'4 •• ' ' '----------------------------------------- -- T-V-P-£--O- '--R-CP-O- -T-- C- - - -o-n-d--------------- U S OEPAP TI E tH ' • ' ' - ' AA ­ Fo 'r'c ' S 'RVICE OC lcr n' ' • t 2 v-t ' ' _ cnVtCe r ' n f RV OFF c t RS UNLIMlTEf FOr EIC 1 EnVICc R e ERVE O 'FICl ltS FOH IGN SERViCe STAFF Oi'FICi i1S FOi rJ N 4 ' ••••••' OF OfFIC£R EVALUATION REPORT 1 'r ' A · • ltt i ' NAME OF STATE OFFICER 8 INO RATto HARRIS F i rII m tl Allen R wJulolr _ Inlitrim' Ch U' ' - f DUlla Int rim Dllp J e of Rated Ofii cr Intc im DCP'lHU t of R3til'lIJ Officer _ Olhc - SOCIP L I'robillionary ClJl ll NO FUNCTIONAL TITL E Political Officer FSO-4 IP RIOO C' 'VUR O POST on OHGANIZA1'lON American Embas's y Buenos Aires-Argentina July 31 1977 - April 15 1978 t -- -- - ---- ---- -DATE RePORT SUBMITTED TO PER P cC I' i OATE R rPO T RECE' lE IN PE t ATE RI LE A SEO T O Fl L E S I WORK A OFFICER'S JOB - Stat brieflv wh e the po ition REaUIREME JTS lits in the staffing pattern snd the number and type ot personnel 'l Ipervised by the Mr Harris isoff ermember of a four-officer Pol'itical Section working under the supervision of the' Counselor for Political Affairs The expanding workload in his field required the addition of a contract Argen1 ine to the Political Section s staff and Mr Harris is her supervisor He 'is also helped in his work by an American Secretary who has besides cle- r ical responsibility for two other of the Secti on· s officers ' f B · WORK F EQ·JJRE 'eNjS GOALS AND PRIOR ITIES --Indicate the specific flispon ibilities and goals if' pribrity arder formulau d bV lh r i I'V r ed officer Mr Harris is responsible for a new area of For ign Ser7i epo t ng and 'activity Human Rights Affairs Since March of 1976--the date a military junta deposed the fading regime of Isabel' Peron--huma rights matters have increasingly became the central issue betwee the Unitea States and Argentina Even before Mr Harris' began work in Buenos Aires in August 1977 the volume of activity associated with this question had come to be the full-time concel of an officer of the Political Section and' a part-time concern of virtually every other member of he Embassy Mr Har is is assigned responsibility for human rights reporting case work and policy recommendations and interpretation He receives all correspondenc and visitors on human rights subjects There is a very large volume of bott including the corr espondence of many members of Congress and the visits of many distraught Argentine families who have pst members to the government's counter-terrorism activity He must cultivate and maintain contact with elements of the Argentine Gbvernment'whose work has to do with human rights and with Argentine and international human rights organizations Mr Harris does spot reporting on decisions and developments affecting human rights in this country and prepares papers and policy recommendations in this field fo use by the Ambassador the Deputy Chief of Mission and the Department Mr Harris has as collateral duties those of Post GraphJ cs Officer I • A w r t it ir J Ih 1 lVll ros lfl il i1 i - anj ' ilis W35 s gn '1 ' 11' _ ___ • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __•__ I i on id '1 h ' f ' · S ' ' ' _ _ ____ _____ _ _ I HALLMAN' Gr ' t i i'il hl1r I Political Counselor c J FSO-3 ibrary Officer and ri i J r3t d 2 fll I lliin J c Ij s on AU 5 s _ 1 _ 7 _ c' l O f o iic cri 'l ___ _ _--- ____ CfH'A1 LI f' M r l' srJtLlI r ' d ____ sum ' wl Deputy Chief of Miss iQ Thr 0 t FSO-l --- - - - ­ --''' '--------'--- ''-'''''--'- _ ' ' ' • ' - -CI-R- '- - '-' - -N-C1 -' -'-h'l-l --l-U-r'-' - -' ' ''1·J RM St'E I-' I -------------' The circumstances of Mr Harris' work have been extremely difficult Our own policies in the human rights field have been in formulation during the period of this report We in Buenos Aires and our colleagues in Wash ngton have proceeded cautiously but often with the confusion that comes of newness in a complicated field and often without oherence Through it a l the putting edge of our policy has been felt here because of Argentina 1 s 1 uman rights record ' ' ' f 'i I I I I I II The subject matter in which M Harr s has dealt is also' one th t generates passionately held opinions within the Mission There are several sound and honest ways of approaching an understanding of Argentina's trag d --and some of these ways lead to directly opposite conclusions There was opportunity that the Embass'y become polarized on the subject of human rights Among reasons for this not happening can be found Mr Harris' skill an intelligence Mr Harris' workload was heavy and compl x You J- I her Give 't ur viewl 0 your n o t J i tl t I hia· rr nt cllri ' l the r ir g p lriocl on any spedal prQbl'Cms enC'Juntr rrd pa C th wari et l ironm'lnt or VJtJlk pcrfon l c t i ' c re til cist u s a u lny tI This job is the· ost difficult and most challenging I have h ld in the Service It is a key position within at Embassy which has grave' reservati01 -s about implementat on of the human r ghts pol cy that has become a central focus of our bi'l-ateral