THE SUPPORT SERVICES HISTORICAL SERIES PERSONNEL PLACEMENT IN CIA 1946-71

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00708R000200180001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 75
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 1, 1972
• Content Type: REPORT

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Secret
CIA Internal Use Only
Access Controlled by DDS
The Support Services
Historical Series
PERSONNEL PLACEMENT IN CIA
1946-71
F DMA
R
O
M
Secret
OP-14
November 1972
Copy 2 of 3
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WARNING
This document contains information affecting the national
defense of the United States, within the meaning of Title
18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as amended.
Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re-
ceipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B(1), (2), (3), (4)
classified by signer
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
WARNING NOTICE
SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE SOURCES
AND METHODS INVOLVED
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CIA Internal Use Only
Access CO74GrolleGd by DDS
THE SUPPORT SERVICES HISTORICAL SERIES
PERSONNEL PLACEMENT IN CIA
1946-71
by
HarrC B. Fisher
.STORICAL STAFF
' ENTR; INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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Foreword
The history of placement in the Central Intelligence Agency
follows closely the pattern of change, growth, and maturation of the
Agency itself. As requirements grew, fluctuated, and stabilized
and as the Agency's structure and operating priorities changed, the
methods of operation and types of organization employed by the
Office of Personnel to accomplish the placement function also under-
went continuous change. Regardless of personalities or organizational
politics affecting the situation at any given time, however, the central
concern appears consistently to have been: how can we select, place,
and manage our people better, and who should do it?
This history treats these two questions and their various
answers from 1946 to 1971. It is a history of the key activities that
constitute the placement function: initial selection and assignment of
personnel; internal recruitment, placement, and reassignment; re-
view and appraisal of official personnel actions; and the role of the
professional placement officer. Necessarily chronological in form,
the history is thin in parts because of the scarcity of written records
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of the early years, changes in emphasis in the placement functions,
and the frequent overlapping and duplication caused by the overt-
covert split. Parts of the account depend heavily upon the
recollections of individuals who were active in placement matters
over the years.
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Contents
Page
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. 1946-50: The Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
11. 1950-53: Functional Organization of the Personnel
Office and Development of Internal Personnel
Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
III. 1953-61: Ceiling Pressures, Placement, and the
Career Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
IV. 1962-66: Reorganization and Growth. . . . . . . . . . 24
V. 1966-71: Placement Comes of Age- -Innovations
and Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Appendixes
A. General Chronology of Organization. . . . . . . . . . . 49
B. Reorganization of the Office of Personnel, 1966 . . . . 51
C. Input Processing of New Professional and Technical
Employees, FY 1964-67 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
D. Source References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
E. Recruitment Guide, 1971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
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Illustrations
Page
Figure 1. CIA Organization, October 1949 . . . . . . . 3a.
Figure 2. Personnel Office, January 1951 . . . . . . . 8a.
Figure 3. Personnel Office, September 1953. . . . . . 12a.
Figure 4. Office of Personnel, 15 June 1955. . . . . . 13a.
Figure 5. Office of Personnel, January 1958 . . . . . 16a.
Figure 6. Organization of Office of Personnel,
28 March 1966 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29a.
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Personnel Placement in CIA
1946-71
1. 1946-50: The Beginnings
In the summer of 1946 in the Central Intelligence Group
(CIG), personnel functions were performed by a Personnel Divi-
sion, a centrally placed unit under the Executive Staff for Personnel
and Administration (P&A). Recruitment and placement functions
were combined and performed by a single staff. The Personnel
25X1A
Division was headed briefly b who was succeeded
25X1A
in September 1946 by In July 1947 the Executive
for P&A was renamed the Executive for Administration and Manage-
ment (A&M), and the Personnel Division was reestablished as a
Branch--along with other Support Branches--in which all personnel
functions remained combined.
Meanwhile, since its establishment in July 1946, the Office
of Special Operations (OSO) had been forming its own administrative
staff, which by mid-1948 was named the Administrative and Support
Staff (A&S). Under it was a Personnel Division in which recruitment
and placement functions were combined in a single unit. A parallel
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development of similar but separate arrangements in the Office
of Policy Coordination (OPC) brought about a degree of duplication
that led to proposals to merge the two staffs. This move was op-
posed by both OSO and OPC, but out of the disagreement came the
formation, in September 1948, of a single Executive for Adminis-
tration. Under the Executive a group of five staffs was formed,
each divided into overt and covert sections. This compromise
between centralization and decentralization lasted for approximately
a year. 1 /
In October 1949 a fundamental reorganization established
completely separate staffs to support the overt and covert sides
of the Agency and in effect split personnel administration into three
pieces:
The Administrative and Support Staff--later shortened
to Administrative Staff--services overt activities. A&S
had its own Personnel Division. Medical Services was
separated from Personnel at this time and set up as a
Division of A&S. There were also Fiscal and Services
Divisions. The Covert Support Staff--later renamed
Special Support Staff (SSS)--provided services to the
covert activities. It had three divisions--Employees,
For a general chronology of organization, see Appendix A;
for serially numbered source references, see Appendix D.
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Finance, and Procurement and Supply. Both staffs
were nominally under the Executive for Administration
and Management (A&M). A Personnel Staff was es-
tablished at the "Executive" level, and the post of
Personnel Director was established. The Personnel
Staff provided technical assistance to the Executive,
developed personnel policies, and reviewed classifi-
cation and placement actions at the GS-13 and above
levels. This three-way split prevailed until October
1950, when General Walter Bedell Smith assumed the
DCI responsibilities. 2 /''`
In the original central personnel unit, leadership of the
procurement and placement functions was provided by Andrew Van
Esso (December 1946-March 1948). Mr. Van Esso was succeeded
25X1A
b (April 1948-April 1949)--later to become Director
25X1A
of Personnel--and he, in turn, by (April 1949-
April 1950). With the establishment of separate personnel staffs for
overt and covert components, overt placement was initially under
25X1A
(December 1948-August 1950) and later under
(August 1950-September 1953). The covert place-
25X1A
ment function was first headed b (December
25X1A
1948-May 1951) and then b (June 1951-February
1953). 3/
* Figure 1, p. 3a.
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 MANAGEMENT
STAFF
CIA Organization
October 1949
F DIRECTOR
Management
Officer
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LEGAL
STAFF
INSPECTION
& SECURITY
STAFF
COORDINATION, OPERATIONS & I
ADVISORY
COUNCIL
POLICY STAFF
Medical
Division
Budget
Officer
PERSONNEL
STAFF
Personnel
Director
ADMINISTRATIVE
STAFF
Personnel
Division
F
Fiscal
Division
BUDGET
STAFF
Services
Division
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SPECIAL
SUPPORT
STAFF
Employees
I Division
Finance
D.vis 0n
Procurement
& Supply
Division
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In June 1952 members of the Office of Personnel prepared
a summary history of Agency personnel functions that cited most
of the basic problems besetting placement operations in the beginning
years:
The placement units when operating as a combined
procurement and placement activity, were almost
totally concerned with obtaining and initially as-
signing personnel. Even relieved of procurement
activity, the initial placement activity represented
so large a volume of work that subsequent review
to determine whether initial placements were satis-
factory or not was impossible. It is probably in this
area that the Agency pays most heavily for sacrificing
a well-rounded program to the demands of recruitment.
Especially in the face of uncertainty as to the types of
people needed for various positions it becomes impor-
tant to evaluate the success of placements to determine
which kinds of qualifications have been more successful.
