EXCERPTS FROM THE CRITIQUES OF CIA GRADUATES OF THE NATIONAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL SEMINAR (FEBRUARY 1968- MAY 1969)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00780R003100110044-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 55
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 14, 2003
• Sequence Number: 44
• Publication Date: January 1, 1969
• Content Type: STATEMENT

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FORM NO. 237 Use previous editions GPO : 1968 0 - 297-542 (40)
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Excerpts FroI_i the Crit:.Cu.3
of CTA Grady a.r, of '6h
Nai:io ial xil'GerC~e~aL i i:7er'G#L l : I?l l.Yl !: w'
(n cbr ur.ry i9 88 - 2?.y i99)
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- 43rcL Session (21 April ?- 9 hay 1969)
tt . . l :eel the Seminar a i;ta:i.ns its, stated Objective 57'.!i c 1,
basically, is to prOyidc a: broad vi.e-r Of the USG's problems or
Ur l 1 100l icy with special E:i'Oil the dev ].Oil n COIL)' 7 s.
The e,~.'~ca'' ~7. ~ons by the vis i t:-~ n~'' lecturers from the acac~.ei`,lac
.~prec
world were tuiiforimlly excellent as were most of the presenta-
tions by Goycruraent speahcrs. Since most of us a-re inclincd to
become parochial in n our views~ the broad coverage 'provide'd by
the cure i cul.tu? was useful as a mans of broadening stu.en ts
views, but I do believe that the subject matter could be bet-;'er
tailored to the basic interests Of the class.
example, the ma,jori:Ly of those attending were scheduledfo' ERA
s }
us,,si..-miicnts. More cri;,uiasiss on it case ?ludic. (a-y- the C.i Cilr3e
Of India or Erica) would ha e been Useful.
Despite this,
co ranent, I believe Agency pax? is useful . . . tt
F
3rd Session (2:1. April ?- 9 hay 1969')
'-'
Value ~. ~a the, AET;~:!i1C;v of Our r in ti-i.., Seminar
n
Z miteCl. The GtL."~'C vice1L tj.).~,e period of "h i C1~ vl:?C.1 O:._
our officers, and. whatever share of money cost to the Agency
of acm:i-no_sterin; the Seminar is no,-, worth the value we obtain.
The Seminar has evolved into an introduction for senior military
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officers to the conduct and difficulties of U.S. foreign
affairs. It is also a forts_;i for sneakersfrom the universi-
ties, found: Lions, and from within the U.S.G.
Some of the lectures are vorth:r'nile, but are not worth t'ie
Agency's cost in time and rlcr_ey. It would cost less if these
same speakers were invited to spe,-O? at Agency courses such as
the COS seminar."
Value to our Students of Attendance at the Seminar
pointed. I thought this group of senior officers
"l was disap-
would examine foreign affairs problens seriously at a level
which would assu;-e a considerable hnousrled6e in that :Meld.
Instead, I found the military officers (wino were a -;majority
in the seminar) of low sophistication in foreign affairs. The
seminar spent too much of J.1 ,s in educating the,: :)us had
almost no tine to study anything seriously. Frankly, most of
the time l: was bored, particularly in the a_:ternoo.n-As when the
small group seminar I was in spent most of its time in sr..all,
small talk to eat up the clock until 1'(00."
Evaluation of our Participation
"From what I was able to observe our participation on the
platform: and in the seminar stimulated. i.n.terest and discussion
in what otherwise would have been e trerme dullsville."
Overall. Evaluation of tlie Seminar with Regard to its Objectives
?The following is a quote f rori the note of welcome sent to all
students by the coordinator of the Seminar. :
The Seminar is a tunique, classified, interdepartmental
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program of intensive study and training on (a) problems of
development and internal defense in developing countries, and
(b) the apmlicati.on and coordination of agency resources and
pro rar, s to help meet these problems when they affect our
national. interest.
I have no doubt that for the uninitiated (which would be
the majority in the Seminar, including the military officers)
the Seminar met its objectives, but it did not do so for me.
Lectures were the rmin format, not "intensive study and. train...
ing". Part (a) from the above quote was touched on lightly,
part (b) seemed to be the goal of the seminar but it was never
reached; i.e., the Seminar never grappled with the application.
of government resources to resolve the problems confronting it.
Too much time was spent on explaining the problems, almost no
time to suggested solutions.
Suggestions
1. "We should withdraw from participation in the Seminar at
all levels.
2. As with USIA, we should engage in "tokenism", i.e., continue
to supply one facalty member and send one or two students to each
sessio_n.. This alternative however, would not reduce our snare of
the cost in maintaining the Seminar.
43-rd Session (21 April - 9 May 1969)
"I found this a tired, vr!inspirec_ course. The faculty is tired.;
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the course is poorly organized. It obviously no longer at-
tracts the attention and support of senior governuental
officials. Still trying to maintain the momentum given the
course by Robert Kennedy, the staff pretends that the NTIS is
much more than it really is. Far from providing a comprehensive
picture of how the U.S. Government makes its foreign policy and
coordinates its operations abroad, the course gives a more confused
picture of the present state of. U.S. foreign operations than is
actually justified. by reality.
Almost any Clandestine Services office r of sufficient talent
and experience to be appointed to a senior position abroad will
already 'know practically everything he is supposed to be learning
in this course. Consequently, the course is a waste of these
vents tir, e. They may, depend_ini; on the circumstances of a given
course, get to know a few people from other agencies with. whom
they will have some relationships in the field - but this is s
very mlli_nor, accidental and overrated benefit f roll the course.
The real gain from the NIB to a future COS or COB is likely to
be so slight as to rake it irrelevant whether he attends the
course or not.
It can be argued that though our people may gain nothing
from the course, they contribute something by -their very presence.
To some degree this is undoubtedly true. This, again, is a very
haphazard process, ho; ever, and the question arises whet Ier the
same effect could not bo achieved. in a cheaper and less tir:e-
co,isuming faslhion -- e. g. , by inviting r. and D0 men of -1-1 e
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type who attend this course to come to our building for a.
day of concentrated briefing on our ow ground rhic':.I we could
make much more impressive than the present Agency contribution
to tile ITIS.
Our participation in the course still entails a degree of
security erosion which needs to be taken into account in any
estimate of the net advantage/disadvantage of Agency involve-
ment. I have the impression that, in general, the level of
people sent by most agencies to this course has been declining.
(State and. USL% send very few people; ATD sends a very mixed
group.) The military send a great number of officers and soya-
civilians who really have no need to know much, it anything,
about our. Agency's operations abroad. Nevertheless, the present
mnner of our particilxxtion in t ais course identifies our offi-
cers to everyone in the course and results in exposure of a
considerable accumulation of date about our targets and methods
of operation. I am not naturally inclined to be higI,.ly conserva-
tive on this kind of issue, but I feel uneasy aboi h this aspect,
of our involvement with the course. It is time to reexamine it
again.
Though the course in toto i not, our basic responsibility,
our long participation in it and the financial contribution we
make to it entitle us as on Agency to raise questions about its
current and fixture relevance. Like long-existing projects ard
long-standing procedures, courses even as prestigious as the
NTIS should be thoroughly reviewed from time to tin. If it is
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not politic for our. Agency to call into question the existence
of the coarse as such, we are guilty of not looking after our
own interests if we do not periodically reconsider whether we
are getting our money's worth out of what we are putting into
it. Perhaps we are; if we are, it is not clear to me just what
the gain for us is."
