karamessines,
or Kelly Johnson. One possibility would be to re-channel
Sherm, but that can wait until after his summer sojourn.
Frankly, Sherm, at 70, ain't what he used to be. He is also
remarkably ignorant on the non-analytical sides of the house.
I can report little or no progress on the twin
objectives of consolidating (and reducing) the history staff
files and of integrating the files with the Agency archives.
We have taken certain internal, preparatory steps such as
working on a new cover and a new numbering code for all Agency
histories. This will replace the present five systems of
covers and numbers. During June, I have agreed to take on
two safes of DD/O histories to relieve congestion in the
DD/O registry. They will make chock-a-block.
Space is the key here, but I hear nothing from anyone,
probably because there is nothing to tell me.
Ultimately, my idea is that once the new archivist
gets his arms around his task, the history staff will then
provide the records management officers in each major component
with criteria for identifying and retaining historical documents.
These can remain in the archives, and the history staff will
keep a card index. Blanket guidance, such as a regulation,
won't work at all. That is why I think ICS will provide the
model.
My deputy, has been asked to propose a
scheme whereby Agency histories will be more useful internally.
Pat and I would finish reading all the completed histories
and earmark those which could be: 1) used by the components
to eduate young officers; 2) sanitized for use by the Office
of Training in formal courses; 3) adapted for publication in
Studies in Intelligence. Frankly, if the histories are not
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to be used more widely and are intended only for ultimate
de-classification and release, then we are missing a good
deal by simply writing them and squirrelling them away.
Part of the problem has been the separate directorates'
obsessions with their own secrets (disasters and triumphs).
Now that we have a single CIA history program, we can be
less fearful of parochialism.
I presented this task Isome time ago. Pat 25X1
moves at a very leisurely pace. e e ics have not yet
completed their diagnostic mark-up, and I refuse to push Pat.
June, Pat did send me his editorial suggestions
on history of USIB. They are very professional,
but tney wou involve getting Jimmy back on contract to do
revisions. You will receive no such proposal from me.
I have scrubbed one other project, that of setting
up a small reading room for Agency use. I do not have any
resources, and I can't even consider reviving it until we
are gathered together, people and papers, in headquarters.
2. Ad Hockery
Completion of the component history program continues.
I know of no new ones and no major problems with those which
have been submitted or still to come. I have directed that
they receive cursory editorial attention. There are a number
on hand which I shall probably reject.
There are two new directorate history officers in
DD/M&S and DD/I. I have conferred with who
will ride herd on the remnants of the component History
program, help me organize the overview of the support activity
history, track down the missing responses to my query on an
intelligence museum collection, and serve generally as a
referent on history staff business. I have an appointment
next week to confer with the new DD/I history officer.
During June, as DD/O history officer,
sent a memorandum to all components asking them to
inventory items for a possible intelligence museum collection.
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It t
ook him a while to do this, and the replies will probably
be equally long in coming.
During June, we started photographing executives and
should complete our first run-through on the current roster
very soon. We have also rummaged through two safes of prints
and negatives which had been bandied from PSD to CRS to
Angus Thuermer. After we have completed the current roster,
we'll examine our holdings to see what past executives need
to be filmed, and we'll keep up with executives as they move
up. The ultimate disposition of the portraits is beyond my
competence. When the file is ready for use, I'll so notify
the DD/M&S.
During June, I re query to 25X1
do some research into the Committee report or 1950 to
evaluate the contributions o some "unsung heroes" who promoted
the concept of national intelligence. Ben's father-in-law
was involved. I have taken note of the request.
During June, NPIC submitted to me
an essay entitled "Eisenhower and econnaissance." Dave
Brandwein is interested in it for Studies in Intelligence.
It's very interesting. Eisenhower had a long-standing
interest in photographic reconnaissance and made all the
critical decisions which gave us the U-2 and the follow-on
systems. I shall review it and add my own contributions.
During June, we were able to help who 25X1
was working on a task force in connection wi e appeal on
the Marchetti case. The history staff coughed up the Darling
history and source documents on how the Agency got into the
espionage business in the first place. Sam said he hadn't
been able to find this anywhere else.
During June, I conferred with Jim Critchfield on how
to go about a story of the Agency's involvement with the
has written a draft which Critchfield considered
myopic. has written a draft which I returned
to the origin- ing component as not worth all the work it
would require to turn it into an acceptable history. In
due course, Critchfield admitted that he had played a major
role in CIA's relations with the and had a lively interest
in seeing an accurate history pro uced. He also revealed
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thati a retired I1 official, had comprehensive
notes, was writing a history, and had agreed to show his
work to Jim. Jim has seen the work and claims it is first-
rate.
Since a history of our liaison ties is one of the
topics I have proposed for future work, I am inclined to
the view that we may have a unique opportunity here. I
shall pursue it further after Critchfield has finished his
retirement ordeal.
