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Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 09-17-2013 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 

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REF ID:A72445 

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Pale a 'csubparagraph (:r)) 

(:t:') Within AFSA itself, the Director should serve f'or a longer term. 

than the two-year rotational tel'DI provided for at present. He JDW1t be 

a JiBn Of the highest COD!(>etence. Although qualUied witnesses have 

recommended to the Committee that be be a civilian, ve believe that, on 

b&iance, the position should be held tor the first term ot at least four 

years by a career military o:f'f'icer on active or reactivated duty atataa, 

and th&t he should enjo;y at lea.at 3-atar rank while be occupies the off'ice. 

He should have a: civilian deputy; and in other respects (particularly in 

the field of research) the development of' civilian careers should be 

encouriised to a much greater extent than at present. It, as things develop, 

it ahoUld later appear that a civilian could better qualify f'or the position 

ot Director, ve recommem that no sense ot tradition or vested military 

intere'st be allowed to stand in the va;y of' his appointment. 

Page 124. 

RecanJ.end:tions as to 'orpnizatio~ within AFSA itself. - ~ 

.... ~··committee redeived mu.ch teatimo~ f'rom both military and civilian •°*ctta Ve~ critieal'of the situation that exists toc!ay within the AFBA or~izatioh. Thia criticism.was directed against the present organizational. 

structure ot DSA am not against the capability or efficiency of ~ 

individllal occup)'irig a responsible position. . ~t present the directorship of' .AFSA is rotated among the Services, each • '!-, ,~.incumbent holding the position for two years. There vaa not a si11gle 

.. ~ , " '_ ~rJdiv~dual Whom the COJDlllittee questioned on this point who did not express ~ · ~ the ~inion -tbat this tel'Dl was too abort. Recommendations varied f'rom three .. - · ~ yeara to an imetinite or "career" period. Everyone agreed that under the 

· :-· ~ -· J>reaent setup it took a year tor the Director to get his feet under him am 

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·, that be really ozil.T became well trained to perform his ditticult task 

shortly be~ore hi• term ot otf'ice mcpired. The Committee recommend.a strongly 

that .AFSA shoul.d be ac1ministered by a director with a substantially J.onger 

term.,of office. 

·· ~ .vi tries sea differed in their opinion as to whether the director 

should be an otf'icer or a civilian. These ditf'erences by no meana followed 

the atat\Js ot the particular witnesses; one of our senior generals stated 

tlatiy that he should be a civilian, and some other otf'icers said that 

they did not think it DBde great dif'f'erence whether he was a civilian or 

not. The ma.Jority, both military and civilian, expressed the strong view 

that, rightly or wrongly, a civilian would have a bard.er road, and greater 

dif'f'iculties to overcome, unless by cbance be was a retired off'icer with 

good military experience behim him.. Thia question would of' course depend 

in • particul.ar case on the particular personal.ity involved. The pr:Lma.ry 

qualif'ication which should determine the selection of the director is 

CODIPetence, and the thoroughly competent individual may be f'OUlld in any 

t1eld ot endeavor. Bevertheleaa, on balance, the Committee feels that 

initially' the position shou1d be held b;y a career military o:f'f'icer on active 

ar i'eactivated duty status, enjoying at least three-star rank during the 

period. of his incumbency. He should be appointed preferably f'or a term. ot I 

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6 years, but not leas tban 4 years. If', as things develop, it should 

ultiDately' appear that a civilian colild better qualify tor the position, 

it is strongly' recommended that no sense ot tradition or vested military 

interest be allowed to stand in the way ot his appointment. If' the 

director is an officer, he ahoul4 have as his deputy a career c1.vilian. 

The Director should be designated by the President on the nomination ot 

the Secretary ot Defense. 

Below the directorate level, senior positions should be f'illed by 

individuals, whether officer or civilian, who bave a career interest 

in the f'ield ot communications intelligence. We do not believe that these 

positions ahoul4 be limited to civilians, because we are iDPreaaed by the 

testimont given by any witnesses as to the ~ortance of' familiarizing 

the Service organimtions in the f'ield with AJ'SA organization 8lld operations 

by rotating otticera from .AFSA into f'ield positions and then back again. 

