THE SILENT LANGUAGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70-00058R000200020035-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 6, 2000
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: January 1, 1959
• Content Type: OPEN

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THE SILENT LANGUAGE. By Edward T. Hall. (New York: Doubleday. 1959.
240. $3.95.)
Practically everyone in end out of government is full of ideas for
prectimil steps to make U. S. representatives: abroad more effective.
Dr. Hall's book seeks to lay a theoretical basis for these practical
efforts, tc the extent that they are directed toward minimizing the
reaction that takes place vhen one moves into the area of a foreign culture.
c.C...e-P-r 4 eiterict1:
Some people have chasten to call thier"culture shock?. Eall i:411it as
the "removal or distortion of many of the familiar cues one encounters.at
home and the sUbstitution for them of other cues which are strange.?
Proceeding from the preposition that 'Inost people's difficulties with each
other can be traced to distortions in communication," The Silent Idang4ge
"treats culture in its entirety as a form of communications" as it seeks
to outline "a theory of culture and a theory of how culture came into
being" and to present the technical tools for probing the aecrets of
culture."
The author should know what he is writing about. He is an
anthropologist who has travelled and worked abroad to develop principles
and concepts for teaching U. S. representatives how to be more effective.
He has done such teaching in the State Department the Strategic Inel-
ligence School and elsewhere. He now makes this subject his business.
The study points out basic differences in langusiges and ways of
speaking, but emphasizes the actions which speak louder than words, and
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particularly the kind of c on that takes place out of aware
"This notion," it says, "that there ere significant portions of the
personality that exist out of one own awareness but which are there for
everyone else to see may seem frightening. The point, however, is a
crucial one and will grow in importance as men begin to grasp its
mplications".
Hall keG another point of major ai1fieance for anyone who
ant cipates service abroad when he says: "What complicates matters
however, is that people reared in different cultures learn o learn
differently."
Some resderm may not be persuaded of the validity of the author'
conceptual construction. His time, space., and ord as communications media
seem unnecessarily abstruse. His 1map of culture" may be over-billed as
S
{4
la
theat1cs of cultures". His classification of behavior patterns as
formal nformal and technical is an effort toward unattainable presion.
He uses a great many words in a specialized sense when it seems that a
garden variety of meaning would serve the purpose just es well.
But disastisfactions such as these only serve to point up Dr.
ovn ntention that there is much work to be done in this field. The
understanding of foreign cultures ia critical to intelligence operations
and to intelligence analysis; end such a considerable contribution of new
thinking as The Silent Language makes can but etimulate more progress
oward this understanding.
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ROMMEL purr KAIRO. (Rommel Calling Cairo) By John W. Eppler.
(Guetersloh: C. Bertelsmann Verlag. 1959. Fp. 300.)
Operation Condor was a bold, even desperate stroke aimed at placing
a German resident agent in the heart of the British North African com-
mand center, who could provide Rommel with vitally needed order of
battle information. It failed, partly because of bad luck, but mainly
because of the almost incredibly insecure, brash "cowboy" operational
methods used by the agent.
Published Just on the heels of a British account of the same
eventol, Eppler's tale of his espionage activities in Cairo for Field
Marshal Erwin Rommel during the struggle for North Africa reveals
little new substantive information. Mosley's report reviewed in the
previous number of Studies2, will be of more interest to the profeasional
Intelligence officer.
Eppler has told an adventure story in a romantic, intensely per-
sonal style characteristic of much of the recent spate of German war
reminiscences. The fact that a motion picture is being made in Germany
based on Operation Condor is perhaps indicative of the nature of the
book.
We learn nothing from Eppler about how he was spotted and
recruited by the Abwehr; the story opens with his posting to Rommel in
North Africa, and the first 130 pages deal with the problems and,
iLeonard Mosley,
1958. 160 pp.)
25.4161.sevestInteliagiespa., Vol. 3 No. 2, Spring 1959.
e Cat and the Mice. (London: Arthur Barker Limited,
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experiences of his 4,000 kilometer trip across the Sahara to reach the
target area. Passing mention is given to technical intelligence prepa-
rations for the mission, such as documentation, communications equip-
ment clothing, etc. Inasmuch as he is arrested by British security
forces on page 216, and from then on deals with his treatment by his
interrogators, it will be seen that he gives relatively little space to
his actual work in Cairo. Details on the recruiting of sub-agents are
almost completely lacking, as well as a useful account of what if
anything, was accomplished. One incident, that of the separation of
the British courier from his pouch of battle plans by the belly-dancer
Hekmath Fathmy, is given; a satisfactory account of this is available
from Mosley.
Eppler never again made radio contact with Abwehr base stations
after his initial report upon arrival because the two special Abwehr
radiomen assigned to service him had been posted too close to the front
by order of Rommel and had been captured with their codes during a
raid by the Long Range Desert Patrol. Eppler was cut off (Liagemauert)
after this in order to prevent a play-back. Eppler's radioman tried
night after night without success to make contact with base station;
the title of the book, in view of this, would more logically read
Cairo C1ling Rommel.
Mosley deals at some length with the tracking down of Eppler by
British security forces. Eppler 's own account adds nothing of signifi-
cance to this.
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This book can be safely passed by, especially by those who have
read. Thi Cat and Th
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