relations here It is a position' of 'conflict exterrtally betweenl the Administration's views o how people ought to be treated and e Argentine t Government's position of how people must be' treated It is a posi'tion of ' I conflict internally with a Country Team whose programs are being eliminated 'as a re'sult of our human rights program It is a position of great hope and i trust for the many vic i of repression here as well as some concerned butsid rs It is an impossible position 'in terms of orkload--the in box i has bec ome the in-drawer Lack of time and energy-' physical and emotional--i become daily tests of self ' I l lt I gOals -to I have had three know what is going on t be responsive and to report accurately Knowledge in this und rground area comes slowly piece by piece little from the press much from hundreds of int@rviews and the case -'i histories which I have d veloped A wide range of contacts wi h the military from a Junta member down to th operational levels with Human Rights groups I with the'Press other diplomats as well a the usual contacts in the 'Foreign F and Interior Ministries have rounded off Ehe picture Responsiveness is a major effort--each'of the innumerable visit rs to the Emba sy re seen often by shuttling back and forth between rooms l ke a busy dent1s All letters whether to the Pres'ident or to the Embassy are answered These contacts I provide evidence of our Government's concern as well as basic data for evaluations of the human rights situation here Reporting is a major problem The content and timing of the Embassy human rights reports are of immediate policy consequence Therefore my reporting has been forged with hammer and anvil Accurate reporting often becomes fair and balanced eporting as the Country Team struggles to maintain its equilibrium In only one very tough arid important case was agreement impossible and I submitted a minority recommendation Ct· Despite these daily clashes the Country Team listed as a major achievement for last year that the Embassy has become a beacon of hope of human rights in Argentina and ' for the guy who puts the oil in the beacon that is progress - - - -_ _- _ _- -- ----- --- - - -_ - - f - - ­ ' ----_ --- ------------'­ For bincillt l- do not Vlrit in thl - -- s ee SOCI 1 _SEC UR TY NU Cl ER i RRIS F Allen -------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- III EVALUATION OF rS RFQRII 1ANCE A GENERAL APPRAISAL 10 0 _ Performancll did not mp ct IUlncl m l$ for the jol _ Performance met requirements for the job _ _ Performance was lI jforMI S H f ctory _ Performance was genoraUy better than satisfactory but' uncven in one or more respects _ _ PlIrformance w o wry gOl ld rll$Pt C't _ Performance W l'l -ery good in all _ Performance w superlative and almost unmatched in class xx Performance 1 ' 1 1 tloO celi nt B DISCUSSION OF WORK PERFORMANCE but officer could do even better• I ludin judi caUc o rotin riven 4boUIl Mr Harris had a are responsibility--that of creating a new job under circumstances that were trying He started knowing that the count y in which he began service was widely regarded by people in Washington as Latin'Americal' most flagrant human rights violator Large numbers of U S citizens were affected by Argentina's problem through family members or friends or were-- I as in the case of members of Congress--motivated by the aggregate of cases The volume of work Mr Harris has ccomplished has been prodigious W have had about 150 pieces of congressional correspondence to be answered plus numerous public inquiries in the approximately 350 Argent ne death imprison- ment or disappearance cases of special interest to U S citizens He initiatba planning for a Right of Option certification program for ArgentiD e politica detainees who may be released and found eligible for parole into he U S · ' In all Mr Harris has been extremely skillful He quickly established contacts among human rights groups in the United States and Argentina 1 providing himself with a ata base for the problem area He has b een equally able however to establish friendly and close working relations with official organs of the Argentine Government which have cognizance· over areas where human rights violations take place--at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nd the Ministry of Interior and the Argentine Navy for -example He has worked 1 hard to stablish source at other embassies and activities such as the 1 ' International Red Cross and the United NatiQns Human Rights Commission From these distinct often host le points of view Mr Harris'-has evoked an _ understanding of events in a series of reports and during on-the-scene briefings of several Departmental Congressional and distinguished private groups· that have visited Argentina to look in·to the situation on the ground The materials he has prepared on the subject of human rights violations in Argentina hav·e had direct and continuous bearing on the policy the United States adopts doward this country Often a particular report was demanded on very short notice to provide data