Also it is probable that a high number of potentially
qualified personnel were lost to the Agency because of
job dissatisfactions which might have been discovered
through placement follow-up. Losses in terms of
persons assigned to positions which were performed
adequately but were not best suited to individual
capabilities are unmeasurable but again may be
reasonably estimated in substantial number.
Other major problems mentioned were defining the proper
role of placement officers in dealing with the problems cited above,
the contraction and expansion of manpower ceilings, and the
overt-covert split in organization. 4/
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In these early years recruitment and placement were closely
related both in organization and in practice. Recruiters served as
placement officers, and placement officers were also recruiters.
25X1A
The main task, according to was to determine which
operating units needed what qualifications in their people and how
many people they needed. The next obvious task was to find these
people. After finding his candidate, the recruiter was often his
own placement officer; after spending some time in the field
interviewing and gathering applicant files, he would return to
Headquarters and begin "selling" his applicants to the operating
units. Placement officers were overburdened with record-keeping
and details and had little time to make personal contact with the
offices they serviced. 5 /
Those who screened walk-ins and reviewed applicant files
were non-professional placement officers with inadequate know-
ledge of the jobs they were filling. The Applicant Files Branch was
overburdened and was chronically behind in coding applicants by
qualification. 6 /
In this period the placement officers were given authority
to review and sign personnel actions on all types of activities, from
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promotions to reassignments. Processing personnel actions was
not yet refined, and the placement officer had to spend much, of his
time in clerical tasks and record-keeping. Fitness reports were
reviewed by the placement officers, but there was little time for
an adequate review.
In 1947 Mr. Van Esso established a placement follow-up
interview program. The purpose of the program was to interview
the new employee within three to eight months after his initial
employment to determine the propriety of the initial placement.
As noted in the 1952 statement cited above, these interviews could
not be performed regularly. The pressure for recruitment and
initial placement was too great, and the problem was complicated
by difficulties in communication with operating units and lack of
control over the flow of applicant files through the selection process.
Another frequent cause of complaint was a backlog of correspondence
with applicants in process, which--in.many cases--led to
cancellations by disgruntled and impatient applicants. 7/
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II. 1950-53: Functional Organization of the Personnel Office
and Development of Internal Personnel Management
In December 1950 the SSS and A&S Support units were
discontinued and their functions remerged with the staff offices
under the new Deputy Director for Administration (DDA). The
former Personnel Staff, plus the overt-covert divisions, became
the Office of Personnel under the directorship of William J. Kelly.
Then, as in other Support areas, responsibility for clandestine
personnel matters was redivided between two divisions. This
was a reconciliation of the needs for centralized administrative
responsibility and the needs for operational autonomy and
compartmentation. 8/
The Personnel Division Overt (PDO) provided assistance
to the overt intelligence offices, later (June 1952) to become
components of the Deputy Director for Intelligence (DDI), and to
* William J. Kelly served as Personnel Director of CIG and CIA
from May 1947 to August 1951.
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the DDA in such matters as recruitment, placement, promotion, and
reassignments. The Personnel Division Covert (PDC) provided similar
services to the units of the Deputy Director for Plans (DDP). From
their respective placement branches, PDO and PDC assigned place-
ment officers to the operating offices. As shown in Figure 2,
recruitment functions were given to a separate Personnel Procurement
Division. 9/
The 1950-53 period was one of tremendous growth in terms of
recruitment, placement, and personnel management. In the spring
of 1952 the Personnel Office was EODing up to In
25X9
1950 there were-employees on duty; by December 1953 the total
25X9
had risen to- To manage these great increases in manpower
strength, new recruitment and placement procedures were necessary.
A study of recruitment, selection, and placement functions prepared
25X1A
in May 1951 b Chief of the Personnel Studies and
Procedures Staff, led to T/O increases for both recruitment and
placement, to consolidation of applicant files and correspondence
* For Figure 2, see p. 8a.
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Figure 2
Personnel Office
January 1951
Personnel
Division
(Overt)
Military
Personnel
Division
a`._
Personnel
Studies and
Procedures Staff
Classification
& Wage
Administration
Division
Personnel
Procurement
Division
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Personnel
Division
(Covert)
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handling procedures, and to improvements in the scheduling and
control of applicant processing. 10/
When General Walter Bedell Smith became Director of
Central Intelligence on 7 October 1950, almost immediately he
began to emphasize his personal interest in the Agency's internal
personnel, management practices; and as a result there was consid-
erable effort devoted to initial selection and placement of employees.
In a memo of 13 September 1951 to PDO and PDC, the Acting
Personnel Director, George Meloon, emphasized the importance of
a placement program and listed what needed to be done:
The effectiveness of our personnel program depends
largely upon the kind of placement work we are doing.
Placement should be regarded as an internal recruit-
ment and selection process which, as part of the
general effort to secure the right man for the right
place, operates as one of the most important faiztors
in reducing employee turnover. 11 /
The following steps were to be taken by PDO and PDC:
1. Review all recruitment requisitions for personnel in
Grades GS-06 and above to determine which employees already in
the Agency were qualified for promotion to these vacant positions.
This would require:
a. Complete qualification coding of all employees.
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b. Recruitment to obtain personnel to fill vacancies
created by promotions.
2. Initiate a regular program of placement follow-ups at
30-, 60-, and 90-day intervals following entrance on duty of new
employees to establish a basis on which to:
a. Retain them; or
b. Train, reassign, counsel, or separate them. 12/
The Deputy Director for Administration, Walter Reid Wolf,
backed up Mr. Meloon's memorandum with a memorandum to all
assistant Directors requesting their cooperation with the follow-up
program. 13/
Concurrent with emphasis upon placement programs, the
training of placement officers began on a regular basis. By
June 1952, according to the OP historical statement cited above,
The concept of the placement officer as the liaison
between the personnel office and the operating unit
is becoming a reality. The placement officers are
required to be in close and constant contact with
operating officials and are encouraged to use these
contacts in every possible way to improve the
overall personnel program in the Agency. 14/
It appears that the renewed emphasis on in-service
placement and personnel management paid off. Calendar year
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1952 saw extensive activity in follow-up interviews and codification
of qualifications. During that year a monthly average of 175 follow-
up interviews was conducted, an average of=eople entered on
duty per month, and 6, 181 applicant files and employee
questionnaires were coded and placed in a qualifications register
and used for in-service placement. 15/ This activity continued
throughout the next year with more than 200 follow-ups per month
involving 1, 185 employees. In this period the placement units
began to review Performance Evaluation Reports (PEP' s), and
during FY 1953 5, 000 PEP Is were received. This period also
saw--in connection with the in-house training of placement personnel--
the compilation of informational, regulatory, and procedural materials
pertinent to placement activities. During 1953 placement constituted
a tremendous workload. The PDC 1953 annual report stated that its
nine placement officers handled an average of 554 cases of all types
per month--20 cases per day per man. 16/ The placement workload
in PDO in FY 1953 is reflected in the following Statement of
Accomplishments, which is a good example of a contemporary
functional. description as well as a progress report 17/:
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The activities of the Placement Branch, Personnel Division
(Overt) may be broken down into five categories:
I. Initial Placement
II. In Process Activities
III. Follow up of Employees
IV. Promotion, Transfer and
Re-assignment
V. Advisory function to Operating
Offices
I. Initial Placement
A. During this period a total of 6, 803 applicant files were
received for consideration against vacancies existing in the DD/A and
DD/I areas serviced by Placement Branch (Overt). Three thousand,
nine hundred and seventy-nine of these files were clerical and 2, 824
were professional. Five thousand, one hundred and thirty-three
separate :referrals were made to the operating offices in the process
of considering the applicant for the most suitable vacancy. A total
of 2, 571 applicants were interviewed. Of the total number of files
received and applicants interviewed (see figures above) security was
actually initiated for 914 professional and 2, 893 clerical cases.
