CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00780R001900090006-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 16, 2006
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: September 8, 1967
• Content Type: MF

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Executive Director -Comptroller
7E 12 Hqs.
Attached is an interesting resume of his experi-
ences on Capitol Hill 1 Er-W one of our Con-
gressional Fellows- f DCS--who
served with Congressman Lipscomb (R., Cal.)
and Senator Mundt. (Our other Congressional
Fellow- of OSA--served with Senator
Percy.)
You may not have time to scan all of
report, but I think you may want to see the last
part tabbed "Summary."
SIGNED R. L. Bannerman
R. L. Bannerman
2 7 b - _ ?967
Deputy Director for Support 7D 18 Hqs
AEO DD/S:WFV:ews (26 Sept 67)
Distribution:
Orig - Adse w/O of att (DD/S 67-4858)
i ' DD/S Subject w/T of att
1 DD/S Chrono
DD/S 67-4858: Memo dtd 8 Sept 67 to D/TR thru Assis. for Plans & DCS
fr subj: Congressional Fellowship Program
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XCHORAMM FMt Dirsator of Training
Assistant for Plans
Domestic Contact Service
SUBJECT; Congressional Fellowship Program
tbs attached evaluation at t Congressional.
I have prepsre4
la classified SECS since it alludes to 8a 1satelligence
to assess CIA as it is viewed from Congress3 thin after all bras
- statement
pest of the ob jecttive. please note that this separate,
I have also included.a., ? stater nt in which attempt is made,
Fe7.7rowabiD Pr'ogrem Pri* rill as a guide to llitin'e partioipgnts.
Estimates. While the remainder is unclassif i it should be
handled with discretion in view of the con
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Congressional Fellowship Program
1966 - 1967
Introduction
To the political scientists nothing can quite equal Congress
for fascination. It probably all began with Congressional Government,
a monumental text authored by Woodrow Wilson. In 1954, the American
Political Science Association secured a grant from the Ford Founda-
tion to subsidize a small group of scholars for a year in Congress.
From that beginning,,the program was broadened to include journalists,
executive branch officials and, more recently, foreigII scholars and
goverment leed.ers. While some may argue th$t Congress has acquiesced
in yielding more and more power to the Executive Branch, it is still
very much the eiutev of gravity'in shaping and remolding Federal
programs. This is the impetus for the continuing examination of
Congress through the Congressional Fellowship Program.
Initial Orientation
The program gets underway in mid-November of each year prior to
the start of the Session. The APSA assumes full responsibility for
all program participants and directs the Pro= independent of the
Civil Service Commission.
To simplify matters, the APSA arbitrari assigns Fellows to
the House and the Senate, dividing the body to two groups. This
also results in more convenient sized groups for the seminar sessions
since groups of 20 are much better than 40 fz m the standpoint of
optimum interchange with the guest speakers. The orientation period
is devoted to perspectives on Congress; one week lobbyists are heard,
the next week executive branch officials, then journalists, etc.
These sessions are occasionally interspersed with "good of the
order" meetings where you are counseled on office assignments, what
to expect, whom to see in offices, etc. The Congressional Fellow
is strictly on his own when it comes*to finding his Congressman and
Senator. His best asset is the confidential file contributed by
predecessor Fellows -- these evaluations alert him to those offices
which should be avoided and those which in the past have fully
utilized the Congressional Fellow.