for a specific policy decision shortly to be made In addition to dealing with policy and the information prepared by interest groups Mr Harris has taken on an enormous amount of casework -­ the hearing out of innumerable tragic cases reported to the Embassy by the distraught family members of persons disappeared or otherwise caught up in tragic events Mr Harris has counselled and consoled and though there was little hope he could offer he has comforted many with the belief that the United States'is aware uf dramatic personal needs That he has done all this while retaining his own balance and the basic confidence of persons holding opposing opinions in this c ntroversy is impressive II ' OF 2IiS r- • P j ·1 ------ ------------------------- ----- - j· llL fur ptl r t ·u oi Jn tr lI d ·JI f ·I l 'J tu the o f1 J ' t 'fH j I Mi ErH cr''tsOf slm ' i ynaint c'lla draple'ts aif t Pe 'Ptfilk t 1f 't i'Uf§ r 1f't ' d in the kind of timed briefing often required in'the Foreign Service Given five minutes' with a mildly interested member of Cong'ress--say on the subject of human rights--Mr Harris could be counted on to spot the most appealing and memorable highlights He could do equally well with 'a human rights special ­ interest group--giving them the best two hours possible if that were its members' time' allotment He speaks excellent Spanish with good comprehensic Mr Harris was several years away from the kind of Foreign Service drafting Embassy work requires and he is not a skill ful writer i t Per- u ai Rctt t ons IIc 1Utle crtmrrh IIt t n Cl 'l'Ul t n -A$ in iIilai t lu witil ot l' r i tel tl ull ny wi botll mqri cHt$ Q rd fQ·'f' 'iS r r$ 'j rl nn rcf 1' el1t ft oticl' ctivUic also onl iTllcs'II t t ittt n c 1 bia t or di u rlmintttian J - s kill nd withou tiring is one which has paid off handsomely He meets people easily impresses them indelibly seeks them repeatedly--all the while expanding his circles of friendship and acquaintance to the point that his professional and personal cOl tacts are I enormous He inspires confidenceamong JIlost Argentines and Americans he meets and he ha s great skill as' a sup'ervisor able to motivate people to work for him He is fair and utterly without malice He is genuinely warm and he genuinely likes people and this is reciprocated I MThis r Harris handles people with extraordinary is clearly his greatest ability and it 111 1 I Milrh -eJ'li 1 Ahility lIJclude t ftl r 111 un th ' -fficer's p l clivt ne 'f in oTg ni iu J and pllJrtnir u his Or rc oWn u 'lr ill si pe r isiu'l rJnd tr illi vlhcrs in d J p tt lin r atFlllh·itlJll' i O lliti l1t till · arJ 'nt$ of u rIt rt li'lj r i · fl iU J • · t · lU ' atlpr ll p ill uUc'y Qn ' Bas ically M '''''H r ''''i· m lie uii' t' · H '''h dof h ' tt vi'fi tin an under-used Foreign Service local employee a kind of genius of order and industry who worked under Mr Harris' direction to create a human rights car rid filing system He inspires confidence and loyalty He is good at ldelegattng work and'maximizing human potential What sometimes betrays him is inat tention to detail perhaps deriving f om 'an unfounded belief that once he has established a system to spin off work it will do this withotit further intervention He has trouble also with deadlines and priorities and his resp'onse to management goals and principles imposed from outside has often been faulty ' I I II 4 Effscti y nllss and Candor IlS a Rating DUker J Not observed ' ' i j I • 'As a Political Officer Mr Harris has those skills of observation and analysi that are vital as well as the quick intelligence to recall stray facts and mate them with random events to acquire new insights In dealing with human rights violations in Argentina Mr Harris has had to strain to remain detached and dispassionate He did not invariably succeed but I think his sincerity and sympathy plus my own editor's blue pencil compensated A more bloodless man would not have done as well ' For bm lll'l ­ do nO'i writll in this SpaC9 f Al'ED Orf LCI R ·lyp d • • rnam rl HARRIS F Allen D The Quality 01 the work performance was significant dIscussions response 1X reviewed wIth the rated officer dUring the course of the rating pCIIoC o' Describe briefly the tenor of these diSCUSSIons and the rated c ltC 'S Oct 25 aIldDec 28 1977 Mr Harris and I often talked about problem reas and he was responsive and willing Most of our talks dsit with hard-hearted bureaucratic responsibilities deadlines and priorities back-up research and precision of fact and langU4ge IV EVALUATION OF POTENTfAL A Check one __ ' Officer lacks the potential to assume greater responsibility __ It is too soon to judge when the officer may'be ready to assume a higher level of responsibility ___ Officer may have the potential to assume g eater responsibility after additional eKperiance or training _ _ Officer has lhe potential to assume greater responsibility ith additional training _ Officer has the potential to take on additional responsibility in his Of her next assignment Officer is entirely capable of assuming greater responsibility as