MEMORANDUM

DEC 1 9 1968

There have been some reports that the new Administration
might consider making blanket statements that all Civil
Service employees will be retained in the new Administra-
tion. It should be borne in mind that there is a
tendency in the last days of any Administration to put
certain individuals whom the outgoing Administration wants
to remain a part of the governmental structure into the
highest grades of the Civil Service. Such individuals
may or may not be acceptable to the new Administration.
Care should therefore be taken in making blanket state-
ments although obviously, the normal Civil Service em-
ployees should be protected.

[L.C.]

ROBERT B. ANDERSON

ONE ROCKEFELLER PLAZA
NEW YORK, N. Y. 10020

January 10, 1969

MEMORANDUM FOR DR. HENRY KISSINGER

As I discussed with you by telephone, one of the most difficult problems of government is the civilian dealing with an established bureaucracy. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Department of State where they have come to adopt a philosophy that any problem whatever nature is theirs for a policy making solution so long as it is one foot outside the United States or involves the relations with foreign countries.

This means, in my judgment, that it must be clearly understood from the beginning that policy is made by the President and by his appointed staff and not simply acquiesced in when what is described as the "departmental position" has been prepared by the staff. A failure along this line can have serious repercussions throughout the entire term of the Administration.

Just as one example, the Undersecretary of Administration, Department of State, now has responsibility for the assignment of career officers plus all budgetary matters. Because these two are put together Congressmen looking at the budget take a very strong hand in demanding a voice in the assignment of personnel under threat that appropriations will be reduced if assignments pleasing to them are not made.

It would seem to me that the budget making ought to be in the hands of one individual who has no capacity in the State Department other than budget making, while administrative activities

-2-

are placed in the hands of another individual
who is completely independent of budget making.
This simply means splitting the job that is now
held by one Undersecretary, but believe me the
effect of it can be very great.

There are many other matters of the
same kind that I will be happy to discuss with
you or Bill Rogers if you would like me to do
so.

Obviously, I do not speak from any sense
of ill will of any kind but rather from the long
experience which I had in the government in work-
ing directly with President Eisenhower. I shall
be glad to supply such other information as you
may require.

With kindest regards,

Yours sincerely,

JAN 13 1969

January 11, 1969

MEMORANDUM

TO: ROGERS
FROM: RN

cc: Goodpaster and Kissinger

While some of the conclusions he reaches may be overstated, I think it might be constructive for you to see some of Bob Anderson's observations with regard to the problems you will face in dealing with the State Department staff. (See attached letter from Anderson)

I have suggested that Bob, at your convenience, talk to you directly so that you can appraise his views for whatever they are worth.

# # #

ROBERT B. ANDERSON

January 10, 1969

President-elect
Richard M. Nixon
(By Hand)

Dear Mr. President,

One of the characteristics of our system of government is the fact that whenever anyone is appointed to Cabinet responsibility they necessarily inherit a well established and long experienced bureaucracy. For the most part these are dedicated civil servants who have given a lifetime career to their particular department. However, immediately a Cabinet officer is appointed he goes on trial by the permanent staff. It is a test really to determine whether he in fact is going to be the master of his department making the primary policy decisions, or whether he is going to rely substantially upon his staff to make recommendations which are then translated into policy decisions by his signature. Obviously, the permanent staff would prefer that they be the guiding masters in each department. They are making a serious effort to accomplish this result. I suppose this is human because they live with the department's problems permanently.

On the other hand, if a Cabinet official makes it clear that he is going to be the master of his own department and make his own independent decisions, he arouses a certain amount of hostility at bureaucratic levels who feel that they are being directed by a man of lesser experience than they.

-2-

It is obvious that perhaps the most entrenched bureaucracy in our government is the State Department. Traditionally these people believe that the moment any problem arises offshore it is automatically within the custody of the policy making power of the State Department. They propose to have people who can cope with the world's best in financial matters, commercial matters, military matters, labor, or anything else so long as it is offshore. On the other hand, nations dealing with us for the most part do not send their foreign staff officers when the matter is economic, but they send their very best people out of their Ministry of Finance. If the matter is military, they send the best man from their military services.

Our State Department is willing for some of the representatives of the other departments to tag along but they want the final responsibility for themselves. It is my view that the Lord did not endow any of us with such a variety of capabilities that any one department is capable of dealing with all of the matters offshore which confront a highly complex country like ours.

I call this to your attention because in my experience with President Eisenhower I frequently found in my discussions with him that things which he thought had been ordered done, or policies which he thought had been ordered implemented, were either lost or substantially modified by the bureaucracy of the Department of State. Other Cabinet officers disclaim full responsibility because of the State Department's insistence that they have experts in every field.

I could go on about this for a long time because I know it was one of the most difficult experiences of the Eisenhower years and one which President Eisenhower has discussed with me a great deal since he left office.