43rc? Session (21 April ?- 9 1`ay 1969)
"I believe the Agency benefits by association with other
government or ani.zation. representatives in appropriate
:forums to allay frequent _misunderstandings of the purpose
of this Agency and the style and character of its represent
to wives . In short, it is good Public relations for us to
participate in open and candid fashion with other depart-
rent representatives as often as possible to generate cun i-
deuce and understand-in in our purpose. For tills to be
effective, I think it should be relatively senior personnel
who are familiar With the intricacies and mores of inter-
departrmental relations and problems. Because our represen-
tatives usually are senior and have had broad and extensive
exposure to a variety of events and problems, attendance at
such seminars usually is of much less benefit than to the
normal participants. For instance, there was little that I
heard at the DIS that I had not heard and discussed in con-
siderable detail before,. , material available at
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the library o f:L ered little, that as new to anyone who
follows current events in reasonably organized fashion.
What, is of some value, however, is the breaking out of
rather confined routine to which most of us are sucl jected.
It is a welcome type of sabbatical that gives one time to
reflect and exchange views on a variety of subjects w:ith
other than his immediate colleagues. The closeness and
restrictions of Agency procedures and associations tend to
become incestuous, and. the break out from time to time is
refreshing.
The present curriculum of the NIS is only a slight varia-
tion from the original concentration on counterinsurgency
and, for this reason, I believe, is too reactionary and de-
fensive in nature. There see ,.)s to be a dearth of challerrE -
ing new concepts presented but more a rehash of the establish-
ed order. Among the most provocative and c}hallengin; speakers
were those from outside the usual government areas. George
Cabot Lodge and Richard Parker I found particularly sti-mul..atirhg
by their posing new concepts and possible actions contrary to
the "standard" line.
Agency representatives were more active and effective
generally in the individual group seminars than in general
assembly proceedin s,
possibly because of natural Agency in-
fluences. Agency representatives seemed popular targets
during intermission time for button'_--oling on questions and
proposals reveali iC,, as usual, much i iorarce or the Aency
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...If
in general.
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43rdSession (21 April - 9 May 196
9)
I believe there was some value to the Agency in
our participation in the S:mi.nar, but just how much value
I was in a section of the Seminar (Regiral. Seminar for
Latin America) where fifteen students -,sere fro_i other agencies,
with most of the 15 from DOD - there were two of us from the
Agency. It is mxy belief that the Agency students derived little
a, greet deal more, in r:ry observation because much of the m:a.-teri--
al presented was new information to them. For Agency personnel,
the material covered for the most part was not now, nor were the
concepts of the gx eat majority of the lecturers whether from the
government or from academic or other circles. Probably there
were no more than six or seven o: the lectures which I consider-
ed to be significant for me, whereas in the case or the DOD
members, most of the lectures seemed to present material to
which they had been exposed to a limited degree if at all.
The informal discussions held with meiibers of my own regional.
group were enjoyable, and I believe contributed to a good re-
8
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tY)rd Se1ssion (21 April -- 9 a?-Iay 1969)
"I believe that several advantages accrued to the Agency
froa-,i its participation in the Seminar. . . First of all,
the Seminar provided senior personnel of other agencies
with a better understanding of hOW CIA operates in overseas
posts, how they can assist CIA in its operations, and how
numerous questions from State, AID, and Defense personnel
that a need existed for explaining CIA's 'clandestine mission.
The Seminar also provided an opportunity to explain the overt
intelli[cInce support that the Agency can .lake available to US
officials assigned to foreign countries. There were several
occasions when I personally had an opportunity to provide
answers regarding the nature and extent of Cois;;unist foreign
aid a.e civ:ities in selected countries. As an outgrowth of
these euest-ions, r was asked to give a special presentation
on the silo ject of Soviet military and economic aid in the
developing countries.
As a result of my participation in the Seminar, I have a.
better u derstanding of and appreciation for the roles of
other Agencies in carrying; out US foreign policy interests
in the developing countries. I also feel that I acquired a
better enders tandin of the problems facing the developing
countries as well as an improved framework for analyzing
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these prob7.cr..s. 7 also would lay stress on the broadened
education that I acquired as a result of informal discussions
and interchange of ideas with other senior government officials
who par t~_cipatec~ in the Seminar.
I believe that the Seminar adequately fulfills its taro--fold
objective of (a) providing the student with an understanding
of the problems of development and internal defense, and (b)
acguainting the student with the various resources of govern--
rent that can be employed to carry out US f oreic~.-I interests.
2dost of the presentations by Gover nnont and non-Gover .ament
speakers Were good to excellent.
-2nd Session (211, ?ebruary -- lip march 1969)
"I~'y overall i;lp ession is t_-tat the National Interdepartmental
Seminar is a worthwhile experIence for Agency personnel in any
case., and. especially for those officers concerned with less
developed areas. In addition to the information presented on
the range of U.S. rlilitary and civilian assets that can bo
brought to bear on problems of development. the seminar of ?ers
an invaluable opportunity to meet and ta.llk informally and in
depth with representatives from other agencies attacking the
sane or sinilar target-s.
42nd Session (211. February - l1Y Larch 1969)
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provoking, and informative.' There were certainly many out-
standing speakers fro::n the academic world as well as the
governmental officials and the faculty. With a few minor
except_i.ozs, the speakers were all excellent. Some of the
more impressive ones that come to mind are : Harriman, Lodge,
Levy, and.. 'Joiner. There were many others too that I could
commend. The military show, in 1:7 opinion, was the weakest
part. On the Agency presentation I believe a little more
time should be allowed for questions from the audience.
The format of the course t'ri. th the mornings devoted to
lectures and discussions and. the afternoons utilized as
regional seimt na:-r. s seem to rie to be a. most effective ~?.ethod
of hancLling the pro ram. We in the Eastern Asia Regional
Seminar were fortunate in having several- people who had
served extensive tours in Thailand and in South Vietna 1. T.'his
certainly provided material fo: some excellent seminars on the
area..
1y views on the AID program were altered to quite a degree.
I'in afraid I had always harbored an idea that a large past, of
it was in effect a "give a wray" program. I'm sure there is
little of this feature let, if it was ever there, since the
allocation for this purpose has been tr:L-rued do;,-n to such an
extent. The continuing stress on the national interest by
maxy of the speakers certainly ehrphansized this position.
The selection of reading material was excellent although I
was not able to cover all of it. There should be more conies
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of some of the required, readi.rg as I found it quite difficult
to obtain all the booms and articles on a timely basis. I
have been continuing s om re of the suggested reading since the
course ended and must admit- that such reading has whet tea rr,r
appetite for. more o l, the same and I have been exploring some
other works by these authors.
The EA seminax devoted a good share of its tii e to investi-
gating; the d:? ssid.ent youth of today, believing that it can be
easily related to problems o dissident peoples in emergent na-
tions. I believe this was an exercise worth while and there
is r _uch u dens Land:i.ng to be ained, from such an. exercise.
It ,
see-ins that the elimination of the fourth week- from the
course has been detrimental sor-me;rhat. I believe that the
former field trips iiust hq.ve been far more effective in pre-
sentin that phase of the course than the somewhat less than
inspiring contri_but-ions made by the special school representa-
tives.
The most valuable thing I gained from the seminar was a riu,~.ch
greater understanding of how thins work. I have a much better
perspective now of world affairs. I believe that there is much
to be gained from the course by the managerial element of the
Agency, of which I am a part, as well as the operational people.