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House Assignment-. Glenard P. Lipscomb
Criteria
the House assignment, my interest concentrated
on In considering Aand, more particularly, Defense matters. I accepted
Appropriations
the advice heard during the Orientation that the Committee Staff
I met
experience would be too restrictive. Still as a starting po ,
first with Ken Sprinkel, the Staff Director,, thinking he would have
good advice to narrow the choice. He counseled against majority
members on ground that they pretty much looked to the Committee Staff,
so much so that I would have little chance to participate in the
p Lipscomb,
hearings process. Minority members such add .sBoourt woandaMr.ro~
on the other hand, had eully on committee matters.
probably spend my energies
Both-Mr. Bow and 14r. Lipscomb were out of town until the first
week of January. But, in the meantime I tad become acquainted with
their Administrative Assistants and: felt lither office would taken with be the
good choice. When Mr. Bow returned, be seemed quite prospect though he intended to place me with Bob Gresham, his
minority crnsmitteeman. This offered somedisadvaatages, since I
would be working two buildings away from %he Congressman. Also,
both Mr. Bow and Mr. Gresham were sensitive to Mr. Lipscomb wanting
me, and while making it clear that they cabld ~ really
ally ruse meb did not
pressure me to take the job over Mr. Lipso6mb riot' member on the
it looked as if Mr. Lipscomb, the ranking
Defense Subcommittee, was the better selection. (Gil Lekander and
all of Mr. Bow' a staff radiated the same genial warmth a t Fellow).
Congressman - his office is a good prospect for any future
office-Experience
The first two weeks were spent "paring Over volumes of previous
Defense hearings, committee reports and minority views. This step
was essential to any constructive perspective for what was to come
later. When the Annual Posture Statement arrived I prepared a
statement (short - 2000 words) for the Congressman. in tathe beginning
to
of the year, the principal committee members engage
acquaint new members with the Budget process and to serve as an
overture to the Hearings. The statement I had prepared was for this
occasion; it also identified what I had recognized as issues in the
Administration's Defense Budget. The Congressman, thinking perhaps
that it tipped his hand too much, decided to hold it for the July
flo-or debate on the Defense Bill, opting for committee prepared notes
instead. Still, be insisted that it was on track, and I at least had
learned which lines of questioning should be pursued for the hearings.
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-3-
The next and perhaps largest project was to prepare a speech
which the Congressman had agreed to give in New York on March 8 to
the American Management Association Briefing Session on East-West
Trade. Mr. Lipscomb has long been a leading critic of expanded
East-West Trade and for that matter all areas;. of relations with the
Soviet Bloc which do not embrace an "elemental reciprocity". Bill
Sullivan, with whom I worked side-by-side thz9ughout the assignment,
had prepared the floor speech (Jan 17) to s rt the Congressman's
resolution for a Select Committee on East-West Trade. What was
needed for the New York speech was a more comprehensive expose of
the possible dangers, however. So it was decided that I would do
the research and draft the speech,. leaving Bill to concentrate on
Defense. The subject was so large that I found myself fully engaged
for three weeks in research and almost two more in preparing the
speech. Later, I went to New York two days ii advance of the
Congressman and Mel Miller, the Administrative~Assiste.nt, to scout
the opposition. The Bloc presentations (Shevc nko, Malov, and four
commercial counselors from the satellite natioas) were generally
ill-prepared and their responses to questions $oorer. So as the
Congressman's turn came, it seemed we had a tbi nder-clapper,
particularly since everyone else had been treating the subject
purely in favorable terms. After the speech,!hings were pretty
tense. Mr. Malov, the President of Amtorg, gale the ultimate tribute
when he rose to exclaim: "Mr. Lipscomb, everything you say in your
speech about the Soviet Union is a lie". More reassuring and compli-
mentary was the strong support to the Congressman's views given by
Harry Swartz (N.Y. Times expert on Soviet Affairs) In his follow-on
address. The speech had impact beyond the Briefing Session, being
quoted in the U.S. News World Report, many newspapers, and reprinted
in "Vital Speeched of the Day."
Still, the hours spent on research and writing tendslto dis-
associate me from the Congressman. I managed to keep-up with
Defense justifications and contribute questions, but suffered from
lack of interchange with Mr. Lipscomb on what was useful. (Only
about 10% of the questions I prepared were asked, though admittedly
some of the others were dupligated by other committee members'
questions.) This phenomenon was not an exclusive experience; both
Bill Sullivan and Mel Miller must also operate with a minimum of
direction, placing premium value on the Administrative Assistant.
