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 Weeding-Out Urged In Foreign Service: U.S. URGED TO SIFT FOREIGN ...
 By E.W. KENWORTHY Special to The New York Times 
 New York Times (1923-Current file); Dec 29, 1963;
 ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2010) 
 pg.1



Weeding-Out Urged




 In Foreign Service





   By E. W. KENWORTHY

     Special tome New York Times

  WASHINGTON, Dec. 28óThe 

State Department and its For- 

eign Service are in need of a 

"very vigorous" weeding-out of 

officers who "don't measure up," 

according to William J, Crock- 

ett, Deputy Under Secretary of 

State for Administration.

  A more vigorous "selection- 

out" program, Mr. Crockett told 

the Senate subcommittee on na- 

tional security staffing, and op- 

erations on Nov. 21, "is a mat- 

ter of the highest priority."


  Mr. Crockett's testimony on 

problems of State Department 

management and personnel was 

made public today by the sub- 

committee chairman, Senator 

Henry M. Jackson, Democrat of




Continued on Page 14, Column 6


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                                 process. "We want only the      asked whether this was a 

U1S. IIR&ED TO SIFT              best," he said. But then he     healthy ratio.
                                 asked whether enough young        Mr. Crockett said he thought , 
                                 people were being encouraged    it was,

  FOREIGN SERVICE                to take the Foreign Service ex-   "There are jobs that I think 
                                 aminations.                     require, by their very nature, 
                                                                 a non-career person to fill 
Continued From Page 1; Col. 2       Sees Need for New Tests      them," he said. "I think this 
                                   Moreover, he said, the pres-  trend is about right. It offers 
                                 ent examinations evaluated      enough openings for the service 
Washington. The State Depart-    very well the intellectual      itself and it injects, again, com- 
ment, Mr. Crockett told the sub- breadth of a candidate, but the petition. I strongly believe that 
committee, "is the only civilian department recognized the need  the service has to be able to 
agency in the Federal Govern-    of developing an examination    do the job better than almost 
ment whose philosophy is "up     that would search for "poten-   anybody they can get from the 
                                 tials of. managerial and execu- outside to do it. Unless we are 
or out."                         tive ability and leadership."   that good, we have no right to 
   But he acknowledged that "in    Senator Jackson expressed     say that all the jobs belong to 
the past this authority has not  concern over what he called a   the service. We are not that 

been very vigorously applied."   tendency toward conformity in   good right now."
   Agrees With Ambassador        the Foreign Service, a tendency 
                                 that he attributed largely to a 
   Mr. Crockett said that he     fear that dissent would be 
I agreed with David K. E. Bruce, penalized by a poor rating and 
Ambassador to Britain, that the  lack of advancement,
                                   Mr. Crockett agreed that 
Foreign Service would be in-     this was a problem and said 
vigorated by "a rigorous weed-   that the department was trying 

' ing-out process ‚t the middle  not to discourage initiative, dis- 
and higher levels" concomitant   sent and risk-taking.
with "a greater number of new      Senator Daniel B. Brewster, 
                                 Democrat of Maryland, noted 
entrants each year at the lower  that the ratio of career ambas- 
levels."                         sadors to political appointees 

   If the State Department's au- was 67 to 35 per cent, about 
thority to remove the relatively what it has been since 1956. He 
incompetent or inefficient were 
fully used, Mr. Crockett said, 
the service's quality and esprit 
de corps would benefit.
   Mr. Crockett had several oth- 
er criticisms and suggestions 
to make. For one thing, he 
said, not enough attention had 
been paid, in accepting newïof- 
ficers, to the jobs that have to 
be performed by the Foreign 
Service.. He said:
   "The bulk of our jobs are eco-, 
nomic, administrative, and con- 
sular. The bulk of our intake 
has been political, political 
scientists, young people who are 
interested in only this phase of 
the work. I believe we have 
totally disregarded the needs of 
the service in our intake."
   Mr. Crockett also raised 
questions about the selection

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