Twice during June, I became involved with the present
DCI and a former one. Once it was a threat against Mr. McCone
and other ITT officials coming at the time when Mr. Colby
was going to Los Angeles to speak. This was all turned over
to Security. The other involved a query from McCone about
his files. I proposed acting as middleman. Colby approved,
but I don't know if he has so informed McCone.
Near the end of May, the Director approved the proposal
that I sign with Ray Cline granting him access to Agency
documents for his projected history. Ray returned the
signed agreement on 21 May. I then asked Security to clear
Ray and his research assistant citing the DCI's approval.
The mills are still grinding.
During June Ed Proctor, Howie Stoertz, George Carver,
Dave Brandwein, I I and I met with Al Goldberg,
OSD Historian, to discuss An y Marshall's project to produce
and release a history of the arms race with the Soviets. We
all took a very dim view of the project, raising the spectre
of the Pentagon papers, trotting out sensitive sources and
methods, using intelligence to support a controversial policy
position, and all that. None was so eloquent as Carver who
elected himself to carry our views to James R. Schlesinger.
It ain't over yet.
On 6 June, I was interviewed by R. Harris Smith who
has been retained by the family to write a biography of Allen
W. Dulles. I have sent around a couple of warning fliers that
Smith's book may be another expose in depth. Smith has told
Larry Houston that he has promised to submit the part of the
manuscript which deals with the Agency for review in accordance
with Smith's agreement with Colby. Smith estimates a comple-
tion date of mid-September.
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During June, I notified Chief, ISAS that the history
staff on 7 March 1964 decided to reduce the number of copies
of completed histories from 3 to 2. This has saved and will
save a lot of work and paper.
3. Personnel
During June, I was notified that the staff would be
reduced from 10 to 7. I have identified the po
deleted. One will be simple. We won't replace
The other two involve an intelligence assistant (a GS-06 in
a GS-08 slot) and a GS-07 secretary in a GS-07 slot. I am
prepared to move on this when I'm told to.
My administrative assistant has been declared surplus
by her career service, DD/I. We have no position. She will
leave in a fit of pure feminine fury. About all I can do is
to advise her to keep it from getting too bloody.
The DD/O component is termined as of 30 June. Bill
is retiring. has a contract valid
until her scheduled retirement on April 1975.
is thinking of letting her stay with the history
cost to us if they can't find anything in DD/O. We can use
her. I told Gordon simply to let me know soon what he was
going to do.
I Ia DD/O officer who has burned his bridges
with EA ivision an they with him) has been offered to me
to work until he retires next year. I told DD/O that I could
not assign him to any of my approved topics. However, if
they could come up with a history project which I could accept
as contributing to my overall program, and if they would
guarantee him access, space, and salary, I'd see that he
spent his terminal days usefully. A large silence has followed.
The net effort of personnel reductions will be to
leave the staff with a minimum of support in administration,
typing, and editing. We will cope. On the substantive side,
we're brushed but not really hurt. I plan to continue
scrounging for good mid-career officers on detail.
During June, I was notified that Walter Pforzheimer
would be assigned to the History Staff on contract for six
months to compile the history of the legislative origins of
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CIA. Harry Eisenbeiss of CRS wants Pforzheimer's services
for eight hours a week for six months. John Warner wants
Walter to be available for the Marchetti case. A suitable
contract has been submitted for approval.
4. Looking Ahead
The key issue at this moment is Colby's decision
on my suggestion to see if we should and can try to sanitize
and release a major Agency history. If he approves, then the
history staff and other Agency components will have a new and
formidable task. I have a draft plan ready, but the actual
work will have to be very much a learn-as-you-go exercise.
25X1
Chief, CIA History Staff
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MEMURRIDIIM FOR: Chief, CIA Historical Staff
1. I think it would be advisable if we had a better insight
into the workload and progress of the CIA (and as you prefer)
History or Historical Program. In addition to that, and based
on your own background, I know you are the recipient of ad hoc
inquiries from time to time, knowledge of which would also be
of interest to us.
2. Would you, therefore, commencing with the month of
June, shit to the DD a monthly report, to be received
on the last working day of the month. The report, at the
minimum, should equate activity in progress with your approved
History Program; mention any ad hoc inquiries or matters receiv-
ing attention; raise any appropriate personnel matters; and any
other material you wish to record. It may well be, after the
receipt of the report, we would look forward, within a week or
two of it, to an oral discussion.
John V.' Blake
Associate Deputy Director
for
Management and Services
ADD/M&S:JFB/ms (17 June 74)
Distribution:
Orig E 1 - Adse
1 - DD/M&S Chrono
1 - DD/MFS Subject
1 - JFB Chrono
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