ANNUAL REPORT OF THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FOR FY 1975

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00498A000700060059-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 5, 2001
• Sequence Number: 59
• Publication Date: February 25, 1976
• Content Type: MF

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OTR 76-6157
25 February 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Administration
SUBJECT Annual Report of the Language Development
Committee for FY 1975
REFERENCE Memorandum for DCI, from Chairman, LDC,
15 Sept 1975, Same Subject (DDA 75-4387)
1. The referenced report recommended that the CIA Manage-
ment Committee be asked to consider several actions to improve
the foreign language capabilities of appropriate Agency employees.
The recommendations were not given formal approval until five
months after the submission of the report, but its findings have
had a significant impact. There has been sufficient progress,
particularly in the Operations Directorate, to lead us to recom-
mend that the Management Committee not take up the report and
its recommendations.
2. I would like to give you a status report on each of the
report's three recommendations. The first concerns intensification
of efforts to hire officers with a verified language skill of S-3
(intermediate speaking skill) or better. Agency recruiters do
appear to be sufficiently aware of the importance of identifying
prospects with good language skills, but are confronted with
several obstacles or problems. They include:
a. Our CT experience indicates that individuals who
are currently majoring in foreign languages generally do
not possess the other attributes that are of great impor-
tance in selecting potential operational officers;
b. There has been a decline in general foreign
language study in our colleges as foreign language study
ceases to be a degree requirement;
c. Today, second and particularly third generation
immigrants are not learning foreign languages in the home;
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d. With the ending of the draft, fewer young people
are learning foreign languages while serving in the military.
3. The second recommendation suggested a higher priority be
put on language training; in this area there have been noteworthy
developments:
a.. As a direct result of the LDC report, the DDO has
requested the Area Divisions to give him a special report
on their respective language capabilities. Mr. Nelson's
personal interest in language training has had a salutory
effect; in March the LLC will have a record enrollment of
1.35 full-time students and around 240 part-time students.
b. The DDO Training Task Force, which earlier reviewed
operations training, is now reviewing language training and
has reported twice to Mr.,Nelson on this subject. The LLC
is providing the Task Force with extensive support in the
form of analysis of language capabilities by unit, grade,
etc.
STATINTL c. has met with senior officers in each
of the DDO Area Divisions. He has been assured of their
support in conducting language training. He and his
department chiefs have emphasized to the Area Divisions
the importance of student selection and keeping officers
in language training for an entire course if the desired
proficiency level is to be obtained. SE Division has
adopted a practice we should like to see adopted by all
Area Divisions. Each SE language student now receives a
formal memorandum from the Division Chief informing him
what the Division expects; this has contributed to the
current excellent results we are obtaining in our Russian
instruction.
d. The DCI recently requested the DDI for a special
report on language capabilities in his Directorate.
4. The third recommendation in the LDC Report provides
for a re-examination of language designated positions. As
Chairman of the Language Development Committee, I have requested
this review and it is now under way in the Operations and :Intelli-
gence Directorates.
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5. We believe these developments indicate there is
sufficient attention focused on the Agency language problem
at this time and that further pressure would not add signifi-
cantly to the efforts to improve the situation. Therefore, I
recommend that consideration of the 1975 LDC Report by the
Management Committee be deferred until the LDC has had an
opportunity to review the results of the current initiatives
and that it incorporate the findings in the FY 1976 reppp :rt.
TATINTL
Chairman, Language Development Committee
STATINTL
J
Date
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