In a lecture sponsored by the Rockefeller Public Issues Forum, Central Intelligence Agency Inspector General Frederick P. Hitz reviewed the CIA's performance and stance in the world, focusing his speech on the aspects of the intelligence apparatus that need improvement.
An audience of about 90 people in 105 Dartmouth Hall listened as Hitz claimed that as the 21st century approaches, the CIA's focus on providing U.S. policy makers with "focused intelligence information" on developments abroad and nationally follows President Truman's original hopes for the agency at its creation in 1947.
He said the underlying power relationship has remained the same over the past 50 years and that "it is imperative not to permit operational control at the center," inevitably leading to an "intellectual czar" -- which the CIA does not want.
Although there has been little structural change within the CIA since its founding, Hitz highlighted the CIA's need to spend its time trying to figure out how the organization can work "cheaper and better."
"The CIA needs stability and consistency in its leadership," which Hitz says has not been the case since he was appointed in 1990. Since that time there have been five Directors of Central Intelligence, the highest office within the CIA. This has resulted in continued turmoil and substantial changes, he said.
He thus favors a term requirement of six or seven years, similar to that of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Hitz said.
He also called for the upgrading of the quality of the CIA's staff officers. With the end of the Cold War, the CIA has downsized 20 percent, which "may even have been too much." He thinks the CIA's new policy that focuses on recruiting graduate-level students and persons with military experience can leave out potentially qualified individuals with less education and experience.
A problem, however, exists in hiring skilled agents since the CIA is "facing formidable competition in the private sector" in terms of competition for wages.
The process of hiring new spies worries Hitz greatly, as the CIA has not been replacing distinguished officers that have retired with new recruits as quickly as it has done in the past.
"We need to know who we are," Hitz said of the CIA. The CIA is the president's primary intelligence adviser, "not the central information agency," he said.
The CIA is very prone to respond to marginal requests and thus has lost some of its focus. "I would prefer for our leaders to do the unprecedented and just say no" and focus, he said.
Hitz called for increased support and confidence from the public as "the collection, analysis, and dissemination of quality intelligence" is a risky business. With the substantial erosion in public support, Hitz realizes that "we need to learn from our mistakes and move on."
Hitz said he does not see the CIA's recent travails as a metaphor for the agency. Although he sees morale on its rebound, he added that many think "it's fashionable to say that morale is bad at the CIA."
With the end of the Cold War, the CIA has not had an easy a job of figuring out primary targets, which has led to increased confusion and lowered morale. "The CIA needs solid morale to meet the challenges for the 21st century."
Hitz related the CIA to universities and the community. He used Dartmouth as an example of how a private institution with talented graduates and think tanks could advise the CIA on how to interpret the incredible amount of information accumulated every day.
He also discussed the importance of the undergraduate teaching of language since CIA agents have to go into areas where it is necessary to speak different languages and understand distinct cultures.
After the lecture, he responded to many questions, including how one could become a spy. He identified a long training period, involving a polygraph exam and extensive questioning on the grounds of contact with foreigners, one's integrity and financial soundness.
Being a spy is a "lifetime undertaking" since very stringent policies surround working for the CIA.
"If we catch any of our officers lying to us, they're gone," Hitz said. "In this wilderness of mirrors in which we operate, if we can't trust our officers," then the entire paradigm falls apart.
He paralleled this dichotomy as similar to the situation in the military. A trained killer is expected not to bring his instincts back home and use them against fellow soldiers. The same is true for a CIA operative.
Hitz said he regrets that public service is "not as attractive to you or to your predecessors coming out of Dartmouth College." He warned that "if people of caliber that come out of Dartmouth do not take up essential roles in the government, then a government of boobs will tell us how to do our business."
Despite the criticisms of the CIA and some of its downfalls over the past few years, Hitz claims his experience with the CIA has been fulfilling. "I never found a work force with such skill and dedication as ours has, because we hold ourselves to such high standards. When we don't meet them, we get angry."
On a lighter note, during the questioning session, an audience member asked Hitz if aliens had ever visited the earth. He replied, smiling, "The answer is: I don't know."
