Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-12
Two Secret Agencies
60 Outside Area for
Good Stenographers
By Colt HendIey, Jr.


Two super-Secret Federal
agencies today said they have
been going outside Of Washing
ton to recruit good Stenogra-
pliers" and certain specialists"
because they are not available
locally.
This situation exists in spite of
the substantial reduction in the
number of Federal employees in
the Washington area during the
past year.
The two agencies who admit
ted they have been forced to
this procedure are the Central
Intelligence Agency and the Ma
tional Security Agency. Both
are classified as Super-SenSitive
agencies.
Outside Civil Service.
These two agencies. along
with a number of others includ-
ing the Federal Bureau of IN
vestigation, the Atomic Energy
Commission and the Tennessee
Valley Authority, operate outside
of civil service. They have
their own personnel Setup and
are not subject to control of the
Civil Service Commission.
The Civil Service Commission
said some 1880 Federal en-
ployes have been fired since
January l in the Washington
area. There is no breakdown
available on how many of these
are stenographerS.
The commission, following an
administration policy. has made
the placement of fired career
workers in other Government
jobs the top order of business
wherever possible. Career en-
ployeS are those who have per-
manent civil service status and
range from the lowest salary
bracket up.
Thousands Ask for Help.
So far, 1900 fired career en-
ployes have applied to the COM
mission for help in this area.
The commission said it has been
able to find new jobs in other
agencies for about 900 of these.
A spokesman for the Central
Intelligence Agency said the
agency has been trying to find
good stenographers" and just
hasn't been able to find enough
qualified people in the Wash
ington area.
I'VE want just plain, good
Stenographers," he said. I'VE
are not recruiting high-leveI
personnel at this time"
He said efforts have been
made to find qualified Stenog-
raphers from the lists of fired
employees and locally through
the District office of the United
States Employment Service.
When these efforts fail, recruit
ing of workers is tried in other
cities, he added.
Problem Misunderstood.
A spokesman for the National
Security Agency said the whole
problem has been misunderstood.
He. too, said every effort has
been made to fill the agency'S
vacancies from the lists of fired
career employees.
when we go out of the Wash
ington area, we are looking for
specialists who are not found
here usually" he declared.
He said the agency preferred
to recruit clerical help from the
local area. The turnover among
loWer-paid workers is heavier if
they are recruited from outside
the area, he added.
Both the CHA and the NSA
spokesman said their agencies
were doing everything possible to
conform to the administration
policy Of relocating fired career
employees.
Order so to 100.
Fred Hetzel, director of USES
here, said all efforts to recruit
workers elsewhere were ordered
by his Office after the agencies
apparently failed to find the
workers they sought locally.
Mr.. Hetzel said an agency Che
was unable to divulge the agen-
cieS by name because of a law
usually sent an order in for so
or maybe 100 clerical workers.
The USES then referred people
from their lists to the agencies.
The agency then might tell
him to advertise elsewhere, he
continued. In this case, he
would instruct USES offices in
other cities to advertise and re-
cruit the workers.
One advertisement run in a