WORLDWIDE BRIEFING PAPER - SOVIET ECONOMY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R001602930283-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 1, 2008
• Sequence Number: 283
• Publication Date: January 15, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2008/08/01 : CIA-RDP85M00364R001602930283 -1
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15 January 1983
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Intelligence
FROM: Director of Central Intelligence.
SUBJECT: Worldwide Briefing Paper--Soviet Economy
1. I was struck that in last night's discussion there was virtually
complete unanimity on the deficiencies in the Soviet economy as well as on
the social, demographic and attitudinal problems. What I would like to
consider doing for my worldwide briefing is, after a paragraph or so
capsulating those problems--manpower, transporation, agriculture, overall
growth--to lay out the magnitude of the burden this economy carries and its
military buildup, support of proxies, and involvement in the Third World
through military aid, economic assistance, naval involvement, broadcast and
propaganda efforts, etc., all of which will have been described earlier.in
the briefing. This would have to be done in an impressionistic way with
illustrative specifics and orders of magnitude. I'd like to try it along
these. lines:
-- Lay out a comparison of the size of the Soviet economy
against the aggregate economy of the Alliance.
-- Compare military expenditures in absolute and percentage
of effort terms.
-- Compare merchant marines, arms sales to the Third World,
economic assistance and military advisers in other countries,
support of proxies (figure of some $22. billion we had last year:),
radios.
-- How all this compares in the aggregate and percentage of
national effort.
2. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have as to how this can
be done or improved upon. If it could be done well it might provide the
Congress with useful perspectives on both defense budgets and security-
assistance, as well as attract attention to useful low-cost competitive
instruments like military officer training, military assistance missions,
student programs, etc.
William J. Casey
Approved For Release 2008/08/01: CIA-RDP85M00364R001602930283-1