FBI Agrees to Promote Blacks; Judge to Monitor Job Practices

The FBI agreed Tuesday to put its employment practices under a federal judge’s supervision for five years, promote six black agents and transfer an additional 57 blacks who contend they were victims of racial bias.

In a proposed settlement after nearly two years of negotiations, the agency also agreed to make another 13 black agents relief supervisors and open training slots for another 40 black agents.

The agreement among attorneys for the black agents, embattled FBI Director William S. Sessions and the Justice Department was announced Tuesday by acting Atty. Gen. Stuart M. Gerson.

Among about 10,400 FBI agents nationwide, 520, or about 5%, are black. About 90% are white males.

Gerson, who is holding his job until a new attorney general is nominated by Clinton and confirmed by the Senate, said the accord was reached just before his predecessor, William P. Barr, left office on Jan. 15.

But he said the timing of the settlement announcement had nothing to do with Sessions’ fight to keep his job in the wake of a Justice Department report that found he had abused the privileges of his office.

“This settlement is not dependent on anything else,” Gerson said. “I felt duty-bound to follow through with something that I . . . was involved in starting.”

Attorneys for the black FBI agents credit Sessions with pushing the agreement to conclusion over the objections of white agents and some Justice Department officials.