There are disadvantages to working for a senior member whose .
responsibilities as leader of the second largest State delegation,
and committee assignments (he is quite active in State and USIA
particularly with the long absence of Mr. Bow due to illness) keep
him taxed to the limit. He has only an hour early in the morning
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for the staff - his free Fridays and evening time are booked with
appointments. Under these circumstances, no matter how many times
you're encouraged to "butt-in", you tend to work far more with the
Administrative Assistant than perhaps would be the case in other
offices.
As to other activities there was a floor speech on the Star III
Submarine, a Public Works project, a few &tension of Remarks, letters
and some work on legislation, but my initial commitment to Defense
appropriations was unimpaired. I had access to all transcripts,
justifications, etc. If it did not add meaningfully to the Congress-
man's preparation, it nevertheless was very rewarding personally.
The Staff
From what has already been said, perhaps it is obvious that the
Congressman has a very able and dedicated staff. Some might find it
overly so, lacking the frivolity and general good-humored repartee
usually prevalent - I did not. An amazing quantity of uniformly
high caliber mail flows out every day - an average of 90 to 100
letters, I would say. The constituents are articulate, inquisitive,
and demanding. This means that everyone heaves to - it's a 50 hour
or longer week, from the Administrative Assistant on down, and no
grumbling. Turnover has been high in the past but the Congressman's
staff is mature - all but two 40 or older. Mel Miller, the
Administrative Assistant has the stamina and, seemingly, an unbounded
tolerance for heavy workload. The third draft of a speech or letter
is scrutinized just as carefully as the first. Bill Sullivan is
equally hard working, sticking to his desk many times after 8 PM,
consistently in on Saturdays and frequently on Sundays.
,,needed. He has a fanatical attachment to discharging responsibilities
accepts. This more than any other factor drives him to the limits
The Congressman
Mr. Lipscomb could be categorized as a moderate conservative,
posturing a Nixon-like stance, especially on foreign policy. On
domestic issues, he favors private sector response to domestic
problems first then government action all else failing. He is.not,
however, to be associated with extreme right positions, and works
hard at the moderate image. For example, as an advocate of strong
defense, he can be counted to press for larger appropriations when
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of endurance and reduces the attention he can give to lesser pri-
orities. He is scrupulous in observing the public trust - to the
point of refusing honorariums when asked to speak. Setting high
standards for himself, he is equally demanding in what he expects
from others. Because he is always behind the clock, those who
work for him must get the message the first time around. Sometimes
it is difficult for him to understand your problems, particularly
if it takes time to explain.
Senate Assignment: Earl E. Mundt
Criteria
In considering my Senate assignment, I was seeking an office
which would expand on the substance acquired while serving with
Congressman Olen Lipscomb.
Initially I contacted the office of Richard Russell. Bill
Jordan (Executive Secretary) advised me to par" other offices be-
cause the Senator was, in his opinion, totally self-informed on the
subject of appropriations; and if assigned to that office, I would
be concentrating on constituency problems exclustrely.
Thereafter, visits were made to the offices at Stennis,
McClellan, Symington, Thurmond, Dominick, Milton Toung, Allott,
Tower, Javits, and fit. Because of my previous association with
Glenard P. Lipscomb and his notoriety with respect to East-West
Trade, the offices of Senators Thurmond and Mundt :seemed more inter-
Cif {.CLL bIUOU 1,11G V I. J.O.
For various reasons I decided to affiliate with Senator Mundt.
For one thing, he had been the leader in the Consular Treaty debate,.
and the Administrative Assistant seemed to feel that I would be
useful in the continuing deliberation on the related issue of
East-West Trade. The Senator also agreed to let me continue with
Defense Appropriations.
