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104-10111-10076

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

SECRET

(When Filled In)

RECOMMENDATIÓN FOR HONOR OR MERIT AWARD

(Submit in triplicato - see HR 20-37)

SECTION A

PERSONAL DATA

EMP. SER.NO..

2.

NAME OF PERSON RECOMMENDED (Lost, First.Middle)

S. POSITION TITLE

059090

Christ

David Lamar

C/AP/ORD/DD/S&7

GRADE

16

5.

SD

R

6. OFFICE OF

ASSIGNMENT

7. OFFICE EXT. (If has) |

STATION

ORD

3486

HEADQUARTERS

FIELD (Specify location)

HOME ADDRESS (No., 5t.,City, State,LIP Code)

10.

HOME PHONE

11. CITIZENSHIP AND HOW ACQUIRED

6212 Maiden Lane, Bethesda, Md.,: 20034

656-2127

USA,

Birth

T2. RECOMMENDED AMARD

18.

RETIRING. DATE OF RETIREMENT

18.

Intelligence Medal of Merit

30 November 1970

YES

15. NAME OF NEXT OF KIN

16. RELATIONSHIP 17. HOME ADDRESS (NO.,St. City, State, ZIP Code)

Wilma M. Christ

SECTION B

RECOMMENDATION

FOR

AWARD FOR HEROIC ACTION OR ACCEPTANCE OF HAZARD

19. WERE YOU AN EYEWITNESS TO THE ACT

Wife

IPES

6212 Maiden Lane, Bethesda, Md.

POSTHUMOUS

X| но

18. HOME PHOI

656-2121

NO

PERSONNEL IN IMMEDIATE VICINITY OR WHO

ASSISTED IN ACT OR SHARED IN SAME HAZARD:

20. FULL NAME

28. ORGN. TITLE

22. GRADE

23. OFFICE OF

ASSIGNMENT.

LIST ANY OF THE ABOVE PERSONS GIVEN AN AWARD OR RECOMMENDED FOR AWARD FOR PARTICIPATING IN ACT:

25. AWARD RECOMMENDED

24. FULL NAME

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ACT WAS PERFORMED:

26- LOCATION

27. INCLUSIVE DATES

28. TIME OF DAY

29- PREVAILING GEOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS AND OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED

RETURN TO CIA

Background.Use Only

Do Not Reproduce

30. DATES FOR WHICH AWARD RECOMMENDED

31.

ASSIGNMENT COMPLETED

YES

NO

SECTION C

RECOMMENDATION FOR AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT, SERVICE,

33. DO YOU HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE SERVICE OR PERFORMANCE

ITES

3R. OFFICIAL ASSIGNMENT OF PERSON RECOMMENDED AT TIME OF SERVICE OR

PERFORMANCE

Chief, Applied Physics Division

35. COMPONENT OR STATION (Designation and location)

Office of Research and Development

36. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ASSIGNED POSITION...

32. NOW IN SAME OR RELATED ASSIGNMENT

YES

NO

PERFORMANCE

то I

Direct efforts of 10 professional research and development, scientists.

37.

INCLUSIVE DATES FOR WHICH RECOMMENDED

38.

ASSIGNMENT

COMPLETED

39.

NOW

IN SAME OR

RELATED ASSIGNMENT

Nov. 1950 - Nov. 1970

PERSONNEL WHO ASSISTED OR CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO

11950ST 0 OR 197076O SUES ANALY TO THE SERVICE OR PERFORMANCE

NO

40. FULL NAME

41. ORGN. TITLE

42.

GRADE

43. OFFICE OF ASSIGNMENT

LIST ANY OF THE ABOVE PERSONS GIVEN AN AWARD OR RECOMMENDED FOR AWARD FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE PERFORMANCE

11- FULL NAME

15. TYPE OF AWARD

FORM 600 USE

9-68

SECRET

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## Page 2

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(When Filled In)

HARRATIVE DESCRIPTION

SECTION D

Award for Heroic Action or Acceptance of Hazard: Was act voluntary? Describe why oct was outstanding, and if it was more than normally expected.

Exploin, why, and how.

If an aerial or marine operation, describe type and position of craft, crew position of individual, and all unusual circumstances.

Indicate results of the act. Enclose unclassified citation.