Also, the long experience ot several Bavy officers is orae of' the great asset& 

ot the activity today. On the other barid, it would be a DB.jar mistake to 

limit the senior positions to otticers, because it is of the greatest 

importanee to encourage civilians to Dake careers in the COMDT f'ield by 

c1ear demonstration that senior positions will be available to them if' 

their talents merit promotions. · We 'have been disturbed by the testimony as to the high rate o'f turnover 

among AFSA employees. This has been a tremendous handicap to the building 

up ot an efficient organization, as well as a serious hazard from the point 

ot view of' aec'Ltl"ity. One cause, e1111baaized by informed 'W'itneasea, appears 

to be that lll&nY' of' ·the civil.ian eJll)loyees believe that no •tter how long 

they work nor how expert they become, the top positions in the divisions 

vill general.:cy be 'filled by off'icer personnel of' less experience a.lid 

training than they. Another f'aator during the past year was undoubtedly 

the decision (subsequently' cancelled) to move the entire AFSA eatabl.ishment 

to Fort Know. 

To produce COMIJIT aterial requires as high a protesaioml skill as 

any·other applied science, arid perhaps ceyptanalyais and intelligence 

baaed on ceyptam.17sia require lODger training and experience than moat 

other acientif'ic fields. The COMIBT agencies today a.re in poor position 

to caqpete f'or the people they need. They cannot of'f'er comparable salaries; 

they caLmiot give the tangible rewards of' public aervice such aa the 

recognition at the community; they cannot otter the opportunity to acquire 

a •kill usable in private lif'e. We are not O!lly' not attracti!Jg capable young 

people in the numbers tbat are needed, but we are losing JD1!m7 that we have 

had in the past. Apparently there are only ten or f'if'teen top flight 

cryptaml.yata lef't at Arlington Ball out ot tbe much larger number who were 

in the COMil'T ettort during the War. In this connection, none of' the socall.ed super-grades bas been allocated to .AFSA. Only under the present 

Direct<>T'va.s application for such grades ma.de; it ia uriderstood tbat the 

pending appl.ication is stalled today because all authorized super-gracSes 

have been allocated elsewhere in the Government. 

The Committee Clim1ot venture to prescribe methods of' solving these 

• personnel problems, except to emphasize what has been said as to the importance 

of' making careers in the Agency attractive and to recommend. that a study 

shoul.d be made as to the deairabil.ity of increasing salaries paid to the key 

individuals. On the military aide, a corresponding study should be initiated 

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on the question of extemling to the Ar11S¥ and to the Air Force the policy 

noW' 1n1t'orce in the Ravy at DB.king communications intelligence a career 1 ••I r assignment, and ot recognizing its iJll>ortance by promotions to general or . :f'l.8.g raiik f'or those who achieve success in the f'ield& 

The Committee also adopts the recommendation made to it by BCAG .. (the Scient1f'1c Communicationa .Advisory Group ref'erred to more f'ul.J.y below) 

that the Director shoul.d have a civilian chief technical assistant who 

vobld have under him all research am development in the ceyptanal.ytic f'ield. 

Thi• research work requires the employment at expert career men to an even 

greater extent than other AFSA departments. The Director should provide for increased participation by represent--

ati ves 1 of each of the agencies eligible to receive OOMDVT in those offices 

at .AFSA where priorities at intercept and crY,Ptanalyais are f'iDa.lly determined. 

~ Page 138 

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g~eater civilianization, according to SCAG, is absolutely necessary in 

that branch at .AFSA which ia charged with the conduct at technical research. 

Ma.DY" scientists and 11&themtic:l.ans in recent years have f'elt the appeal of' 

the im.Portance and JQ'Btery of' the OOMIIT ef'f'ort, only to draw away upon 

develoi>ing closer contact because they have :felt it impossible or frustrating 

(whether rightly or wrongly na.kes little ditterence) to work within the 

military hierarchy'. It is SCA.G's contention that AFSA has, because of 

dif'ficuJ.ties in contract relations and errors of Judgment, so inclured its 

reputation in scientific circles as to make both COJllP9.:b.1ea and individuals 

somewhat vary at doing business with it. The contention is baaed upon an 

alleged lack of_ rapport between the military and the aivilian, particularly 

in the, f'ield ot abstract scienae &l'ld i ta appurtenance a. There ia probably mu.ch 

to be said on both aid.ea, but civilianisation at C<XrNT's more abstruse technical 

activities would probab~ do much to provide a remedy. 

::Cn such a h~ technica1 f'ield the Committee can do no more t.ban 

:record tl:ieae responsible opinions f'urniahed to it. It is entirely possible I ~ •• that the results at a better organized ettort will be negative, but if' 

they ¥ereonly in part aucceaaful, they vould produce 1Df'arnation of much 

greater importance than we are now obtaining through the expenditure at 

Diuch larger amounts at the more orthodox sources. .. 

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