DISCUSSION SESSION ON PROFESSIONAL VALUES IN THE CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00630A000300100001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 8, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: REPORT

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Discussion Session~on Professional
Values in the CIA
One of the objectives of ?t;he Center for the Study of
Intelligence is to contribute ~to the growth and stimulation
of professional~_sm in''the Agency. Hopefully, the general
research anc? study program of the Center will aid in this
process, but it may also be possible to make a contribution
through a more direct look at the subject. Most authorities
who have given thought to the nature and essence of "profes-
sionalism" suggest that~one cr:iteria"of the professional is
a common, or at least a partiaaly shared set of values, both.
personal and institutional, with his' associates.
Our thought was that we might take a tentative impres-
sionistic look at professional values in-the Agency by
convening a small group of Agency officers and spending a
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couple of hours talking about the subject, especially whether
there are ar.y "values" unique to CIA. Our objective in part
was to determine whether the subject warranted further con-
sideration, perhaps in a bit mare formal and larger discussion
format or in a research study? We made no effort to assure
that a representative of each Directorate was present--which
in hindsight proved a mistake, since most of those present
felt there were probably significant differences i.n values
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between directorates, especially between officers engaged
in analysis and operations. None of those present had
extensive experience with the operations process (.see list
of discussants attached).
There is, of course, an immediate difficulty in defining
the nature c,f a "value." In the course of the discussion, it
was decided for our purposes to regard a value as a concept
identified by a set of attitudes defining what one holds to
be an important principle to motivate and guide one's behavior.
At the outset of the discussion, several possible values of
significance in the Agency were broached for consideration:
objectivity
concern with confidentiality
political neutrality
esprit de corps
progressiveness and flexibility ?
The discussion tended to focus on three of these: objec-
tivity, integrity, and political neutrality. There Baas, of
course, no abjection to the importance of objectivity as a
This feeling has some support in data collected on Agency
groups using a measurement device called the Allport-Vernon-
Lindsey Study of Values. These data suggest that analysts
place relatively higher value on the pursuit of objective
truth than either operators, who are more attuned to power
relationships between people, or administrators and support
personnel, who tend to value more highly the discovery of
"what works" in a practical sense in the solution of problems
and achievement of goals.
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fundamental and important value throughout the Agency, although
the opinion was expressed that there were doubtless meaningful
variations in the ways officers tended to see their objectivity.
For example, some officers may have joined the Ager.~cy partly
out of a concern with 'opposing the Communist threat and might
at times see the Agency's posture against this menace as more
important than strict objectivity in analysis or collection.
Sever~.l of the discussants Questioned political neutrality
as a common valLie, or certainly as a value unique in the intel-
ligence business. The difficulty hero was an officer's per-
sonal, political point of view,. For some, this personal point
of view was of considerable importance as a motivation in their
actions, although it was felt that most officers could, at an
appropriate point, rise above ?their personal views and that
they valued their ability to cooperate and participate, regard-
less of their personal outlook. In fact, some of the group
felt that thz right to dissent, and the willingness to tolerate
it, was an important basic value in the Agency, shared up and
down the chain of command, and not present in the same way in
other organizations.
Discussion along this line led the group to agree, with
some minority dissent, that a key Agency value was one that
might be expressed as organizational loyalty. This involves
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a feeling among Agency people that an officer can promote or
support a paint of view to the best of his ability right to
the tap of the Agency, but that if he is overruled., he follows
along with the majority and does not resort to resignation,
leaks to the press, etc. to support his position. In view
of the Adams and Marchetti cases, it would be interesting to
know whether this point of view is widely shared in the Agency.
There was also general agreement that an impartant moti-
vating factor for Agency officers, which some held to be in
the nature of a value, was the sense pf being the best in, the
business, perhaps a feeling o.f. elitism. This tended to enhance
and reinforce the sense of professionalism in the CIA and in a
way represents a kind of crowning attitude of Agency officers
who believe they hold to high values and standards. Although
the group did not discuss them in detail, some~of these addi-
tional standards or values would be: open-mindedness; innova-
tiveness; readiness to go anywhere, ~Tork at any time needed;
and commitment to excellence.
Other issues touched upon. but not explored in depth were:
1. The question of the extent to which values of
Agency professionals are "brought in," pre-
existing in the people we recruit, vs. the
extent to which they are shaped and changed
by the organization;
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2. The distinction, i~ any, which might be made
between professional values and organizational
values, and possible conflicts between them;
3, The process by which values are shaped,
articulated, and transmitted within the
organization.
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