11,2nd session (211, February - l4 1 arch 1969)
"In ry opinion the NIIS Course definitely meet its objectives
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m a~ . ~'_;;_~ t 6 ~. ick
and i_iy evaluation of it is excellent, Over-all; I woulcl say
that there is great value to the Agency resulting from selected
senior participation. I imaggine most COSIs attend the course.
If they do not, they should since these are the men who would
benefit the most from a co moil understanding of the problems
us, I feel the main benefit i. , the broadening; of one's bac:lk[,Iround
(plus the brea . from daily routine). In icy case I not only ac-
quired a tremendous urderstandinS of the problems. in developing
countries but also a much bet;cer understanding of internatio:,:l
relations in general, particularly in the Near 1;ast.
Over-all, your speakers were top notch, and I felt they gave
us a good. cross section of the Droblermis.
The Case Study approach is a good aoproach and I fee:L they
were geographically repro seiitative .
The reading list and iii efforts to complete cas much o-_'c' it as
possible were somewhat of a cultural shock It was, however,
tied-in well with the material covered. by the speakers and in
the se?:i_i.nars, and I was able to cover much of it.
The seminar is well organized. Your staff handles the
students efficiently and. courteously. . . . The F0 ort 2+'eyer
lunches were highly appreciated. I suggest you Co on all. three
Fridays. By Friday the interlude is appreciated. The lunch
Period f1l.hll pro ram contributes to the intent of the course and
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in 6ene ?a.l the films were well selected and time
412nc? Session (24 February - 14 March 1969)
"I feel the Agency derives definite benefits from particia-
Lion in the 1115 and should continue the relationship both from
a recepi_e-nt and a contributor standpoint. Some of the a(lvantages
are as fo11.ows :
A) One of the most outstanding irnmedi.ate benefits is
that it affords our people excellent contacts zr:ith individuals
who in a great many instances will be serving in a liaison or
coordinating; function at the :parU.cipan't's next assiSirrent. A
co -I-non ground is established which can greatly enhance the
Agency's position in the long 1 uno
B) Allows for concentration of el fort, study, and x o~
sources on the participant v s intended place, of assi2-, ment
The sources available are gene:cally good and intimate contact
witch per onnel of other Agencies allows for testing the in-ternel
sources of -chose Agencies
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D) _kf f ord s the Agency a small but effective means of
"adver"t: sing." That is to say, it gives u ; a soundin -boarcl.
to promote better unc'ers-'Ua:nding, of our mission and problems.
l hear cl other p rticip n mention on several occasions tha t
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one of the advantages to thc-TmI in the course was that they
gained a better understanding of the Agency and. what it was
trying to do.
E) Gives a. good insight into the cou.ltry's problems from a
national standpoint.
I think the Seminar accomplished its objectives very well.
The speakers and staff were generally good . . . I believe
the Seminar was especially informative and. proauctive."
!.2nd Session (24 February - :'Jr JMarch 1969)
Value of the Agency of our partic7.ation in the Sel..qinar:
"Orientation and education of DDP officers in command
positions in matters of policy initiation and i7:,plementat .on
at the highest levels and a. general education in the concepts,
actions, alternatives, and limitations on the US Government in the
general field of couaterinsi.lr{ enc;y /political action.
The opportunity to cti.spell some serious misconceptions about t e
Agency in general and the DDP in particular wn.ich were held.
senior officers of other agencies, particularl. State
The opportunity to meet, assess, and develop opposite rnuhers
in other agencies in seminar and social milieu.
In amplification of the latter t WO points, the under signed
o ser-ved at the incept.i_on of the course that there was an Olmst
uniform guarded reserve or hostility on the part of the pa-wtici-
Pants of other agencies to., ards the DDP (:rim the exception Of
the itarv pa ?t ,ia ~.nu~) . l'ne underc,ned believes that at
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the conclusion of this course this hostility or reserve was
in most cases broken do.an and replaced. with a more positive
appreciation of the Agency, its PDP officers, and. the DDP
contribution toward the total US overseas effort. This was
due to the candor of the Agency participants in the lectures
and post-lecture discussions coupled with the excellent in-
dividual efforts of the Agency participants---not necessarily
treating, other agency ne11n1bers as operational targets but more
naturally by candidly participating in post-lecture, seminar,
and bull session discussions. Significant in this regard was
the high personal and intellectual caliber of the Agency
participants. (Several meubers of other agencies seemed
initially to suspect that DDP officers were mechanics rather
than thinkers---this misconception was rapidly dispelled.)
Ho-.,-,ever., the one single aspect that seemed to have the most
favorable impact was the candor and frankness of the discussions
and lectures regarding the Agency's mission (particularly the
DDP).
Overall 1 va.lwtion of the Seminar:
the undersigned found two aspects of the seminar very
useful and. two rather less so. t.I`he useful aspects included
the concentrated and intellectually high level of the seminar.
Truly distinguished minds presented their thou~,;nts to the
seminar, and the undersigned received an intellectual stiff:iula Lion
not felt for years. Secondly, it was a pleasure and of great,
use to meet and trade thow_;hts with senior officers of other.
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agencies as well as DDP colleagues previously not met.
On the debit side, the vndersi3med felt that the military
point of view was over-presented and that the military was
overrepresented. Honest discussion of problems was difficult
when one net a solid phalanx--rather too solid and orchestrated--
of colonels and generals all dogmatically asserting the same
point of view. On the other hand, the Agency point of vieu,
particularly the very well received COS panel discussion,
would have benefitted by more time than the 45 air nutes or so
allocated. On the same point, the lack of State Department
representation (the second major debit) seriously curtailed
effective discussion of a number of topics both in seminar and
in post-lecture discussion.
mist Session (6 - 24 January 1969)
"I found the National Interdepartmental Seminar a stimulating
and broadening experience. It exposed ne to aspects of national
security with which I had not been familiar and afforded tine
for independent reading in those fields. It also exposed me to
the provincialism of some of mrry Government associates, especially
the ,military representatives. We of CIA tend to become provincial
too and I believe it is valuable for -us- to be exposed to the "big
picture" and our participation promotes a better understanding of
CIA armon our associates too. I heartily endorse continued Agency
participation in the Seminar.
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I was disappointed by the lack of a sharper focus of the
course. 1: think this was particularly evident in the so-called
'case studies" of individual countries. I found all of them
interesting and infor aitive, but only one gave a clear-cut
analytical evaluation of the key insurgency and developmental
factors--factors which might also be applicable to any of the
developing countries. This approach was more useful than a
fact-filled, historical and general review of the other "case
studies."
Course objectives might have been better served with less
emphasis upon the broad brush (e.g., the outside professorial
lecturers) and more on the specific views of practitioners.
The objectives of the course are not served by an individual's
personal reminiscences as much as by his analytical appraisal
of the specific problems he faced--isolating and highlighting
the specific components and giving practical examples of how to
cope with each. The latter approach would help each student to
recognize similar problems encountered in his anticipated over-
seas ass:i_rment and to consider several alternative responses."
st Session (6-2ii January 1969)
"There are two possible areas where the NSS snakes a contribution
to the Agency. First, the TATS does a good job in preparing the
individual officer to interact with non-Agency personnel in a work
situation. Too often we tend to crawl -into our own little secretive
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holes forgetting that we must perform our mission in relation
with personnel of other agencies and in their view (This is
particularly true of snail stations.) It is particularly inn-
portent for our middle grade officers to get over their fears
of their other-agency associates before moving overseas to a
position where they will have responsibility for interaction
with the'.il. The HIS serves this function. Secondly, Agency
personnel at the NIS are so obviously superior to the general
ruin of other agency participants that they are able to do a
job of sellin for the Agency. Their participation is a
relatively painless and inexpensive way of demonstrating to
other a ency personnel that the Agency officers don't wear
horns.