soon as the opportunity occurs _ _ Officer should be considered for advancement to positions of substantially greater responsibility XX Officer is a prime candidate for rapid adlli ncement to reflect the competence already established and demonstrated growth capacitY _ _ Officer should be considered for rapid advancement to positions of much greater responsibility with the expectation that he or she is de stined for tl'l£ highest I lels of service B DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL Justify your choice above State the qualities of the work performance that best demonstrate a capacity for growth and advancement or the lack thereof and support with examples Mr Harris' performance has been creative and solid He has demonstrated 'his capacity as a self-starter and one who can size up new and difficult situations and then relate these to bureaucratic exigencies He works easily and well with pers9ns far senior to him in rank just as he has proved his ability to deal with many levels of Argentine society He has been tireless and enthusiastic # My judgment based on having observed other FSO-4's in action and having seen the level of responsibility and performance expected is that Mr Harris' I demonstrated abilities already transcend those usual'for his class ---------- ----------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - ---- - ' -- t C IF THE RATING OFFICER'S CHOICE IN IV·A indicates a capacity for growth and adwnc me t tM following must be completed Officers who are eXIJ8Clp d eve tuilily to a sumc Jrcater re ponslbilities shoulrl be made aw re of areas where they should concentrate their efforts to im­ prow BasP d on your observation of the officer in his or her present position specify at least two areas in which he or she might be t direct luch efforts Junify your choice The response is nOt to be directed to need for for mal training which is to be addressed in IV·D below I Mr Harris needs to get better hold of his wide ranging interests and stiffen himself to get on with chores that he dislikes He has a voracious appetite for subjects and materials and likes to be into everything He is also an inveterate hand shaker and seeker after persons and personalities Under conditions of perfect self control these two attributes form the admirable qualities of broad gauged personable and marvelously well connected But within the strictures of an extremely demanding job the minute requirements of a 'complicated bureaucratic sys tern and the inevitabl hierarchic arrangements of an Embassy they spell too that dull but necessary chores--like drafting reports--are given the short end on a scale of priorities I Mr Harris--who is an excellent player in so many ways in the diplomatic life of this city--needs to keep better in mind the personal responsibilitil that service in an embassy abroad entails loyalty to the organization recognition of the expertise of others an' understanding of the divisive forces at work upon such an organization and the frequent need of suborning one's own will to that of a consensus He must take pains to assure I himself--and his bosses up the line--that he does not seek to arrogate matters they feel are more suitably theirs D UI IF FORMAL TRAINING is consid'lred likely to improve present performance or to develop capabIlities state tne subjects or cours ' of study needed and the specific purposes of each 2 SUGGEST POSITIONS to which you think the officer can realistically aspire within five years Should Mr Harris ask formally for training in any field I beli'eve his intelligence and competence would make him a first class candidate His interests now may lead him to seek university training on the impact of global issues--population technology transfers the environment etc -­ on the conduct of American foreign policy He may also seek university training in Latin American studies I would endorse either or a combination of both Mr Harris would perform with' distinction in any assignment but my own estimate is that he would be of maximum use to U S diplomacy where his extraordinary ability with people and with diverse complicated subject matter could both be m ximized I believe his goals should be toward multilateral affairs and that in this field he should be given responsibility for significant U S interests --­ do nt't For l·i 'ilin l­ tl'lfitfl in this P C --- ------_ _------ _­ FOR ' Page l' OF- 2136 • For bindlng­ do not write if' this spa so SOCIAL SECURITY NUMSER HARRIS F Allen V REVIEWING OFFICER'S STATEMENT Aftllr AI confirming the work requirements and prioriti s BI draw en your own observations to comment on Ihe raled officer's performance lI1d potential in giving an independent view of how wallne or she did the job bring out illustrative examples nOI me'1tioncd by the raiing officer Comment on leI the f irness completeness nd general validity of the rater's evaluation and 0 relations between The rated and rating officer I A The-job requirements and priorities describe the responsibilities in general terms Sections I C and Section II provide