Secret's Out: They Want Strong Intelligence Chiefs

In the survey, 34 percent of the intelligence employees indicated that it was easy to share information and collaborate with colleagues in other agencies, 14 percent said it was difficult, and 52 percent were neutral or didn't know.

Thirty percent said they share information often, 50 percent said not often at all and the remainder were neutral.

"The senior leadership looked at these results as a glass half full," Sanders said.

But, he added, more intelligence employees understand that their agencies will succeed only if they share knowledge and collaborate with others in the intelligence community. That awareness increased by 9 percentage points, to 84 percent, from 2001 to 2006, he said.

Retirements

Kenneth C. Clayton, associate administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service at the Agriculture Department, will retire April 3 after 33 years of federal service.

Mark Courtney, a program director in the division of environmental biology at the National Science Foundation, retired Tuesday after 33 years of government service.

Jack K. Walton II, a senior adviser on bank operations and payment systems at the Federal Reserve Board, will retire June 2 after 31 years of federal service. He helped write the 2003 Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, known as Check 21, which permits banks to exchange electronic images of checks.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.