The seminar should be considered more of a brie, rr? ddle
level seminar in problems o American forei~gi 9olicy than a
seminar on problems of development (with 'a strong smell of
counter-insurgency) . As presently administered the course
content and the faculty itself demonstrate confusion as to the
objectives of the course' almost as though there were two
tendencies competing, one which holds to the traditional counter-
insurgency concepts (How to combat guerrilla wars) and one which
is more interested in the economic development of the LDC's.
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1110th session (21. Gcc(:aer - 15 November 1968)
National Interdepartmental Seminar remains high, the course
is showing signs of age. The in-put frufrm the academic sector
is brilliantly presented but needs up?-d,ating because it is
obvious by now that many theoretic concepts of social scientists
and economists on nation building; - which heavily influenced the
early days of the Kennedy Administration and which are reflected
in the course - simply did not work. Yet these theories remain
an important part of the course and constitute the bulb of the
ambit ?.ous r ecyuired reading.
The overall quality of the IhIS Faculty is high. The level
and potential of the student body is more varied..
The intellectual level of the Seminar is hi gh. pea ers from
the academic sector included Professor Cyril F. Black, Director
of the Princeton Center of International. Studies, on "Dynamics
of 1vo~lern.:i.zat9_on," Professor Tlarion J. Levy from the Wood-mow
Wilson School of Public Affairs of Prince ton University on
"Social Change in Traditional Soca_et:iesProfessor Pyc from
1CL'.0 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) on "Problems of
Political Development, and George Lodge of Harvard Bus? ne~s s
School on "Political Institutions in the Revolutionary tilorld."
The Department of State provided four Assistant Secretaries of
State, the Undersecretary for Political Affairs, five Ambassadors.
and two retired P)rabassadors. The principal military speaker was
21.
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General Chapin, Commandant of t1he Pia.rine Ccrps. . .
In terms of inter-agency relations, the h IS weighs in
heavily in emphasizing the primary role of the Department
of State and of the Ambassador. This is reflected both in
the choice of speakers and in the required reading, which
includes pawcwers of the Jackson Ccr. aittee on Government
Operations discussing the role of the U.S. Ambassador and
Roger Hi.llsman's boot "To Move a Nation." The point is that
a steadily increasing number of senior personnel are going to
the field - and we now have more than 30 Ambassadors who
graduated from the T]IS - with the impression that the Ambassador
is in charge of all operations.
The discussions with the Deputy Assistant Secretaries (Handley
and Davies from the Near East, Winthrop Brown from Far East, and
Vaky from ARA) were uniformly interesting; and candid . There was
no atte-m;pt to gloss over any problems and as might be expected
under the circumstances we wore left with more questions than
solutions.
A highlight of the course was the presentation by General
Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., Co:,Yfmancl_~,nt, U.S. Marine Corps, on our
world-;ride commitments in which he emphasized the limitations
of U.S. mi1_:i.'tary power udder the existing Circlmistances and the
prospects in Viet Nam. General Chapman explained the conditions
under which the JCS could (and subsequently did) accept the bomb-
ing halt and was emphatic that the JCS could not accept a halt in
aerial reconnaisance in contrast to a bombing halt. He felt that
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an armistice along the existing lines of fightin would be
unacceptable to South Viet Nam.
Other speakers of outstanding quality were Ambassador
Marchali Green on "Development and Internal Defense in
Indonesia," William C. Doherty, Jr., Executive Director,
AIFID, on "Ikabor and Its Influence in the Under developed
World," Undersecretary Bohlen, on U.S.-Soviet relations, and
Colonel Ircni_n R. Dri ;ham, now with SACSA and just back from
Saigon, on "Internal Defense in Viet Nan." Colonel Brigham
was highly complimentary of CIA's role in the Viet Pram.
In conclusion, there can be no doubt that the TTIS contributes
to the educational and experi.ence levels of its students. Luch
of what is presented is ch J_J.enging, and most of it is interest-
ing, but I question that it, is di.rectl applicable to the work
of the Chief of ,station. In fact, if there is one definitive
conclusion to be gained from the course it is that each is
di'.i~:erent, each problem must be viewed in terms of the specifics
and that overall, "school solutions" simply do not exist. The
course makes no attempt at value jud , eats; one speaker may say
that the Peace Corps is wonderful, to be followed by a senior
Ambassador who makes a persuasive case why the Peace Corps should
not be admitted to his particular country .. and there it is left.
Santa! lay contradictions could be a ou?.id. between the views of 1_r.
Doherty and Assistant Secretary Va?-~y on the U.S. Labor's role
in South America, or between the views of Assistant Secretary
tar. o em and military speakers on what went wrong in Vie t, Nara.
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These differences certainly reflect honesty of approach to
On balance, I think the IIIS has outlived its usefulness.
Its central theme is by now hell accepted. Enough of its
graduates are in senbr positions throughout the Services,
State and the other participating agencies to insure that
the doctrine will live on. Some features of the NIS could
be absorbed into internal CIA training, as it is absorbed
into the various service schools and the Foreign Service
Institute. The TIS by-product of better understandin of
other Agencies' interests could be accomplished ?:core effective-
ly by extending to the Foreign Service the USEFUL Project."
- 10th Session (21 October - 1.5 November 1953)
The basic objectives of the course:
"? I feel were more than adequately met. Comaents that
I heard from xne;iibers of the seminar, including officers of our
Agency, in.d:i.ca?ed that those destined to positions in the field
would be able to m lake a more substantial contribution in their
new assignment relative to furthering U.S. policy especially in
the developing countries.
Although lily current assignment is in Washington, it does in-
volve supervising you g professionals during their initial tour
with CIA. 1 feel that the seminar has increased tart ability to
orient these new potential officers toward. U.S. policy and in
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the general role the Agency should play in furthering foreign
policy objectives.
:C felt the subject matter of the course was well chosen and
conducive to reaching the objectives of the seminar. I also
felt that the balance between the lectures and the afternoon
discuss ions and briefing s was very good. Although the morning,
lectures ti rere more pointed towards the stated goals of the
course, the afternoon sessions allowed more individual and
specific questions to be answered. I was not able to read
as much as I would have liked but I do not believe that any
more time should be set aside for reading. I intend to continue
reading from the reco emended, list-
. . . in conclusion, l would like to thank those whose efforts
provided me with a most rewarding e,"'-nut on i_y the ex
posure to highly-quali:i'ied experts during the formal sessions
but also the association with capable officers of other U.S.
Government agencies.
3 th Session September - i+ October 10
"I do believe there is a value to the Agency from our parti-
cipation in NIS. The value as I see it is two fold: We can't
help but learn some thing and Syr a.ile not everything is applicable
learning per so is bound to make us better officers; perhaps
more important however is that by participating in hIS the
officers of other Agencies come to know us, to realize that we
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As touched upon above I think that we are bound to learn from
exposure to ideas put forth at the THIS. I'm not at all of the
view that participation at the ;9th session will ..,aloe me :Pinction
as an Ops Officer abroad better or worse than I have in the 'past.