Office Experience
My efforts were divided almost equally between the office of
the Senator and the Permanent Investigations Subcommittee of the
Government Operations Committee. A major address was prepared for
the Senator on the subject of East-West Trade, dwelling on the
strategic implications and the significance restraint of trade
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might have on the war in Vietnam. Thereafter, speeches were pre-
pared to support the Senator during the Export-import Bank debate,
leading to the successful amendment of the bill to prohibit credits
for the Fiat plant which had been proposed. Numerous other speeches
were prepared, all of which were delivered, on the subject of the
adequacy of our national defense.
Approximately halfway through the assignment, I was detailed
to the Permanent Investigations Subcommittee for investigation of
the F-111 advanced tactical fighter. Inasmuch as the manner and
substance of this investigation is considered "committee confidential",
I an not at liberty to comment on this investigation other than to
say that concentrating on the F-111 program and other Defense con-
tracts under review afforded a depth of knowledge on major weapon
systems that simply could not be otherwise acquired.
The Subcommittee is an unique subculture comprising individuals
whose talents and pursuit of objectivity ere unparallelled in my
experience. Much of the successful modif1 ation of the appropriation
request stems from spadework done by this $ubcommlttee in support of
Senators McClellan, Mundt and Jackson.
Office organization
The Senator's utilization of his staff could best be explained
by an individual assessment of the various elements that contribute
to his effectiveness.
Administrative Assistant: The Senator's staff is specialized
with overall supervision and scrutiny applied by Bob McCaughey who
is really a'Deputy Senator. Easy-going, but demanding, he applies
discipline only when required. He is generally well-informed, -
keeping abreast with the activities of the LA and the Press Aide.
Be reviews and approves aLxost everything. (appointments, corres-
pondence, transcripts, legislation, policy papers, speeches,
articles - everything for that matter I can think of). He sorts
all the mail for assignment, and will dictate as many as fifty
letters himself in any given day. At different intervals, he
speaks an average of 40 minutes to an hour with the Senator each
day. He earns his keep twice over. I'm told that the Administrative
Assistants and Executive Secretaries Club ranked him amon6 the Top
Ten AA's in the Senate in a poll conducted a few years ago.
 (.
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Le illative Assistant: Bob Ruddy is a former Assistant
Attorney General from Sou Dakota and has been with the Senator,
in one capacity or another since 1960. He handles all mail on
legislative matters and keeps the Senator up to 4ate on pending
matters (amendments, bills, and the undercurrents of the legis-
lative mill). During the Consular Treaty debates, I gather he was
the speech man, too. The has taken on the "esprit de corps" mission,
organizing softball games, parties (the office is quite social) and
takes advantage of any excuse to promote harm ny:and togetherness.
Press Aide: Walter Oonahan has been with tDe Senator since the
mid-19505,, hewing served on the staff of two Coq*ressmen previously.
A day doesn't pass without some new angle favorable to the Senator's
activities being developed for the information media. Copy flows
from his typewriter in steady streams of perfect prose, each item
enriched with a newly turned phrase. As Bob Ruddy has said, his
capacity to be on top of the newsworthy incidents in the day-to-day
activities of the Senator is simply beyond belief.
Constituency: Agriculture is the number one industry in South
Dakota, hard durum wheat and cattle being the chief products. (It
is also the leading gold producer in the U.S.) Sioux Falls (65,000),
Rapid City (42,399 , and Aberdeen (23,073) are the largest cities
with no others exceeding 20,000 in population. Nevertheless, state
politics is a considerable preoccupation of the Senator and the
Administrative Assistant. With the exception of three secretaries,
the entire staff consists of native South Dakotans, almost all of
whom have been through at least two Senatorial elections. If there
is a lesson in the Senator's experience, it is that success comes
only through constant vigil and tender ministration to the electorate.
The Senator visits the State as frequently as possible and is in
touch with the State via TV and rdAio weekly; by phone daily. Ike is
not above rejecting constituency interest for higher principle, even
when pressured, as is attested by his East-West Trade record.
The Senator: Senator Mundt is one of the most senior Republi-
cans now active in Congress. The Senator has served continuously in
the Congress longer than any other Republican member now in the
Senate. Formerly a college professor and businessman, he entered
the race for Congress in-1938 at the urging of close friends who
felt he was a natural for politics.