B. Clerical applicant files on individuals are not referred
to operating offices since it is the responsibility of the Placement
Branch (0) to hire and assign all clerical personnel through grade
GS-5.
C. All of the above transactions require constant attention
to assure that these applicants are advised promptly of any action in
connection with their applications such as, necessity for interview,
tests, pre-employment physicals, additional forms or other pertinent
material and to insure that they receive periodic notification from the
Agency. Overt placement operations require the handling of approxi-
mately 70, 000 phone calls and 1, 300 letters annually.
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J
II. In-Process Activities
A. After security has been initiated and until the individual
actually enters on duty, the Placement Branch is directly concerned
with and responsible for the resolution of all inquiries and problems
originating from either the individual or operating officials concerned.
Questions may arise concerning release, length of time involved for
completion of processing, medical problems, reasons for rejection,
etc. These problems are very often time-consuming, yet result in
no tangible statistics.
.III. Follow-up of Employees
A. After an individual has entered on duty the Placement
Officer responsible for the office where the individual is employed
conducts a follow-up interview thirty and ninety days after the
entrance on duty date. The individual and his supervisor are inter-
viewed in order to assist the individuals adjustment to his job and
to insure that maximum utilization is being made of the individuals'
qualifications. During the period covered by this report 1, 185
individuals were follow-up interviewed. This involved 2, 370 separate
interviews. In the large majority of these cases the initial placement
was satisfactory. In those few cases where the placement was not
satisfactory, measures were taken to adjust this situation such as;
establishing a clearer understanding of the job, transfer to a more
appropriate position, additional training or separation.
B. All Personnel Evaluation Reports on overt personnel
are reviewed by the overt Placement Branch. Where the reviewing
Placement Officer is alerted from information contained in these
reports to situations requiring corrective action, a follow-up
interview is conducted and necessary action is taken. The annual
number of Personnel Evaluation Reports requiring review is
approximately 5, 000.
C. The Placement Branch is responsible for coding the
qualifications of new employees. This requires qualification coding
of approximately 1,600 employees annually.
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D. The Placement Branch is also responsible for assigning
career designations to new employees. There are approximately
1, 600 of these annually.
IV. Promotions, Transfers, Reassignments
A. All Standard Form 52's (Personnel Actions), including
promotions, transfers and re-assignments initiated by the operating
offices of the overt portion of CIA are acted upon by Placement
Branch (0). During this period a total of 5, 860 cases were processed
by this Branch. The large majority of the individuals involved in these
cases were suitably qualified. Some were held up for a clearer
demonstration of qualifications, others required a written justification
for the file in order to substantiate the action and others were
cancelled. as not being qualified.
V. Advisory function to Operating Offices
A. The operating offices are constantly calling on the
Placement Officer concerned with their problems for advise and
counsel. Since the Placement Officer works in close harmony with
the operating office, he is aware of their problems and is in a
position to render valid assistance when called upon. One category
which has become increasingly important is that one dealing with
employees whose work is of such a nature that separation proceedings
may be the best solution for all concerned. While such cases are not
numerous, Division and Branch Chief s are depending more and more
on their Placement Officer for valid advice concerning what steps
should be taken in each particular case. The Placement Officer acts
in an advisory capacity to the operating office in all separation cases.
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III. 1953-61: Ceiling Pressures, Placement, and the
Career Services
In September 1953 the Office of Personnel underwent another
major reorganization and realigned its activities even more on
functional lines (Figure 3). The change came at a time when Agency
personnel requirements were decreasing and when a ceiling con-
siderably lower than the existing Table of Organization was imposed.
Emphasis shifted progressively to internal recruitment, placement,
and rotation.
The Personnel Division Covert (PDC) and the Personnel
Division Overt (PDO) were abolished, and most of their functions
and responsibilities were transferred to a new Placement and
Utilization Division (P&UD). Under this system all placement
officers were brought under a single division chief. In the Place-
ment Branch of P&UD there was a senior placement officer in
charge of placement for each of the directorates. But by late 1954,
when P&UD was renamed the Personnel Utilization Division (PUD),
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Figure 3
PERSONNEL
OFFICE
September 1953
Assistant Director (Personnel)
Special Contracting,
Allowances, and
Processing Staff
Placement Employ Processing
Employee
and
Services and
Records
Utilization
Division
Division Division
Plans, Research, and
Development
Staff
Military
Personnel
Division
Classification
and
Wage
Division
Personnel
Procurement
Division
S-E-C-R-E-T
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a separate branch had come into existence, the Clandestine Services
Branch (CSB). In 1955 PUD was renamed the Personnel Assignment
Division (PAD).
During the early 1950's officials of the operating components
of the Agency continued to exercise the primary functions of assign-
ment, rotation, evaluation, promotion, and termination; the Office
of Personnel was centrally responsible for advice on these matters
and for the rotation or reassignment of personnel between Career
Services? With the establishment of the Career Service Boards in
June 1952, the head of each Career Service assumed responsibility
for these particular placement functions 18/, and the Office of
Personnel assigned placement officers to the Board meetings on
a permanent basis. The 1954 Progress Report of the Placement
Branch discussed the situation:
During this six-month period (January-June 1954)
working relationships with Career Management
Officers, component Personnel Officers and Career
Service Boards have been improved. Within the
Clandestine Services, Placement Officers continued
in their direct support of the Career Service Boards,
See Figure 4, p. 13a.
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Figure 4
w4b
Office of Personnel
15 June 1955
Deputy
Personnel
Procurement
Division
Executive
Officer
Personnel
Assignment
Division
Position
Evaluation
Division
Military
Personnel
Division
Contract
Personnel
Division
Deputy Director
of Personnel
for Planning and
Development
Insurance
and Casualty
Division
Records
and Services
Division
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and attend all meetings. A Placement Officer has also
been assigned to the Career Service Board of the DD/A
and attends all Board meetings. The Deputy Chief,
Placement and Utilization Division now serves as Chair-
man of the Personnel Career Service Board's Rotation
Planning Committee. 19/
The same report lists three major problem areas requiring
integration and coordination of the efforts of the various officials:
a. Placement of unassigned personnel (overseas returnees);
b. Reporting and filling vacancies;
c. Reassignments to effect more suitable utilization.
Improvement in the advance planning of assignments of
overseas returnees was sorely needed. The regular burden was
difficult to manage, and in 1954 it was increased with the drastic
25X1A
reduction in the which brought approximately
unassigned personnel back to Headquarters in a period of three to
four months. An emergency placement program was begun in order
to deal with the crisis. Reassignment rosters and machine runs of
qualifications and vacancies helped to some extent. Although the
placement process broke down in some cases--leaving unassigned
personnel to hunt on their own- -most of the returnees were placed
by the end of 1954. 20/ Following this crisis the Directorates and
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Career Services developed various methods of assigning personnel,
methods adjusted to the low ceiling authorizations that were to
continue until 1965. 21 /
Although external recruitment and placement of professionals
was minimized or deferred in favor of internal reassignment, the
Agency suffered a severe shortage of clerical personnel in 1954.