I an convinced however that I have obtained greater awareness of
the need - or? team effort in overseas activities, and such aware-
ness should make inc function more effectively in a senior mana eri.al!
operational role in future overseas assigirtients. I'd had a big
dose of team cooperation and was, thus, perhaps more
aware of the needs than some Ops Officers-for they, I feel- the
ISIS would prove even more valuable.
I would SUS, hest t'ha t we might participate just a bit more than
we currently do. A. good hard hitting lecture by a dedicated
me -aber. of Cl/lCG on the C%,munist threat in a given area should
prove stimulating to the group as a whole then perhaps afternoon
discussion within each team led by a CI/ICG area specialist. An
equally hard-hitting simmary lecture of the Soviet intelligence
presence abroad should be of interest, and it would have the side
effect of letting; our ianerica.n collegues know that compared. to the
Soviets our o?rrn overseas Stations are tiny. I wonder how many of
the students know the workin s
whether t i.i_s might not be something you r:might touch on in your
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have heard generally and in which they expressed interest after
our presentations). The
needs attention.
Ipresence and its divisivness (sp)
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Perhaps the course could be somle,rhat compressed -- from r. view
I found some of the academic presentations dull hence time con-
su_nin ;. Also the reading reg>ns. are perhaps too extensive--had I
not read almost all the pertinent classified material in years
past could never have gotten through all that was required."
39th Session (9 September - !,- October 1.965)
"The great:test value to the student and in turn the Agency is a-
better under. standing of overall foreign policy uechanics (or lack
of it as the case may be) which transcend departmental bomidaries
and the necessity for a total U.S. approach and coordination.
This is especially true regarding the underdeveloped na.tio is.
The high quality, k_nowled eable speakers and the candid pre-
sentation of as many aspects of the problems as possible con-
tributed markedly to broadening the students perspective of the
U.S. efforts in world affairs.
In mmay opinion participation in the Seminar by the Agency is
an absolute necessity if we are going to be called upon to
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accomplish tasks in underdeveloped. countries as we have :i.n
the past.
The Seminar does a remarkable job in exposing the students
to basic top-level. thinking which accomplishes t;ro objectives.
First, given the nature of our government and the importance
of individual contribution, e_cposure to basic ideas is paramount
in educating the senior government official and stimulating thou ht.
Second, as the basic thinking at the top level of government becomes
widespread and permeates lower levels, the more coordinated and.
directed will be efforts at all levels. As the Seminar progressed,
events of the recent past became more lucid and meaningful. Al-
though there are mechanisms of coordination within the executive
branch, a fr:Lghtening depth of ignorance remains be -veen agencies.
As each a ency developed its role toward the underdeveloped world,
the curtain of suspicion and. ignorance was partially torn away.
The comprehensive presentation of the developmental process
through which countries under ping some degree of modernization
must pass was not only impressive and provocative but very
r
practices also. The candid approach manifest by most participants
was reassuring to the student that he was not being sold a. bill of
goods. The paradoxes which became evident and the many faceted
co rpl_exiti_es emphasized. the rna.onitude of the overall. forc~__gi policy
problem, particularly the attempt to develop a cogent policy to card
the underdeve_I.oc~ed_ world. . . .
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The student will have to return to his o,-rn agency enlightened.,
sobered, and I should hope, inspired toward contributing his
share in the total U. S. foreign effort. With the background
and education provided by this seminar, he should. become a
catalyst in his mm agency, thereby enhancing it total contri-
bution.
39th Session (9 September - 4 October 1963)
"The fol-lo-,-Tin,, continents are keyed to the suggested critique
outline in your memorandum.
Participation is the key wore?, with the value: inherent in
reminding both our mm and other--agency personnel that we are
members of a team in both the field and at lags level. The
people we join in the HIS are the people we work with here: end
overseas. The NI S appears to me to be a prime vehicle f. or? pro-
noting, or in some cases initiating mutual understandings that
axe wound to be of value to the Agency.
We are all in management positions and without e:w tic otio l con-
duct- liaison with one or several of the other agencies involved
in the NIS. The course helps get the blinders off for a. while
for anyone who night be having trouble seeing other-agency view-
points. It would seem to me that students :could therefore feel
better able to handle their joint tasks and thereby derive pro-
fessional satisfaction.
The course structure, joint aspects, and truly impressive
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faculty certainly offer the natural in rcdients for success in
meetin the objectives. The key variable ingredient is the
smilier than usual . . . but, I have no doubt
that the 39th Seminar will pay of-f. . . .?
H9th Session (9 September - ?H October 1969)
"I observed and concluded that there is considerable value to
the A ency in its participation in the seminar. I believe that
the participation of the Agency students and the for1 .1 Agency
presentation served to clarify and sol:i_dii`y the Agency's role in
carrying out the foreign objectives of the U.S. Government. The
formal presentation was well presented and well received.
For the .nos t par. t I found the seminar to be interesting and
rewarding. I was surprised that no Agency personnel des:%+-Slated
to be Chiefs of Stations were t ' 1
pre 5G n'c . S ,:~V~lte lk.,~~..rG7:mC nG per-
sonnel of arhaassa.dor rank and military .personnel of General Fla,
rank were also noticeably aThnonL.)
In general I believe the seminar x.-et its objectives - and. in sore
a
J..:1cLi1 outstanding
1-11th Session (9 Septe7:~'ber -i- October 1969)
"Paa:tici-cation in this Seixlxiar is of definite value to the
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dressing-up, and it is on this level of working field relation-
ships that it can count the most. 2`:y i xpression. was one of con-
siderable ni.svnderstand:~n aa_~on; our counter-parts in State, DOD,
etc. of 'the real role of our Agency. Trot surprisingly, so-e
essentially negative feelings trere sensed among our State Depart-
meat colleagues, who it seemed developed these feelings more on
hearsay and our 'bad press' than from first hand. e, pe rience.
The Seminar is of definite value to our students in term of
broadening our views, providing the opportunity of hearing and
discussing; the thoughts of other s with respect -co our govern?-
ment's overseas problems and foreign policies. The opportunity
to cease operations for a x onth, sit down and t'hi:ni., read and
participate in such discussions is very worthwhile. Our students
should of course have something to offer in this exchange and
be active participants.
In my opinion the Seminar meets its overall objectives very
well. The right mix or balance of theory and practice, roles
and ca-es i.;; probably difficult to maintain but is essential to
the success of the Seminar. So:,le students would apparently pre-
fer more el;i(hasis on the practical as ects of problem solving.
't'his area should not be entirely neglected, but the value of the
course is not to be found wholly in detailed descriptions of roles
and teclrli.ques. Every participant should. certainly have come
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away from the Seminar with a ;1:'f a'ter awareness of the character
of the problems to which we are addressed and a better perception
of the contributions to be We by all team nc bers toward meeting
these problems.
39th Session (9 September -- 4 October 1968)
"The value to the Agency in participating in the National inter--
departmental Seminar (NIS) depends on what students are selected
for attendance. I believe the PD/P officers receive the greatest
benefit because they are the ones who 'i i.l l be me nbers of the
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DD/S officers obtain, of course, a considerable amount of area
and general knowledge, but it would be difficult to put this
Inowledge to use in practical support service activities. All
attendees receive the benefit of making contacts for their future
assignments so that when one is assigned to an overseas station
or base he can look up the fellnus, from the other participating
a enci_es who attended the hIS with him.