some additional data about the responsibilities The position does deal with a problem which is ighly charged emotionally and the subject of disagreements on how policy should be executed The emotional demands of the position are great and the workload requires a major effort to assure that priority responsibilities are c9ve·red B Since his area cif respons'ibility is this mission I s major concern I have had ample opportunity to see Mr Harris perform I'am at least equal y impressed as is the rating officer with his talents his energy his skills at personal relations his remarkable ability as a talker and his enthusiasm for his subject His ability to go out and make contacts with the most diverse groups and individuals is truly impressive He has invested much time and emotional capit al in hearing the tragic stories of -those whose friends or relatives have been victims of counter-terrorism My perspective on the whole mission's efforts leads me to be somewhat less indulgent of Hr Harris' shortcomings He does not draft rapidly-and clearly and has had difficulty in producing the volume of report1ng I required Mr Harris felt that his reporting was being muzzled while the I front office was definitely of the opinion there wasn't enough of it Thid I misperception of what was expected of him and what he thought he'should be doing has I hope been reduced Mr Hallman noted in Sect10n III-C-3 that his response to management goals and' principles imposed from outside has of en been faulty I The rating officer obseTved in Section IV C that Mr Harris spreads himsel too thin -his enthusiasms are boundless This shows enviable zest for lif 1 but has to be a bit more controlled Likewise I would second the observation that his great talents have to be directed at the objectives I of which he is a a He s a very talented person 1nterests an energ'es sorted out he can look with increasingly br ader responsibilities I 'I on the generous side from C The report is fair my perspective O Relations between I I I DATE __ _ 1 9 7 8 ______ SIGNATURE OF REVIEWING OFFICERr _-f- -_ ' '_ __ I 1---- I I I I L____ ____________ _ _____ _ ----- ------- I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ lI ' FORt- OF· S6 PaglJ 8 ' -------------------V-I'--R-A-T-ED--O-F-F-I-C-ER--'S--CO-M--M-E-N-T-S---- -------------------- -- You snould hore add anv comments you may wish to make on the work program and your fu fillment of it in light of the rating and revip lIV­ ing off ci I'1i' tal mmIlS on th ext nt to which your supervisor helped develop your talent aod gilw recognition 10 them on your own career aspirations on additional training you would like to have andlor future assIgnments you think aPJ'lropriate for yourself ' I This report reflects the differences over the responsibilities and priorities attached to my position My job is not a traditional po itical job It has developed into a hybrid of reporting special consular ser­ vices and diplomatic advocacy The Country Team would greatly prefer that the Embassy's Human Rights Attache maintain a lower profile con­ centrating on political reporting However ' such a policy' does not respond to the real demands made on the Embassy by this Administration the Congress and the American and Argentine publics Despite the fact that my active approach has contributed to a positive image of Embassy it is viewed with considerable reserve within the Embassy The reviewing officer from his perspective sees the Embassy's Human Rights reporting as inputs n a Washington bureaucratic policy struggle about Argentina The timing 'and style as well as the substance of each human rights report is carefully considered before its transmittal A great number of my human rights reports either have not been sent or were deferred by the DCM who later complains that there was not enough report­ ing During the nine months covered by this report I sent'in over 200 cables to the Department on human rights Defending one's writing is like defending one's 'masculinity I am not a Foreign Service stylist My legal training shows through My sentences are short and clear A certain amdunt of concern seeps into my prose to challenge the blue and red pencils above me As a result I have not made the tragic human rights events I record sound like Memorial Day accident statistics However the criticisms of my 'Nriting as too colorful too detailed not gray enough often reflect differences in substance rather than style There must be an easier way to earn a living but it would be hard to imagine one more personally challenging owledg iZn PY re ort of this ' SIGNAT'JRE OF RATED OFFJCER_ jq _ _'O--' _ ' ' JJk - -_' ____ VII REVIEW PANEL STATEMEN'r Panel chairman sh Jutd insure that eaC'h panel merr b'lr has read the instruction sheet Continuation sheet may be used ii neeessary for panel C' lmments t I I OFAPPROVAL ___________________ SIGNATURE OF PANEL CHAIRMAN -- _ _- _ _ _-- -__________ with typed lame run1 alld Wi - For binuin ­ u f' 'it write 1 1 th t p we- ----------- ---­ This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu