REQUEST FOR INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000600030018-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 19, 2006
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: January 3, 1975
• Content Type: MF

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3 January 1975 ,DD.L-2,/ -7
MEMORANDUM FOR:
NIO/SP
FROM Deputy Director for Intelligence
SUBJECT : Request for Intelligence Reports
1. We have reviewed the request from Charles Sorrels
for an in-depth analysis of foreign government reactions to the
Nixon/Brezhnev Summit in May 1972 and the recent Vladivostok
meetings, as well as your own expansion of the question on the
need for the Community to do more work on perceptions. I
agree with you that these are important and proper questions
for the Intelligence Community to answer. I am sure you ap-
preciate how complex and difficult this type of analysis would
be. If we are to do the work on gauging foreign perceptions
described in Sorrels' outline, it cannot be regarded as a one-
time project, but must be a continuing program.
2. My immediate problem is that this Directorate
simply does not have the resources that would be required to
undertake such a program. As you pointed out in your memo-
randum, most of the components in the Directorate that would
have large inputs into such analysis are already heavily
committed. I do have some suggestions, however, that will
enable us to be at least partially responsive to the Sorrels'
request and set in motion procedures that will enable the
Community to be more responsive to this kind of question.
As you know, there is not, to our knowledge, any large body
of existing research on foreign perceptions or even a consensus
on which measures are the best indicators of how a government
perceives external phenomenon, or even of the methodologies
most suited to derive these measures. We have tried without
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a great deal of success, for example, to produce a study on
Our experience
tells us that some very simple things need to be done before
the Community will be in a position to produce any meaningful
analysis on perceptions. These include such basic activities
as:
Assembling a complete bibliography and
summary of existing publications and
research on foreign perceptions.
Some considered recommendations on the
methodologies and approaches which would
be likely to yield meaningful results for a
policymaker.
A considered judgment of the resources
that would be required to effect adequate
coverage and consolidation of data on
foreign perceptions.
3. We at this moment could not take on such a full-fledged
task. This is the sort of problem, however, that the Joint Analytical
Support Center was established to study. I think that the long-term
solutions would be for the Joint Analytical Support Center to be
tasked with this problem.
4. In the short term, there are a few things we can do to STATSPEC
attempt to be responsive to Mr. Sorrels' re uest. I w uld be
willing to tas reactions
to the Vladivostok meetings and then, as a test case, ask OPR
and/or OCI to survey ces with a view to amplifying and
expanding This would, I am sure, be useful
to Mr. Sorrels and also give us some further insight into how
far we can.go on this problem over the short term. OPR has
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recently initiated a study of Western Europe attitudes toward
detente which will examine the perceptions of the French,
from three separate dimensions--
military, economic, and political. Although not directly re-
lated to the Sorrels' request, I am sure this project will
answer some of his questions.
5. I have also alerted all production components to
the growing consumer interest in more reporting on foreign
perceptions with a view to including as much of this reporting
as we can in our established research and reporting programs.
EDWARD W. PROCTOR
Deputy Director for Intelligence
ADDI/PVWalsh/tb (3 Jan 75)
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