. From the overall standpoint, T feel that 1TTS does a fine
job in carrying out its objectives of explaining our fore iii
internal defense policy and the various problems incident to
development and internal defense in the less developed countries. ...''
-- _....39th Session (9 October 1960)
~W
I ail sure that our student attendees acquired a.better
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understanding of how other U.S. departments and agencies help
achieve our co Amon foreign policy objectives. With this added
lrnowledge, each student should be able to d.o his own job pore
effectively and with broadened understanding. Indirectly, then,
the Agency should benefit in terms of an-added capacity on the
part of those who attended the Seminar. I fool: also, that each
of our students did what he could to strengthen the image of the
Agency during t e course of the Seminar.
I guess that I sophe to practically every one of our students
at one time or another, either on or off the "campus," so to
speak Each one had a very high regard for the Seminar. I
believe that the CIA students learned a great deal about hoar the
five Government agencies pa rt:iicipat:i.n- in the Seminar con" tr:b0ute
to the fon.iula Lion and implementation of foreign policy. Only
too often, the individual intelligence officer, engrossed as he
is ,7i-'Lh daily taslks, is unaware that other agencies may be en-
gaged in programs which affect the work he is doing. Participation
in the Seminar gave- each of our officers a person-to-person up-
datin; on what others in the col:n:lunity are doing.
I believe that Seminar objectives were acco;iplished, as demon-
strated by the obvious increased awareness on the part of our
Students. I l? 1o;7 that Tear? !! of which I W, -IS a Ine::lber", really
discussed the subject matter in great depth during the aft-m.-noon
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"9th, Session (9 Septer,fber - 1. October 1968)
"I believe that the Y'iIS provides selected Agency personnel
a unique opportunity to discuss problems of inter-age-,.zcy con-
cern related. to development and internal defense. Since the
I since heavy
emphasis is given to field problems, the seminar is much more
suitable for field personnel, especially those enroute to over
seas posts in developing area,. Because of the particularly
heavy accent given Vietnatia,
iL is suggested that all Agency
personnel grades GS-13 and above assigned to that country be
enrolled in the course. S .mi.:Early, the seminar ought to be made
mandatory for middle and senior grade personnel departing fo'-,
posts in developing countries which are deemed to be critical
areas.
It is impossible for me to separate the value of the seminar
to Agency students and to the Agency as such, since the increment
of growth o f understanding of each student will redound to the
benefit of the Agency. However, the Agency might derive further
direct benefit from the seminar by utilizing some of the objectives,
techniques, and participants in some of its o---,?;n Internal training
Pro'-'rams (it is presumed that this is al ~eady bein done in such
courses as those provided by the Office of Training for personnel
slated for duty in Vietnam) . . . .
It is highly desirable (for the Agency) to keep the quality of
students at a? high level and not be tempted. to enroll people who
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may simply be available to tai e the seminar. Such a practice
mir;ht sel?ve to lower the qua.l-ity of participants and would
have the long range effect of lo.rcri.nr; the high esteem in
which we arc apparently held by our fellow studemits. With
the continuing participation of Secretary Rush, ianbassaclor
Bohlen, and other such hiCjh-)?orered speakers, it would be a
major mistake for the Agency to send. mediocre or poor people
in order to fill its quota.
It would be easy to carp about the lack of effectiveness of sonic
speakers. Hcnrever, in view of the fact that speakers are drawn
from a wile variety of institutions, both in and. out of gove;.,n-
Trent, it is probably inevitable that the quality will vary widely
and that a number of presentations will be pedestrian or worse.
What is more important is the point that a broad cross-section
of opinions and points of view continue to be re-presented in .the
seminar. Such a cross-section serves as an effective catalyst
to stimulate stud--n-'U O. scussions. . ? ."
3S th Session (8 July - 2 Au ust 1,68)
"This critique should be considered from the point of view of
the participant i s background as a psychologist withoLvt Overseas
e yper:i ence. Thus, much of the data imparted. d.ur! i2 the emina.C,
being new, was found to be highly inforira,tive. It was felt that
the course i:as quite successful in providing me with a broad
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prospective, both historical and current, as regards approaches
to counter insurgency, the problems of under: developed cour?tiries
and US interests and policies. Of particular importance, it
also provided informat:i on about the wide variety of resources
that are available for countering subversion and insurgency.
Thus, it wwould seen to me that the seminar experience - 7oul_d be
a use: ul one for Agency employees going overseas, particularly
Z, perso`rally, found the course e Lcced:iri ;ly interesting; and was
grateful for the opportunity to attend. Even though I an in a
!)eadCLlar'-ei s slot, I feel there be intangible benef is i. re-
flected in my role in Selection activities. I think that the
benefits slight be more direct and tangible for personnel
assig-.ned overseas. . . .
One of the principal benefits, and one that cannot- be directly
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me ~stt ed, is that personal relationships a e established that 17 1-11
fact:I_lita e future interaction with (other) Agency personnel.
stc ioned abroad. I believe that the course does open channels
for better cormunication, particularly c:mon those who IT
..1_l be
1 certainly do feel that the Agency
should continue to partici .)ate, as clarification of the Agency' s
role and function
',
can be useful to all members taking the seminar.
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'c8th Sess ion ( 7L??_~ - 2 August 1908)
"Tn ray oppinion, the overall value of the seminar was good,
and that it did achieve the intended purpose--ghat of stressing
the tears conce-
pt in the conduct of operations for overseas
ll:i_ssions. Of particular value to j-"10 were the c??.scuss:Lons re-
L/
rcUng problems of development and internal defense in areas
of the world which 1 was not fcca iliar.--!Tear East, Central 1Africa
and Latin America with ejccel.l_cc~ lectures from those personally
ill'VC71.VE? A iba: ;=,ador Dc- ing, ihs. Connett and. A.rfaassador Clark.
3~(ch Session (22 April * 1;' M ty.1968)
"The :::cost ObViOUS value is in the clarification of the minds of
non?-Agency officers of doubts or cittestions they had about the
Agency's personnel and activities, tini c;i we tried. to d_o in the
morning Seminar led by Agency students in the third week. In
the team discussions, I felt Iii Blain contribution was to keep
alive the awareness that the world Communist d.oninat _on is sti.ll_ very nluC:1 a
threat, isince l w us S?? pi iSEd. to find that r0- 0 of the
State parti.cipants seeded to believe that there have been some
si0iifi_cant changes in the over -all Soviet -'C, ra'te r and t;ia t the
Soviet;-, are not as determined as they used to be to achieve world
COt.li:llll: ist domination. This`, was supplemented by a lecture by an
African s,?ec i al i ,t in C1110-G, and by
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a very broadenin, experience. .'hile it has not Trade a measurable
contribution to Illy work as a. case officer, it did on the other
hand bring me up to date on current U.S. Government policy. Also
for arse the discussions and debates of these general matters by our
team were invaluable. But since I have served overseas many years,
the aspect of interchange between officers of other government
agencies was not as important to me as it might have been to officers
with less overseas' experience. I learned little about what other
agencies are doing that I did not already lkno;r. . . .
Basically I think the Seminar is twrorthI.rhile. It is uneuestio la.a
a broadening eper:iience, particularly as regards the rroblr.-.r:s of
r: lodernization in the underdeveloped world, U.S. overseas internal
defense poJ.icy. . . . and the current Soviet and ChiCom siL?uatioi1,
policies, and activities.
