WEEKLY ACTIVITIES REPORT #7

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-05787A000100040004-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2001
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: February 14, 1957
• Content Type: MEMO

STANDARD FORM NO. 64~
Approved For-Release 2001/07/30: CIA-RDP78-05787A000100040004
Ofice Memorandum - UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO : Chief, PPS
PROM : Chief, LAS
SUBJECT: Weekly Activities Report #7
DATE: 14 February 1957
A. SIGNIFICANT ITWS
1. ,` ~ T,riigu gge And A_ raa ~choo presently is surveying needs and {1 a, e
methods for providing organized language training EE Di-
, ' vision's forward and unusual insistence on possess on o esential lan-
guage competence has developed such concern for effective training in
the field following Headquarters training that the Division, with ir14F- O1
contemplates development of a supervised language training program in
25X1A6a Undoubtedly, a program supervised by a professional linguist
devoting his efforts exclusively to this will produce better training
than is possible under present unsupervised practices. The survey is
25X1A6a being done during three weeks b Tentative thinking is 25X1A9a
to initiate a program in weeks
in the summer or fall under supervision
of one scientific linguist from imMB 0 T t.
2. The Language and Area School,, has taken initiative to systematize,
albeit informally, relations with directors of other government language
schools with a view to informal exchange of information on available ser-
vices and problems and on activities meriting cooperative effort. An in-
formal roundtable of language training directors of State, iEA, USIA, Air
Force and CIA has initiated two activities: (a) creation of a clearing
house of information (LAS providing the service) and (b) creation of an
informal task force responsible for cooperative development of the foreign
language proficiency testing program. (Navy and Army will participate in
future.)
3. With delivery this week of a magnificent model of a German city 25 1A9a
prepared by the School is introducing use of three-dimensional
models in language ra ning. This new model provides a very significant 25:1a,0a
aid in language training. Other models will contribute a type of "live"
factor of much value. (We are grateful to _ and to all who have per-
mitted him to produce this model. We hope he may be permitted to do others
in future.)
13. OTHER ACTIVITIES
1. At request of ORR, met with a group of about twenty per-
sons possessing some degree of interest in studying Chinese. When boiled
down, the residue of genuine interest indicated possible justification for
creating a part-time reading course for a maximum of seven people.
Approved For Release 2001 /07,/ ,;#4pl D 7A000100040004-7
 Approved FoRelease 2001/07/30 : CIA-RDP78-05787A0001000400047-'
2. (DC/Admin/EE) have sought in-
formation on the nature of alternative opportunities for training in
Polish, Hungarian and Czech.
3. Several persons have sought guidance on intensive area and lan-
guage training opportunities. In most cases, guidance was desired in
connection with development of career plans.
4. of FE reported on a recent recruiting trip to San
Francisco during which, as a courtesy, he also concerned himself with
our need for Chinese language instructors.
5. With a view to developing a reserve of language instructors, the
School has prepared two invitations to appear in the next OTR Bulletin.
One is directed to wives of Agency employees who may be able to assist
in our current program. The other is directed at Agency employees who
might contribute to the anticipated "out-of-hours" program.
6. Contract services of competent instructors in Korean and Serbo-
Croatian have become available to us recently. So far, there is no evi-
dence of justification for emplo ing them. We are, however, discussing
Korean with F Chief, and Deputy,
_ 25X1A9a
25X1A9a
7. _ visited the Director, School of Advanced International 25X1A9a
Studies, 8 February, and obtained his signature to a letter of agreement 25X1A9a
with CIA regarding arrangements for Agency participation in the SAIS sum-
mer program on "Tensions in the Middle East."
8. Preparations were completed to give the Spanish test, the first 25X1A9a
test prepared in the revised standa The Spanish test was given 25X1A9a
to eight people on 30 January. I4r. and Ivir. _ of OSI
served as expert speakers for the oral panel. 25X1A9a
9. - has prepared a translation-type test in Persian. This
brings to 21 the number of languages for which tests of one kind or
another are now on hand, most of them available for immediate use (a few
have not been reproduced). The languages are: Albanian, Arabic, Chinese
(Mandarin), Czech, Finnish, French, Greek, German, Hebrew, Hungarian,
Italian, Japanese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-
Croatian, Spanish, Swedish, and Yiddish. 25X1A9a
10. A meeting of most of the LAS language instructors was held on
29 January at which Mr. gave a general presentation of the plan
for composing tests. instructors were asked to list the languages
in which they feel competent to compose tests. 25X1A9a
11. Tests were given in Czech and Hungarian by special request on
30 January for one person. - served on the panel for both.
Approved For Release 2001/07/30: ciA-RDP?7$-0 4 ,100040004-7
 Approved Four-Release 2001/07/30 : CIA-RDP78-05787A000100040004'
AAI
25:1,9a
12. developed a consistent system for grading transla-
tion-type et sts, which can be applied to tests in all languages.
to get an opinion regarding a suggestion for a Russian type-1a
wr er keyboard.
14. A test (reading only) was given in Persian by special re-
quest on 25 January for one person,
15. The regularly scheduled German test was given for three 25X1A9a
people, the written part on 6 February and the oral part on S Febru-
ary. Mrs. served on the panel for the oral test.
16. A test in spoken Spanish was given by special request for25X1A-a
one person on 5 February. Mrs. served on the panel.
17. By special request one pers
Russian and in spoken Japanese. Mrs.
for Russian; Mrs. _ and Mr.
ted on 6 February in
served on the panel 25:1a,
or Japanese. 1
25:1,9a
a
18. On 5 February, ~ conferred with Mr. - and Mrs.
251
'of the A&E Staff to discuss the format of the revised German
25X a a
19. On 7 February, - conferred with Mr. - of ORR, a
25X1 a'?a
specialist on India, about his forthcoming lecture on the Languages of
the Indian Sub-Continent.
25X1A9a
C
Approved For Release 2001/07 l~* -f4 tA000100040004-7
 Approved Fe Release 2001/07/30: CIA-RDP78-05787A000100040004-1
IAL
21. Chief of Program Coordination Division,
Medical Star , n,as approac~iea _ on a proposal that expanded medi-
cal briefings, mandatory for both employees and adult dependents going
to the field, be tied in with the Americans Abroad program. The pro-
posal will be formally presented in the near future. It stems from
considerable DDP pressure--present medical briefings, within and out-
side the OTR Americans Abroad program, are considered hopelessly inade-
quate--and from the expectation that pending legislation will be adopted
for government payment of most medical bills incurred by overseas em-
ployees.
23. The second annual running of the LAS Regional course on the
Middle East commenced on /,,.February with an enrollment of 16, including
two observers from the Army hap Service and the Department of State.
These observers are expected to make an evaluation, on the basis of their
experience with this Middle East course, of the usefulness of the OTR
Area. Training Program to their agencies. Of the 16 students, 5 are from
outside CIA: Army Map Service, 3; WAF and State, 1 each. DDP with 6,
and OCR with 2 lead the Agency representation. ORR, OCI and 00 each have
1 representative.
24. During the past week, the language laboratory was used for a
total of 383 hours by 80 students.
Approved For Release 2001/07/3b RDP78 M A000100040004-7