External recruitment and placement of clericals consequently in-
tensified. Because the major requirements came from special
projects within the DDP, the Clerical Placement Branch (CPB)
worked closely with the DDP Career Service Board to fill vacancies.
Some of the problems inherent in the Placement/Career Service
relationship are reflected in the following contemporary report:
The Clerical Placement Branch has been so deeply
enmeshed in satisfying immediate needs that it has
not been able to devote adequate time to one of its
major functions. That function provides for the
assignment or reassignment of clerical personnel to
opportunity type positions. Although it has partici-
pated to a great extent in reassignments initiated at
the request of individuals, the Branch has as yet not
been manned sufficiently well to permit the adoption
of an aggressive and positive program to embark upon
the type of career program now getting under way in
other services. It may be palliative to note, however,
that the clerical personnel assigned by the Clerical
Placement Branch, are given service designations of
the components they enter. This immediately removes
them from the jurisdiction of the Clerical Placement
Branch. 22 /
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In late 1956, to help end the shortage of clerical personnel,
efforts were made to improve the processing of applicants. This
involved entering on duty more clerical applicants on provisional
clearance and streamlining headquarters processing requirements
so that people could begin their assignments more rapidly.
By mid-1958 on-duty strengths were approaching ceilings--
and exceeding them in some offices. "Surplus" personnel became
a problem again, and a good deal of internal reassignment and
outplacement activity became necessary. Concentration was on
placement of "hard-to-get" categories, on better screening pro-
cedures, and on higher standards. The percentage of total
completed professional applications referred and then rejected
rose from the FY 1957 figure of 27 to 47 in FY 1958. 23/
Further organizational changes of some significance took
place in 195 8. The Personnel Procurement Division was merged
with the :Personnel Assignment Division to form the Personnel
Operations Division (POD). Recruitment was subdivided into the
Departmental Recruitment Branch and the Field Recruitment
See Figure 5, p. 16a.
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Figure 5
Office of Personnel
January 1958
0*4
Deputy Director of Personnel
Special Asst to D/Pers
Executive Off
Dep Executive Off
Deputy Director
of Personnel
for Planning &
Development
Mob
Staff
Personnel
Procurement
Division
Personnel
Operations
Division
Salary
and Wage
Division
Military
Personnel
Division
Combined in a single POD before end of year
Contract
Personnel
Division
Regulations
Staff
Benefits
& Casualty
Division
Records
& Services
Division
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Branch. The intention was to achieve close coordination of the
activities of Recruitment with those of Placement, which now
were assigned to a newly created unit called the Career Services
Support :Branch (CSSB).
Recruitment and Placement had been closely combined
operations in the first years of the Agency. This move in 1958,
then, was a rejoining of the two that had been separated for more
25X1A
than a decade. who had headed Recruitment
and Placement activities in the formative period, became Chief
of POD.
In another change, the Clandestine Services Branch of the
former PAD was now made a separate division, the Clandestine
Services Personnel Division of the Office of Personnel. The new
division, physically located in the DDP area, was placed initially
25X1A
(May 1958) under and in March 1959 under
25X1A
For a period it appeared that Placement became submerged
within and subordinated to the operations of the Career Services,
as was reflected in the name of the Career Services Support
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Branch. The annual report of POD for FY 1959 reflected the
change in posture:
With the above mentioned reorganization, and the
resultant closer working relationship with procure-
ment elements, direct support to the Career Services
within the DDS and the DDI reduced the gray areas of
responsibility that formerly existed, particularly in
the flow of applicant files against recognized vacancies,
the referral of reassignment cases to appropriate
Agency components, correspondence to applicants and
to individuals accepted for processing, and the de-
velopment of procedures designed to provide more
immediate service to operating units conducting
positive recruitment programs. 24/
A more complete view of the functions, staffing, and
operating relationships of the CSSB is afforded by the following
extract from the Inspector General's Survey of the Office of
Personnel in December 1959:
Career Services' Support Branch (CSSB)
(a) Originally known as the Placement Branch,
later as Operations Branch, and now as Career
Services' Support Branch this activity, consisting
of 11 personnel, discharges for the Director of
Personnel his function of supporting and assisting
the Career Service elements of the DD/I and DD/S
in the selection, assignment, rotation, development
and utilization of personnel above the GS-6 grade
level. These functions are separate from those of
the Clandestine Services' Personnel Division which,
with 26 additional personnel, provide support to the
Clandestine Services' Career Service.
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(b) Under direction of the Chief, major functions of
the branch are performed by Personnel Representa-
tives who are assigned specific components for which
they are responsible. For example, one Personnel
Representative, with some assistance, serves the
entire DD/I area; another handles the Offices of
Logistics and Security; a third, Office of Communi-
cations and Cable Secretariat; and the fourth the
principal offices of the DCI and DD/S, plus Office
of Training, Comptroller's Office, and Medical
Staff. Each representative is urged to become com-
pletely familar with the program and problems of
his assigned components; he advises and assists in
personnel management of the component, and by
representing the component in the Office of Personnel
provides a single, knowledgeable point of contact on
personnel matters. Specific activities include re-
view of recruitment requests, interviews with job
applicants, referral of applicant files to operating
components, processing employee reassignments
and authentication of personnel actions on behalf
of Director of Personnel.
Personnel representatives maintain close contact
with the several Career Service Boards, monitoring
their activities, providing advice and technical
assistance on personnel placement and reassignment,
and determining uniformity of performance. The
extent of active participation in meetings of the
several Career Service Boards varies; however,
present arrangements appear mutually satisfactory
to CSSB and the respective Boards.
Although ceiling limitations in most areas had been
reached, CSSB continued -to be active in the selection and
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placement of certain "hard-to-get" categories--scientists, engineers,
and JOT's, for example. Procedures for this activity involved:
. . . institution of a program for the timely handling
of professional applications of economists, engineers,
and physical scientists thereby permitting the gaining
component to make a more firm commitment to ap-
plicants falling within these scarce categories; the
initiation of tests measuring professional experience
in the physical sciences. . . 25/
The activities of CSSB continued in this general vein
until well into 1961. During FY 1961 CSSB became extremely
active in the placement of personnel in two additional specialized
areas: the Biographic Register, which had been recently trans-
ferred to OCR from the State Department along with the National
Intelligence Survey; and the National Photographic Interpretation
Center (NPIC), which had been given a sizable increase in T/O
strength,. 26 /
25X1A
In 1961
currently (1971) Deputy
Director of Personnel for Recruitment and Placement, examined
the placement function, and in a report to the Deputy Director for
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Support in December 1961 he made several appraisals and recom-
mendations. He first recommended that the Career Service Support
Branch be rebuilt and be given the "more accurate" title of
Placement Branch--"This is the Branch which should have the
largest role in the selection process and should be the essential
link between the recruiter and the customer. "27/ He also stated
that the reputation of the Office of Personnel depended to a great
extent upon the performance of that Branch. Noting that the Branch,
with only four placement officers, was understaffed, he recom-
mended an increase in manning and a reorganization on the
following team basis:
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF
Chief
Logging Clerk
Secretary
TEAM I
Placement Officer (DD/S Components)
Placement Officer (DD/S Components)
Clerk-Typist
TEAM II
Placement Officer (DD/I Components)
Placement Officer (DD/I Components)
Clerk-Typist
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TEAM III
Placement Officer (DD/I Components)
Placement Officer (Contract, Special Placement,
Rotational Placement)
Clerk-Typist
This would "lead to equalization of workload, more timely and
complete service to components, greater speed in the processing
of applicant cases, and would enable the Branch to handle applicant
correspondence, "28/ which then was done in the Records and
Services Division. It would reduce time-wasting movement of
files and inadequate communication between branches. The corre-
25X1A
spondence, stated, must be made "more personalized
and responsive":
The problems which beset the selection and clearance
process center around the inter-related factors of
time (excessive time required for each stage of action);
decision making (who makes the decision to accept or
reject an applicant?); priorities (every case is of top
priority to someone); and the absence of any central
authority to monitor and police the system. 29/
,The report followed with a detailed discussion of these points.