Award for Achievement, Service, or Performance: State character of service during period for which recommended. (Give complelo description of admin-

istrative, technical, or professional duties and responsibilitios il not covered in Section C; include dates of assignment and relief.) What did the individual

do that merits the award? Why was this outstanding when compared to others of like grade and experience in similar positions or circumstances?

appropriate, include production records and assistance rendered by other persons or units.

What obstacles were encountered or overcome?

sults of achievemenl, servico, or performance.

Include reference to Fitness Reports, Letters of Commendation, or other documentation already on file which

supports this recommendation. Enclose unclassified citation.

Mr. David L. Christ is recommended for the Intelligence Medal

of Merit in recognition of his career of especially meritorious service

which has contributed significantly to the missions of CIA.

Mr. Christ joined CIA in November of 1950 as the first research

and development electronics engineer in what has evolved as TSD.

created an Applied Physics Branch setting high standards for himself

and the R&D engineers he recruited.

His accomplishments included the

anti-disturbance mine and the time pencil, both of which are still

Agency stock items, and an IR beacon.

As a pioneer in audio surveillance

devices, he recognized very early that the use of systems concept

would be most productive in meeting Agency needs.

As part of his

development program, his efforts led to

the establishment of specialized

contract facilities

such as Baird Atomic) which in 1953 was the first

Agency source of transistorized equipment. 4

In early 1957, Mr. Christ was made Chief of what is now the Audio

Operations Branch of TSD and, realizing that a drastic upgrading of

the caliber of field technicians was required, began aggressively re-

cruiting and training graduate engineers.

His

high standards and

efforts

in this area are reflected in the fact that the majority of

TSD Audio mid-management personnel were recruited by him.

In September

1960, he and two associates were apprehended while on an operation in

¡N CONTINUED ON ATTACHED SHEET

ENCLOSURES (Liat individually) IF ORIGINATOR IS NOT AN

EYEWITNESS OR DOES NOT HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE ACT

OR PERFORMANCE, ATTACH AFFIDAVITS OF EYEWITNESS

OR INDIVIDUALS HAVING PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACTS.

1. PROPOSED CITATION

2.

3.

47-

RECOMMENDATION INITIATED BY

Biles э. Сы

Robert

M. Chapman

SECTION E

50.

TITLE AND.

49. DATE

Director of Research and

Development

RECOMMENDATION FORWARDED THROUGH OFFICIALS CONCERNED FOR THEIR INFORMATION

TITLE AND SIGNATURE

R

HEAD OF

(Career service of nomince)

CAREER SERVICE

Carl E. Duckett, Deputy Director

for Science and Technology

58.

TITLE

AND SIGNATURE

DATE

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CAREER SERVICE

Carl E. Duckett, Deputy Director

for Science and Technology

52.

TITLE AND SIGNATURE

DATE

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF OPERATING COMPONENT

Carl E. Duckett, Deputy Director

for Science and Technology

SECRET

2 NOV 1970

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-SESHET

Section D (Cont'd)

a denied area. His exemplary conduct and personal courage

during the resulting two and one-half years incarceration

permitted the maintenance of

and

a very difficult cover situation

successful extraction of all three men.

Upon his return, Mr. Christ joined the Office of Research

and Development soon after its inception, assisting in the

definition and establishment of the various divisions.

Under

his early guidance, the over-the-horizon radar program developed

finally into an operational system.

His sensitivity to the

needs of Agency operational elements based upon his experience,

his

technical

expertise and his dedicated desire to broaden

the technological capabilities of the Agency precipitated

his development of a major coordinated program of accelerated

R&D to provide the clandestine services with a number of new

audio surveillance techniques of which the laser probe is an .

example, and his conception and direction of the Microtechnology

R&D program.

Within this program, the success of the micro-

power transistor led to the award of Medals of Merit to two

scientists under his supervision. Other progeny of the micro-

technology concept are three novel intelligence gathering

systems to function in the air, in space, and in the sea

environments, one of which is approaching operational status.

Mr. Christ has also been responsible for pioneering efforts

Audio Surveillance Countermeasures, first pro-

posing the application of computers to the problem.

Mr. Christ's imaginative leadership and inspiration to

those working with him, his broad scope of interest, his resource-

fulness, and philosophical devotion to the cause of the Agency

United States have provided this Agency with an individual

whose unique efforts and accomplishments over his 20 years

service are worthy of this recognition.

SEGRET

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