I also feel. that the interchange ' of ideas between officers of
different government agencies has a value which should foster
greater uilderstandin of the other fellow's position overseas,
something whLich is definitely needed."
37th Session (22 April - 17 May 1968)
"In general, and much to r., r amazement, the Rational Interd part-
mental Seminar. . . . was more interesting than I had a.ntici.pated.
Some of the speakers were horrible, but several were outstanding,
and the seminar group for Latin America was both. stir: ul ati.ng' and
eminently sensible. There is a good little library in which much
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time can profitably be spent and the rules are relaxed enough
to permit judicious absences.
't'here were enough snide/friend.ly comments from other p
military who have never been on attache assignments before. Their
misconceptions seem to be c1 a n mainly from The Invisible Govern-
ment and their DIA courses don't seem to have helped much. Thus
we should fly our flag at these seminars both by sending students
and Speakers. A secondary objective of continuing our pa t i cipation
would be the time for re fl_exion that mere participation i l the
course does tl_lo.r, ,
In add' tion to the time for refle_vion, there -a s just enougll of
what is cu'tirently concerning other agencies 1.1- rain Report
end G SP!'S as regards the Latin !:-mIernl_can area) and how the r:.il:l.tary
look at certain ,robl.ems to make it well ,north my while to have
attended.. But I would, in retrospect, stress the reflect .ve part
as being of some value before the complete inmiersioz ;-fn: ch Agency
overseas
der .ands ??
I 37'th Session (22 Agri l_ 17 Tiny 1908)
"1 believe it to be both desirable and beneficial for the Agency
to_ have a representation in the STTS. 1' irst, the JIs.ge_icy has a
great deal to contr. ibute; c nd secon fly, -it gives the Agency a
voice in conduct of the seminar. . . .
It has certainly broadened ny views on the world situation and
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has given me an insiglrt into the aspects dealing with the less
developed cottntries. It has given me a much better tuiderstanding
of the Country Teaiii as a coordinating and planning Ileci~ ni m and
of the social, economic and political factors present in the
modernization process.
The overall evaluation of the seminar - It was e..cell_en i,
throughout. It was a well ba:Laiiced program consist i.ng of lectures,
seminars, and reading. . .
37th Session (22 April - 17 Na; 1968)
"In general, I found. the National Interdepartmental Seminar to
be a useful and well run course. I would recosm end that it con-
tine, and that CIA officers continue to participate.
There is little in the HIS that is of immediate use to CIA
officers going to the field, :i.e. in the sense of conducting
our e m operations or day -to-day activity. However it should. be
of considerable use to most as a way of familiarizing themselves
with the activities of other U.S. agencies working in the under-
developed, world. I do not believe that attendance should be
mandatory for all senior, CIA officers going to underdeveloped
areas, as I understand is now the case, because I can well i.n^agine
that officers who have already completed a. tour. or more in such
areas would find the course o " l i tale value. In acid it.i_on I ~rould.
not ptl'i, it at the top Of the l i.st of things one must do to prepare
oneself for a new tour and can also imagine cases where other
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courses such as languc e or self-briefing on an area would. be
more important than attendi la the TITS. Therefore flexibility
as to attendance should be all.o?red. However in I r case, the
area is new a.n(! even some of the concepts concerning the wort:
concentrated familiarization period with such activities and a.
welcome respite to re f l_ect on the more theoretical. problems we
face in countering insurgency arou d. the world.
Frcr.,i the Agency's point of view) participation should be con-
tinned, both as public relations measure to tmd.crline our
existence and interest as one of the five U.S. agencies involved
in counterinsurgency - and. also to provide a certain leavening in
the discussions which occur in the Seminar and sometimes tend to
become far to thearctica.l. and idea::! istic.
The Seminar itself was well. run, and in general achieved r ost
of its objectives. 1-'y only real criticisms are that: a) In our
course, at Least, there was fear too little State Department
partici'poation and too many representa'i fives from DOD. b)
cl:yscussion group was much too large for real seminar work.
Ideal_l}y, DOD representation should have been cut to balance that
of AID, USIS and CI.:1. Failinc that, the group should have been
divided in two. As in all courses of this type., some s ner',ers
were better than others but some were so poor as to warrant
singl.:i.:(ig out for replacement. In general T found the presentations
on specific topics better than ',:hose which tried to give a broad.
brush treatment to a. huge sul) ject.
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37th Session (22 April -- 17 r'ey 1968)
It is Illy belief that CI..,l participation in this seminar
affords certain advantage and is of definite value to the
Agency. As in similar study roups, seminars or bodies
composed of participants from many different departmental
on ins and agency backgrounds the individual comes to the
course with a pre-conceived image of CIA and its mission.
The image is in many instances totally amorphous, based on
misconception and mi.sir_:Corma;tion, usually completely confused
and. fallacious. Agency part:ici.Ja.ti_on presents Imique ommor^
tunity to clarify such misconception and resolve pre--concei_zred
distortions of the CIA by prerentin; the Agency in its true
and proper perspective by ingenuous discussion of its aims,
missions and contributions in the iinterdepartmenta.I family.
The Seminar permits this to be done in a natural and a truly
professional atmosphere among equals and obviates any possible
,
accusation O "hard-sell" or 31cii7't- O?ilc nCl_. I be liiVE' that
as a form? the Se dinar is unique in this respect and the re-
wards which the Agency may reap will be measurable only in
the field after the participants embark on their many foreign
assignments to work closely with Agency career officers abroad.
The value to Agency students of. attendance at the Seminar
would seem to devolve from the many opportunities provided to
exchange ideas with individuals of diverse b l ckgrouad and en-
perience, the cross-fertilization of conccQts and interp etati.ons
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of forei.un pol:+_cy, U.S. military objectives and the broad
discussion of problems to be encountered abroad. Considerable
value obtained -fro7ii the introduction of highly competent pro-
fessionals as guest lecturers and from the opportunity provided
to question each one and to discuss his subject as J .t applied
to U.S. ford. 7. objectives. . . .
I would evaluate Agency participation in this particular
seminar as overall hig'c and proficient. This, by the way,
is not just a matter of personal analysis but my evaluation is
gleaned from the many commendatory cormments relative to C:CA par-
ticipation which were voluntarily of (erred by fellow students
from the other agencies.
36th Session (26 February - 22 March i968)
"General weaknesses
The course does not have a convincing focus. As it was
originally set up, it -?ras an Interagency seminar to study the
problems of handling insurgency situations. It still is. At
least lip service is given to the then.e of
But in the seven years since "counter-insurgency" came into vogue,
a lot has happened. 14ost middle level and senior level o-~'ficers
of CIA and State have become thoroughly fal;mili.ar--not only with
the complex forces that bring about insurgent situations, but
also the various successful and unsuccessful ways that our
government has met those situa:ti.ons. This course, however,
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does not really take into accouni, the high degree of
awaren ss
on the part of the class member. s of the roots of insurgency.
In short, the course seems still to put a great deal of emphasis
on orienting the student to something which is, in my opinion,
old hat.
A second major deficiency of the course is that it really
has no answers. I do not mean that there should be a. check list,
such as a pilot uses before take-off. But I do think that there
ought to be some general principles Arhich are clearly enumerated
by such a seminar acuJ c,y-.-:T only to convey to the students the
current government philosophy about counter--iiisu:;~rency respon-
sibi.lities and capabilities of the U.S. mission abroad.