Over the years he has been active in conservation (most re-
cently identified with the preservation of whooping cranes and other
endangered species), internal security and East-West relations. The
Senator is perhaps best remembered as the author of Public Law 402
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the Smith-Mundt Act which founded USIA. As ;;!ark Msllenhoff has
said, the most prominent and successf' of poiiticans have been
those identified with investigations. The Senator fits the char-
acterization having served as Chairman: of the Army-McCarthy
hearings, a key interrogator on the TFX hearings, and during this
session exposing AID failures in Vietnam.
In terms of qualifying his political style, he is distinctly
an inside man, working within the structure of the Republican
Policy Committee and drawing on personal allegiance developed over
many years of leadership in the Republican Party.
He relies on his staff to surface the undercurrent and momentum
of issues, occasionally striking out a new course for the Republican
Party. He is prominent in national leadership had can be expected
to play a leading role in the 1968 National Convention.
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CIA and Congress
Congressional attitude toward the Agency polarizes between two
points of view. To members of liberal persuasion, the Agency impairs
accommodation with the Soviet Bloc when it counsels that communism
remains dedicated to world domination in the face of evidence they
accept that international communism is fragmenting into national
socialist states. The conservatives, on the other hand, wonder why
the Agency is not alerting policy makers to dangers in conciliatory
tactics which only lead the communist world to greater miscalculation
of western resolve, and encourage more venturesos disruption in the
international arena.
During the fellowship, I observed several instances which are
illustrative of favorable and unfavorable reaction to Agency inter-
ests. There can be no question that the MR prepaied report on the
Soviet-Fiat plant was ultimately controllieg in the Senate's decision
to deny Export-Import Bank funding of proposed purchases of machine-
tools needed to equip the plant. The report reasoned that the pro-
ductive capacity of the proposed plant would not impair Soviet
military. programs and would in fact produce,automobiles only in
quantities sufficient to satisfy the demand of the managerial
elite. The contention of the proponents for O.S. financing of the
sale was that the Fiat plant would trigger major diversion of
Soviet economic resources to the automobile industry at the expense
of the military sector.
In another instance, while I was working in Senate Investigations,
CIA estimates were equally crucial in determining whether the Navy
F-111 fighter should continue in'research and development as opposed
to production. The Navy Department was seeking authorization for
series production in the 1968 Budget, a decision which could only
have been justified in the face of an imminent threat. (CIA
estimated the most likely threat to be only one fourth the level-
being quoted by Navy.) Had production been authorized, when vital
performance features remain gravely impaired, the Navy would have
been saddled with a deficient fighter for many years to come. This
is the role Congress originally envisaged for CIA. That is, the
objective witness, unimpaired by parochial departmental interests,
who can be relied upon to testify to truth of the matter.
In m' opinion, the CIA must be ever cautious to avoid prefer-
ential status in legislation. Here we are vulnerable to an
unhealthy skepticism accrued over the years. To diminish this
impression, we should abstain from lobbying for exceptional
privileges which seemingly would place the Agency apart from an
above the law.
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To conclude,- I heartily endorse Agency participation in the
Oongressional Fellowship Program. The rewards to the individual are
unquestionably of a very high order. Even ogre important, however,
is the by-product derived for the Agency. The House and Senate
off ices benefit from the additional manpowers particularly if the
individual is well informed on matters of interest to the member.
Not to be underestimated is the threshold factor. Many other
exposures are afforded through your association with Congressional
Fellows as a group and the inevitable contacts with perif eral ele-
ments concentrating on Congressional affairs.
 DATE
26 September 1967
TO: Mr. B`anneri~i i via Mr. Wj("Id and
Attached is a note transmitting our
Congressional Fellowship report up to
Col. White.
FORM RFES M 55 L41 REPLACES FORM 36-8
WHICH MAY BE USED.
Recommend your signature.