Basically the recommendations involved a considerable strengthening
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of the role of placement in offices, more stringent limits on the
length of time files could be held, and a more realistic face-to-face
relationship between the placement officers and the units they served.
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IV. 1962-66: Reorganization and Growth
25X1A
Th report came at a time when external
recruitment was undergoing a rapid upturn and immediately before
a large increase in manpower ceilings. The time was opportune,
for increased activity would require many of the improvements
25X1A
recommended. By mid-1963 a number of changes
were evident, and the level of activity reflected in FY 1963 annual.
reports indicated that the changes were responsive and positive.
First, in a partial reorganization of the Office of Personnel,
the Recruitment Branch of POD became a Recruitment Division
with a considerable increase in staffing and a number of innovations
affecting the whole recruitment process. Within POD a number of
changes in non-placement activities took place, and finally there
was a major reorganization of the Placement Branch. The team-
concept and the correspondence section recommended by the
-report were established, and the staffing of the Placement
Branch increased. 1n the Annual Report for FY 1963 the work force
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The FY 1963 Annual Report also discussed all of the
functions performed by the Placement Branch. Briefly, they
were:
1. Advise operating units on matters pertaining to
applicant selection.
2. Determine minimum qualifications of applicants.
3. Handle applicant correspondence.
4. Survey to ascertain personnel requirements for
recruitment.
5. Approve all Personnel actions for DDI, DDS, DDR.*
(except PRA's).
6. Approve new appointments for DDP.
7. Review all "weak" and "outstanding" fitness reports.
8. Interview job applicants and candidates for
reassignment; counseling of employees.
9. Schedule scientific testing.
10. Determine applications to be coded.
11. Supervise administrative orientation of new employees.
12. Handle EOD processing.
* Deputy Directorate for Research, later the Deputy Directorate
for Science and Technology (DD/S&T)
** Orientation with respect to conditions and requirements of Agency
employment, separate from substantive orientation provided by the
Office of Training.
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As this history indicates, these functions have all remained
within the placement area since the beginning of the Agency even
though at various times one or another has received special em-
phasis. One function that has remained constant throughout has been
the final review and authentication of personnel actions.
By mid-1963 the Placement Branch had finished a year
"marked by a tremendous amount of work in just sheer volume. 1131 /
With large numbers of applicants in selection-processing, Place-
ment was confronted with severe problems in keeping up with
applicant correspondence and arranging invitee travel. Applicants
were often faced with long waiting periods either because of the
time required for security clearances or because of delays by com-
ponents in making selection decisions. In FY 1963, 937 applications
were cancelled or withdrawn. Most of these cancellations represented
withdrawal by applicants who did not wait for completion of lengthy
selection and clearance procedures, but at least ten percent (92)
were cancellations by operating units which decided during the pro-
cessing period that they were no longer interested in the candidates., 32/
On 6 December 1963 the Executive Director-Comptroller
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strength as of 30 November. New lower ceilings were announced
for the remainder of FY 1964, as was another personnel reduction
for FY 1965. These reductions followed a boom period for the
Agency that had increased the staffing of the Placement Branch. 33/
In the August 1965 economy drive Placement assisted in reducing
the strength figures for various components and, at the same time,
initiated outplacement efforts. Even with these activities, the
Placement Branch too was subject to the economy drive and had to
cut its staff by 18. 5 percent. Other problems resurfaced- -among
them, delays in obtaining final decisions on applicants from
operating units and heavy applicant correspondence. Placement
became increasingly responsible for monitoring the rate of employ-
ment and keeping daily records of gains and losses, while increasing
other activities such as follow-up interviews. The workload actually
increased over previous years--along with the decrease in staff. 34/
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V. 1966-71: Placement Comes of Age--Innovations and
Accomplishments
Toward the end of FY 1966 there was a further significant
organizational change when the Office of Personnel adopted a
specialized Deputy Director system and realigned its functions
(Figure 6). The Placement Branch, the Applicant Files Section,
and the Correspondence Branch of the former POD were com-
bined in a Placement Division which, along with Recruitment
Division (RD) and the Mobilization and Military Manpower Division
(MMPD), was placed under a newly established Deputy Director of
25X1A
Personnel for Recruitment and Placement. be-
came the first DD/Pers /R &P.
Manpower demand was great in 1966, and it appeared that
ceilings would continue high for two or three years to come; im-
provements in both staffing and operating procedures were needed
to keep ups with the load. In his annual report on FY 1966,
For details, see Appendix B.
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 Deputy for Recruitment-
and Placement
Field Recruit. Br.
Wash. Recruit. Off.
Ext. Placement Br.
SA for Coop. Programs
Placement Division
Prof. E.; Tech. Pl. Br.
Clerical Assgut. Br.
C?P br.
Corresp on Bence Br.
*Includes IAS
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Fi gi e"6
ORGANIZATION OF OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
,28 March 1966
Director of Personnel
- Dep. Dir. of Pers.
Deputy for Operations
Benefits & --Services Div.
Benefits & Counseling Br.
Retirement Br.
CLA Retirement Staff
Insurance Br.
Central Processing Br.
Incentive Awards Br.
Mobilization and Military
Personnel Division.
A=Ay Navy, Marine Br.
Air Force Br.
Reserve Br.
Contract Persor*-_el
Division
Records and
Control Division
Trans. & Records Br.
Stat. Rept. Br.
Qua!. Anal. Br.
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Deputy for
Planni nm and Research
Plans and
Review Staff
Position MCmi and
Coim::er_a;ion Div.
In-,, elligence &
Support Br.
Clandestine Services
Br.
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advanced various of the Placement Division's plans
and objectives for FY 1967 and FY 1968:
Placement Division, by my planning, will comprise
four Branches, namely, Applicant Selection Branch,
Employee Assignment Branch, Career Training
Program (CTP) Branch, and Correspondence Branch.
"Skills Bank Placement" will key the modus operandi
of the Division's new look. . .
The proposed organization is based upon the following
concepts concerning the functions and responsibilities
of the Placement Division:
(a) The objective of the selection procedures is to
screen the qualifications of available candidates against
Agency needs and to generate prompt decisions as to
their employment by the Agency. The selection mech-
anism will be oriented to the categories of skills which
are required by the Agency and in terms of the avail-
ability of such skills among candidates for employment.
It will exercise close control over the consideration of
applicant files by operating components. In addition, it
will schedule the various Headquarters appointments
which are pertinent to the final decision to reject or to
hire an applicant and will represent the Director of
Personnel in receiving and "hosting" candidates who
visit Headquarters during this screening process.
Selection processing ends and EOD processing begins
when the CIA decision has been made to employ a
certain candidate against a particular requirement at
a given salary.
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(b) EOD processing, as such, will be oriented to
the requirements of employing components. This
is essential in order for the components to establish
proper understandings with new employees as to
EOD timing, special clearances, training require-
ments, and the bringing new people into an established
work group.
