11 July 2018

A diverse and inclusive workforce allows us to fulfill our global intelligence mission to preempt threats and further US national security objectives. It is with this frame of mind that we should continue our daily work, focusing on respecting and utilizing the wide range of talent and perspectives that safeguard our Agency and nation. In doing so, each of us has a responsibility to promote a workplace free of harassment and discrimination that upholds our laws and values as Americans, allows all our officers to reach their full potential, and enables us to meet our critical mission.

Harassment is not just unprofessional, painful, and wrong—it is, in certain cases, illegal. Victims of harassment and discrimination are distracted from our Agency’s crucial work, depriving CIA of the full benefit of our officers’ diverse talents, knowledge, and expertise.

I am personally committed to enforcing the zero-tolerance policy, and I expect the same commitment from every Agency officer. If you feel you are being harassed or discriminated against, you should immediately report the behavior to any manager, or to our Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO), which works closely with the CIA’s Anti-Harassment Program Manager to oversee internal harassment inquiries and implements the federal EEO Complaint process. If you witness harassment or discrimination, you must act by stopping the behavior or reporting it immediately to your supervisor or to OEEO. And you can do so with complete confidence that the senior leadership team and I will protect you from retaliation. Speaking truth to power is central to our Agency’s mission, including within our own walls. We will hold all managers accountable for living by and promoting our zero-tolerance policy, and we will not tolerate any acts of reprisal.

As we perform our critical work in the service of the American people we must consistently honor our Agency’s core values: integrity, teamwork, courage, service, and excellence. Harassment, discrimination, and bias are incompatible with these values and simply have no place at CIA.

~Gina C. Haspel

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