(c) Those functional responsibilities which are
concerned with the management of staff personnel on
duty will also be oriented in terms of service to the
particular needs of Agency components. They in-
clude responsibility for authenticating official records
of personnel actions; for monitoring and coordinating
personnel program activities such as fitness reporting,
promotions, quality step increases, and in-grade
hiring; and, for representing the Office of Personnel in
day-to-day contact with career services and operating
components to assist them toward effecting the best
deployment, utilization and development of personnel
assets on duty within established ceiling limitations
and management controls.
Based upon the above concepts, the work of the present
Professional and Technical Placement Branch can be
accomplished most efficiently by establishing one branch
with responsibility for operating the skills bank and all
other aspects of selection processing and another branch
with responsibility (other than for CTP's) for profes-
sional and technical EOD processing, as such, and for
all activities concerned with the management of pro-
fessional and technical personnel on duty.
The functional responsibilities and personnel of the
Professional and Technical Placement Branch should
be realigned in two branches as follows:
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ASB's function was to concentrate on the initial placement
of new applicants in identified vacancies throughout the Agency.
The team arrangement which had been used since June 1963 was
discontinued, and four placement officers and four processing
assistants handled DDS, DDI, DDS&T, and DDP components.
Relieved of internal management duties, ASB was now able to
concentrate on selection in a manner whereby the placement
officers worked more closely and quickly with operating compo-
nents. Communications were improved, more knowledge of what
was needed by whom was gained, and consequently better assistance
and advice to the Chief of the Placement Division and to Recruit-
ment in determining trends and forecasts were achieved. In
November 1966, to systematize the flow of applicant files and to
insure that every applicant would receive adequate and timely
exposure to operating units, a "Skills Bank" was set up within ASB. 36/
This central bank for new professional and technical applicant
files insured control with a definite purpose. Once a new applicant
file was received by ASB, an open review period of seven days was
immediately allowed in the Bank. The applicant's basic skills were
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placed on a daily listing of new file acquisitions, which was sent
to all operating components. These offices could then come to
the Skills Bank and review files in which they were interested.
A time limit was placed on the files once it was removed from the
Bank by an operating official. Files earmarked in advance for
initial review by the JOT/CT Program went first to JOT/CT, and
were listed in the Bank only when the Program staff waived its
interest. The Bank was monitored by the placement officers,
who kept track of applicant files that received no interest in the
seven-day period. At this point, through liaison with operating
officials, the placement officer continued to "sell" his applicant
if he determined that the applicant was deserving of further
consideration. Or, if more than one office was interested in
an applicant, the placement officer met with these offices and
determined an equitable disposition of the file, based upon cur-
rent ceiling, priority of need, recruiter recommendation, test
results, and the applicant's choice. 37/ This system resulted in
"optimizing" both the applicant's opportunities and the Agency's
placement success. The Skills Bank was an extremely useful
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device in a buyer's market when there was competition for good
candidates. During lulls and periods of low ceiling authorizations,
however, the Bank required a good deal of "salesmanship" on the
part of the placement officers to insure that components did not
go too far in the other direction and suspend interest in applicant
files. The establishment of the ASB and these procedural changes
did much. to systematize the selection process and make it more
equitable and discriminating.
The Employee Assignment Branch (EAB) was estab-
lished to be "Responsible for technical EOD processing and for
all placement activities concerned with the management of on-
duty professional and technical personnel. " These activities
included appointing and briefing all new professional and technical
EOD's; reviewing and approving, on behalf of the Director of
Personnel, all official personnel actions concerned with Staff
employees; reviewing all Quality Step Increases; conducting
follow-up and placement interviews; and providing daily profes-
sional advice to operating components concerning personnel
matters. 38/ These were not "rubber stamp" activities; they
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had the effect of ensuring that personnel actions were accurately
prepared and in conformity with established policies and regulation.
Instances of error or potential mismanagement of employees were
identified, and adjustments or alternative solutions were worked
out with the components concerned in such matters as mis-slotting
of employees against T/O positions, unjustified use of Personnel
Rank assignments, proposed promotions in excess of authorized
ceilings, improper use of development complement, appropriateness
of recommendations for Quality Step Increases, and others. Varia-
tions from standard practices or normal trend lines were noted and
taken up with the component concerned. Follow-up interviews with
employees provided some measure of job satisfaction and the
appropriateness of the individual's placement. In the occasional
instance in which a change of assignment appeared to be in the best
interest either of the employee or the component, the Branch
provided assistance in bringing about the necessary action.
FY 1967 was a big year for the Placement Division and
a successful one in terms of both numbers and effectiveness of
operation. Demand was high, and the newly reorganized division
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found itself fully occupied in arranging the selection, processing,
and entrance on duty of the greatest number of new professional
and technical employees in any year since the early days of the
Korean War. A.lmostmeople were employed, all re-
quiring processing, pre-employment interviews, briefings, EOD
processing, and all the details involved in scheduling and record-
keeping. This workload was handled smoothly and with very few
problems or instances of employee dissatisfaction.
In addition, good progress was made toward improving
personnel forecasts, achieving more precise statements of
qualification requirements for recruitment's guidance, and
strengthening the Division's capability to assist the components
in the management of personnel on duty. In collaboration with the
Plans and Review Staff, placement officers developed means of
translating personnel statistics, particularly data from previous
years, into meaningful bases for projection of manpower require-
ments by category, in terms of the numbers that should be in
For a comparison with similar input in previous years, see
Appendix C.
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process at any given time to meet ultimate EOD objectives. By
focusing attention upon in-process requirements, they were able
to give more timely and useful guidance to recruiters and thus
adjust "pipeline" volume as necessary to fill anticipated vacancies.
Another significant step was the resumption, in January 1967, of
follow-up interviews with professional and technical employees after
six to nine months on the job as a means of checking on the appropri-
ateness of initial placement and of ascertaining employee attitudes.
These interviews, about 125 in the course of 1967, provided an
interesting sample of the reactions of new employees to job and work
situations in various parts of the Agency. Attitudes were favorable
in practically all cases, which provided encouraging validation of
the placement process. They also reflected that impressions based
on brief experience were necessarily tentative. No major problems
were surfaced and the minor complaints could be resolved or alleviated
by counseling. Perhaps the most noteworthy result was the satis-
faction of employees with the fact that the interviews were being
conducted. This activity had been initiated several years before but
had lapsed because of other workload demands. 39/
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FY 1968 started at about the same level of operations as
FY 1967; but as the year went on, concern over personnel ceiling
limitations caused a gradual slowdown in hiring and related activities.
This was the year that BALPA* caused a significant cutback in over-
seas personnel and its impact was felt in the second half of FY 1967.
Among other things, BALPA caused a reduction in the size of the
Career Training Program**; and by June 1968 the number of profes-
sional and technical applicants in process had dropped about 48 percent
below the FY 1967 level. The total number of EOD's declined by only
25X9 about ecause of recruitment action in the first half
of the year, but there was a downward trend in staffing that was to
continue through 1971. Paradoxically, however, the workload of
the Placement Division remained high. As demand in total numbers
decreased, the level of selectivity increased; operating components
became increasingly demanding in terms of specialized qualifications,
Acronym for Balance of Payments; the Administration's concern
over U. S. expenditures abroad led to decisions to reduce the numbers
of U. S. employees overseas.
** The Career Training Program (CTP), formerly the Junior Officer
Training Program.
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indicators of suitability and potential, and the like; and each case
required more work on the part of selection and placement officers.
For example, college degree requirements were established for a
number of junior professional positions that heretofore had required
only technical skills, the demand for foreign language qualifications
increased, and the level of achievement on the Professional Applicant
Test Battery became increasingly important as a factor in selection.
Faced with ceiling reductions, components began to cut back on the
number of files they reviewed in the Skills Bank, and Division of-
ficers had to do more personal "shopping" of files than before in
order to make sure that many qualified applicants did not get over-
looked. Assistance to the components and Career Services in the
day-to-day activities of personal management continued along the
lines laid out in 1967. 40/
Operations in FY 1969 followed closely the pattern established
in 1968, when ceiling restrictions became a dominant factor in the
Agency's manpower situation. As ceilings were cut back the number
of EOD's declined by more than 20 percent, and again the selection
and placement officers had to work hard to encourage components
to plan ahead and initiate processing of sufficient numbers of the
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best qualified candidates to meet future needs. The decrease in
volume of work, however, permitted the extension and refinement
of the data base of personnel statistics, and improvements were
made in the scheduling and monitoring of A&E' testing and medical/
security clearance processing. Support to personnel management in
the components and Career Services increased, the follow-up inter-
view program was extended, and three new responsibilities were
taken on:
a. Establishing and maintaining a roster of senior
secretaries (GS-07 and above) who were interested in and available
for reassignment, and coordinating the consideration of these can-
didates for senior secretarial vacancies as they occur.
b. Maintaining a "tickler" system to monitor employees on
LWOP, or in an employment status that carried a time limitation, in
order to insure that proper and timely administrative action was
taken when called for.
c. Placement officers to serve as Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) counselors for the areas that they serviced. The
* Assessment and Evaluation.
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EEO Program required that an employee who had a grievance must
discuss his grievance with such a counselor within 15 days from the
event and before he filed a formal EEO complaint. 41 /
In. FY 1970, on 25 September 1969, the Division was renamed
the Staff 'Personnel Division. The former Employee Assignment
Branch became the Professional Placement Branch, the former
Applicant Selection Branch was renamed the Professional Selection
Branch, and the Clerical Staffing Branch was transferred to this
Division from the Recruitment Division. With this reorganization
the Division began an expanded program of activities. In addition to
its normal functions of previous years, it assumed and carried out
the following new responsibilities:
a. It took over from the Plans and Review Staff responsibility
for preparation of the Advance Staffing Plan for the Agency. Through
close and continuing communication with components and with good
statistical interpretation of the experience data base, it developed
means of improving the accuracy of input requirement forecasts.
b. The Division became deeply involved in monitoring
personnel input against losses, in relation to reduced ceiling goals.
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c. Acquisition of the Clerical Staffing Branch brought
responsibility for operating the "Pool"--the Temporary Assign-
ment Section, or TAS--and for control of clerical input in relation
to ceilings.
d. On its own responsibility the Division initiated security
processing on selected applicants whose technical qualifications
were judged to be of potential interest to several Agency components.
In 1970, 182 such cases were initiated by the Division in a program
designed to cut down on time lost in preliminary file "shopping,
reduce the total processing time for those who ultimately would
enter on duty, and insure timely availability of candidates as vacan-
cies occurred. Of these, 86--almost half--proved to be of interest
to components, and the applicants were brought in for interviews
during the year; about half of these eventually entered on duty.
e. The Division, in collaboration with operating Offices,
developed a new system of Recruitment Guides to replace the
former system of recruitment requisitions as guidance for action
by field recruiters. These Guides were centered on the qualifications
of applicants needed to meet Agency requirements rather than on the
characteristics of specific positions to be filled. Prepared in a
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flexible format, they described knowledge and skills requirements
in approximately 75 professional and technical fields, at grade
ranges from GS-5 to GS-15, plus clerical occupations.''` Shifts in
requirements in new or changing fields were communicated regularly
to recruiters, as were reports on the volume of demand in the various
fields. The Guides were developed in recognition of the fact that an
applicant with a given set of qualifications often is appropriate for
consideration against several different positions in more than one
component. They also constituted a smaller, less complicated, and
more easily portable notebook than the book of requisitions that re-
cruiters had carried previously. The result was more meaningful
and stable guidance to recruiters, and closer coordination of
recruitment and placement activity. 42/
F`.Y 1971 was a year of change, progress, and consolidation
of gains for the Division. Along with a change in name, the.Divi-
25X1A
sion acquired a new Chief with resultant changes
in emphasis in many areas of its operations. Progress was made
toward achieving more personalized methods of operation- -more
>x For examples of Recruitment Guides, see Appendix E.
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face-to-face contact with components, with less reliance on
correspondence and the telephone. A series of staff discussions ex-
plored wh things are done rather than how, and how intra-Division
activities might be more closely integrated. Increased emphasis
was placed on providing current information to the recruiters.
The Agency's staff ceiling was reduced by 478 positions in
FY 1971, resulting in renewed emphasis upon maximum utilization
of on-duty personnel. Components were requested to-fill vacancies
by internal transfer wherever possible before resorting to external
recruitment, and placement officers found themselves involved in
172 reassignment cases in the course of the year. Each case re-
quired individual counseling and,' in many instances, extensive
negotiation with two or more components. Success was limited,
primarily by the fact that most components were over ceiling, and
reassignments were effected in fewer than 25 percent of the cases,
but counseling alleviated employee dissatisfaction in most of the
remainder and placement officers gained valuable experience in
dealing with such cases. Other worthwhile developments included
a systematic procedure for reporting back to components the results
of follow-up and pre-exit interviews; greater selectivity in clerical
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input; strengthening the Division's role as a source of information
and positive assistance to OP and operating components in personnel
management matters; refining estimates of personnel needs; and
reducing the ratio of applicants in process to EOD's.
Two events that brought about a healthy degree of self-
examination and a general sharpening-up in the Division's posture
were an IG survey in April 1971 and an audit of all positions by the
Position :Management and Compensation Division. (PMCD), in the
same month. The IG survey report was generally favorable with
respect to the Division's staffing and level of performance, and
recognized that it is the focal point within the Office of Personnel
for the induction and management of employees. Its principal
recommendations concerning the placement function were:
a. That both Selection and Placement Officers increase
their face-to-face contacts with operating components.
b. That greater emphasis be placed on follow-up
interviews toward the end of the third year of employment rather
than the first.
c. That increased attention be given to placement,
reassignment, and counseling of clerical employees.
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The PMCD report, on the other hand, noted that the workload of the
Division appeared to be lessened by cutbacks in Agency hiring and
recommended (a) that the Clerical Staffing Branch be reduced by
one position; and (b) that the Professional Placement Officer positions
be reduced by one grade from GS-13 to GS-12. No action was taken
on these recommendations.
The major external factors affecting the Division were
the abnormally high unemployment rate that affected all categories
of personnel in the national labor market, and the Government-wide
reductions in ceiling. The results were (a) more candidates for
each available job, (b) greater selectivity by components, (c) fewer
resignations, and (d) a concentrated need for ever-closer control of
on-duty strength. The Chief of the Professional Placement Branch
became the focal point for ceiling /strength controls. He monitored
Agency gains and losses on a daily basis, thus permitting the Chief
of SPD to keep the Director of Personnel informed of Agency progress
toward meeting its reduced ceiling. As evidence of his success and
of the impact of the Division's contributions to the personnel manage-
ment decision-making process, the Agency began FY 1971 with an
overstrength of 322 and ended it at 19 below authorized ceiling.43/
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Thus the placement function achieved its transition from
the early preoccupation with selecting and placing as many people
as possible in a growing Agency, to the enlarged and much more
responsible role of 1971. It still serves its original purposes of
selection and placement, but it does it in a mature managerial
,context within which it provides information, advice, and action
in support of personnel management throughout the Agency.
Placement, as a key element in the Office of Personnel, has
come of age.
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Appendix A
GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF ORGANIZATION
1946 (April) Recruitment and Placement combined in a single
staff unit, part of the Personnel Division, Executive
for Personnel and Administration (P&A), CIG.
P&A renamed Executive for Administration and
Management (A&M); Personnel Division became a
Branch in which Recruitment and Placement remained
combined.
1947-48 OSO (July 1947) and OPC (August 1948) each
developed Administrative and Support Staffs (A&S),
with recruitment and placement functions combined
in Personnel Divisions.
1948 (Sep) A single Executive for Administration established;
contained five Staffs, including a Personnel Staff,
each divided on an overt-covert basis; recruitment
and placement combined.
Executive for Administration reorganized into
separate Staffs: an Administrative Support Staff (A&S)
to service overt activities; and a Covert Support
Staff (CSS) --later renamed Special Support Staff
(SSS)--for covert components. Each Staff contained
a Personnel Division in which recruitment and
placement were combined.
1950 (Dec) A&S and SSS combined under Deputy Director for
Administration; Office of Personnel established,
with Personnel Division--Overt (PDO) and Personnel
Division- -Covert (PDC) to handle internal recruitment
and placement; Personnel Procurement Division (PPD)
established for external recruitment.
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1952 (Jun) Career Service Boards established; Placement
officers assigned to work with each.
1953 (Sep) PDO and PDC abolished and their functions
assigned to new Placement and Utilization Division
(P&UD).
1954 (Jun) P&UD renamed Personnel Utilization Division (PUD)
and a new Clandestine Services Branch (CSB) added.
1955 (Jun) PUD renamed Personnel Assignment Division (PAD);
contained Placement Branch (PB) and CSB.
1958 (Jan) PAD and Personnel Procurement Division (PPD)
combined in Personnel Operations Division (POD);
placement functions placed in new Career Services
Support Branch (CSSB), and recruitment subdivided
into Departmental and Field Recruitment Branches.
1962 (Oct) Recruitment Branches became a separate Recruitment
Division, and CSSB replaced by a Placement Branch
organized on a team basis to serve major functional
areas.
1966 (Mar) Office of Personnel reorganized to include three
Deputy Directors of Personnel, each responsible for
a major program area. POD abolished; placement
functions, plus Correspondence and Applicant Files
Branch, and CTP Branch, became Placement
Division under DD/Pers for Recruitment and Placement.
1969 (Sep) Placement Division renamed Staff Personnel Division;
Clerical Staffing Branch assigned to it from Recruitment
Division.
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ORGANIZATION OF OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
.28 March 1466
.Special Activities
Staff -
D puty for Recruitment
and Placement
Deputy for
Aeration
Admim s ,alive
Staff
Deputy for
Planning and Research
Benefits & Servi ces Div.
Contract Personnel
Plans and
is .a- Recruit. Br.
Benefits & Counseling Br.
Division
Eeview Staff
Nash. Recruit. Off.
Rx~ .. Placement Br.
Retirement Br.
CIA Retirement Staff
=SA for Coop. Programs
Insurance Br.
Central Processing Br.
Incentive Awards Br.
~rCl'..'~'e nt Division
Mobilization and Military
Records and
Position Memt and
Tech. Pl. Br.
Personnel Division
Control Division
Corrrensation Div.
lerica.? Assgmt. Br. '?`
Aram Navy, Marine Br.
Trans. & Records Br.
inte-Iligence &
iPBr
Ai
B
F
.
r
orce
r.
Stat. Rept. Br.
Support Br.
Corresponlence Br.
Reserve Br.
Qua!. Anal. Br.
Clandestine Services:
.
Br.
Includes lS
Atta, hmant 2
UP _,=o6 L
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Appendix D
SOURCE REFERENCES
1. The discussion is taken from three main sources: Agency
Tables of Organization, 1946-50, Records Center (S); "CIA
History, " Part II, Chapter X, Historical Staff files (S); inter-
views with individuals involved in the early history of placement
activities.
25X1A
Personnel Administration, an Overview, 1946-68,
Nov 1970,Nov 1971,, p. 11. Historical Staff file. S.
25X1A
3. Historical Statement for the Personnel Office,
19 Jun 52, p. 4. Historical Staff files. S.
Interview
George Meloon,. July 1970.
25X1A
Study on Personnel Recruitment Division,
May 51. Personnel Archives, Records Center. S.
25X1A
7. Interviews wit my 1970.
25X1A
8. Interview wit CIA History
1953-1956, p. 63 ff. , draft. Historical Staff files. S.
25X1A
9. Ibid., p. 33, and interviews with Mr. Meloon and July 1970.
25X1A
10. - Report (6, above).
11. Memo from AD/Pers to C/PDO, C/PDC, 13 Dec 51, concerning
the placement program. OP Archives, Records Center. S.
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13. Memo from DDA to all Assistant Directors, sub: Placement
Follow-up Program, no date but included in Annual Report of
Office of Personnel, 1951. Records Center. S.
14. 1952 Historical Statement (3, above), p. 5.
.15. Annual Reports, Office of Personnel, 1951-53. Records Center.
S.
16. Ibid.
17. Office of Personnel, Placement Branch, PD(O), Statement of
Accomplishments, 1 Jul 52-30 Jun 53, 27 Jul 53. S.
25X1A 25X1A
18. -(8, above), p. 63. This draft by_
a good discussion of Career Service beginnings and early
developments.
19. Progress Report, Placement Branch, in Office of Personnel
Progress Report 1954. Records Center. S.
25X1A
20. -(8, above), pp. 64-70.
21. Ibid.
22. PUD Annual Report, FY 55, in Office of Personnel Annual
Report, FY 55, Jul 55, Tab D. Records Center. S.
23. POD Annual Report FY 58 in Office of Personnel Annual Report,
FY 58. Records Center. S.
24. POD Annual Report, FY 59, in OP Annual Report, FY 59,
Jul 59. Records Center. S.
25. POD Annual Report for FY 60. Records Center. S.
26. POD Annual Report for FY 61, Jul 61. Records Center. S.
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27. Memo fro to DDS, 24 Dec 61, sub:
Recruitment and Selection of Staff Employees: An appraisal.
Recruitment Division files. S.
2 8. Ibid.
29. Ibid.
30. Annual Report of Office of Personnel FY 63, Jul 63. Records
Center. S.
31. POD Annual Report, FY 63, Jul 63. OP Archives, Records
Center. S.
32. Annual R eport 'of Placement Division, FY 63, Jul 63. Records
Center. S.
33. POD Annual Report FY 65, Jul 65. Records Center. S.
34. FY 64., 65 Annual Reports. Records Center. S.
35. Annual Report, DD/Pers /R &F, FY 66, Jul 66. OP Archives,
Records Center. S.
36. FY 67 Annual Report, DD/Pers/R&P, Jul 67. OP Archives,
Records Center. S.
37. Ibid. .
39. ASB Procedures Handbook. Placement Division files. C.
40. FY 68 Annual Report, Placement Division, Jul 68. In
Placement Division files. S.
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42. FY 70 Annual Report, Staff Personnel Division, Jul 70.
SPD files. S.
43. FY 71 Annual Report, SPD, Jul 71. SPD files. S.
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