For the most part, the' course continually referred to the
Vietnam I s,i ca twhen we tr. j CC to talk about specific situations.
In actual fact, Vietnam is an insurgency in its terminal stages.
As Rostow made very clear in his early book on the Stages of
Economic Grol:ri;h, it is only the first stage, before organized
insurgency has taken root, that any effective, preventive action
can be taken to offset a later violent insurgent si_tuati_on. Thus,
constant referral to Vietnam in this course only tends to negate
the theoretical concepts of
counter-incur envy.
S()ec ~__ is .1eak esses:
Si-> or seven lectures of the course are given. to basic e_:-?
plana t,i.on of what the various agencies (State, CTA, AID, USIS, DOD))
do abroad. In my opr)ini.on, it is absurd to take the tire of middle
and ' senior .
level ~_c~ ~.? rn:,en:c. ofn:_-,a.c;,rs to brief their on the role and
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activities of, for example, USIS. If officers, With an average
government experience of 15 to 20 years, do not 'Mow what the
various responsibilities of ?Lhese 5 agencies are by now, this
is not the course to give them that briefing.
State Department Par-ticipat:1_on:
In the 36th Session there was one member of the State Depart-
ment. I think this is absurd. .
Strong Points:
This four-week period. enabled those of us in the seminar to
do a great deal. of in-depth reading which we probably -mi.O_d not
have done- - .ithout the facilities of the seminar library at our
disposal and the ti.sie set aside for such reading.
? 1
Some of the lectures Were particularly good and inLtere5'i ing.
I an particularly thinking of the case studies presented br
Ambassadors (such as John S. 33adea.u, ex' Ai:lbassador to E pt) .
These case studies were excellent familiarization lectures on
specific countries, by persons who had served there in positions
of responsibility. They were the strong parts of the seminar,
in lily opinion. . . .
~ 36th Session (26 February - 22 arch 11068)
-"I believe that our participation was of great value to the
Agency. I heard many of the other participants remark upon
their favorable impression of the Agency personnel present. -
One could. sense in them, I believe, a sort of feeling of
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reassurance concerning the Agency's mission and the checks
anc. balances built into the syste7.,. I feel sure that many
of the others also got a ;Much better idea of the types of
things which the Agency and ocher agencies can and should
do for each other in the field.
In terms of my nan experience 0111 y, the seminar was
valuable in providing the broad picture of an integrated
overseas mission; for ex a,n,.ple, despite about 8 years of
field exper.:Lence, I have never worked where AID was present
at all, and prior to the s eminax I hacl really v exry little
idea of the types of problems which AID generally faces.
concept is good-?-a.n(-' I think
it is--it is inevitable, and. the more we under stand about it
the better off we are.
Our presentations and panel were of very high quality, in
my opinion. One could almost feel the :Lnnpact on the othe rs. . . .
I personally heard a large nv_iber of participants say after our
panel that it was the best thing of :i ~s type presented in the
36th Session (26 February - 22 2'arch 1968)
''I believe it is definitely worth-, wile for the Agency to
participate in the Seminar as an important agency involvedl, in
fore j.gn policy implementa cio 1 and in the specialized problems
of COt7_i7tE Y?-insurgency. I think the course provides an iix--)ortant
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opportun i.ty for the Agency to obtain wider and more accurate
understanding of its role in the forciol policy and. counter._
insurgency fields on the part of the milita y, State, AID,
and USIA participants.
I see three rain benefits to our students in the course:
(1) the opportunity it provides to raise one's sights beyond
the narrow confines of trades raft and the clandestine approach
to forei"i affairs, and to think in some depth about the broader
problems of U.S. interests and foreign policy options. The
reading available and the time allotted to reading was valuable
in this, connection. (2) the c~cposure during the course to
a,
responsi ..e officers of ocher government agencies and departmnents,
parti_cularly the military. (3) the interesting and informative
lectures, reading, and discussion of the practical problerls of
eo,nbattin,,, Cornnun:ist inroads in the developing world provide a
useful frarmework for considering and planning CIA's role in this
J
,gene??a.l cou;:,.cer-i.nsurgency sp .ere.
The Seminar was, overall, a valuable experience. . . .
I think the course suffered greatly from a con nusi_on of purpose:
confusion bet~ween a course in the problem,o of nation building or
counter-insurgency and a course in the general sphere of U.S.
foreign policy objectives, problems and programs. The course
started out as the former but never came fully to -rips ?s with the
practical problems involved and instead drifted off into more
general consideration of U.S. strategic and political interests
beyond the ul Lerdevelooed world alone."
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- 36th Session (26 February - 22 March 1968)
"`flee Seminar has value, even thoue,h I consider it to be more
a luxury than e. necessity for Agency officers such as rWself who
have overseas experience in the LDCs. Its chief value, in icy
opinion, is that it is a broadening experience and affords an
opportunity to obtain a better understanding of the complex
problems and considerations which must be taken into account by
all components in formulatin and carrying out policies, through-
out the world. Obviously, this in turn will serve to increase
the effectiveness of each Agency officer's contribution to his
orthcoming ass igmnent overseas. Ho;,Tevcr,
from the Agency participant's point of view, a lot of the
material, specifically many lectures, is old.-hat and, quite
frankly, a waste of time. I a~:i I-Tell aware that the Seminar
must be tailored to the requirements of all participants ana
that participants from each component will find certain material
redundant but I believe this particularly applies to the -gency
because of the very nature of the Subject matter. In sum, and
despite the above, I :found the Seminar useful and a net gain. . . ."
36th Session (26 February - 22 March 1963)
"Probably the greatest value of our k-irticipation in the
Seminar is that the other participants actually meet and., for
many of t;:lmi.i for the first tire., receive an understanding of our
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duties and mission from an unbiased authority.
The value to our students in a ttendnnce at the Seminar
appears to be in a better appreciation of the problems and
objectives of our sister Agencies and Services.
The overall evaluation of the Seminar is it is a
worthwhile program which inculcates each individual, regardless
of Service or Agency, with the belief that he is a member of a
tearml, employed in a collective effort in the furtherance of the
interest of the U.S. Government. . . .,,
'j 6hh S se.ssion (26 11r- ebru in
-~ t2a a::t?y - 22 P.t ~.rcr_ 1.00)
I feel that the Agency participation in the Seminar
was worthwhile. The strong participation of Agency personnel
in discussions and in the question and answer periods had an
overall salutary effect on all -participants. I believe most
if not all the personnel of o -'_ier participating agencies were
impressed with the caliber of our personnel and were won over,
so to s.,7eak. Unfortunately the Department that should have
provided the most participants provided only one. This left
our personnel for the most part talking to themselves.
For the most part, I believe the Agency students derived
considerable benefit from the morning sessions. I felt that
about si._~ty percent of the speakers presented worthwhile in-
for.,,Mltion while the other forty percent should be replaced or
drop ed. The afternoon sessions were of only mar inal_ value. ..."
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36th Session (26 February - 22 I~ rch 1963)
" , n
1 y scel that t the pa.x`cici.L)a u t1r,
on of the h ~x ency in the ITIS is
very productive in providing personnel of other agencies of
of U.S. foreign policy. Possibly it should even be increased.,
as it was my impression that many of the personnel of other
agencies had hazy, incomplete, and often erroneous impression
of many aspects of the Agency's functions. The candidness and
honesty of the presentations by Iir. Helms and Colonel '.0-iite
appealed strongly to most Of the students with whom I talked,
and the ;spa nel discussion generated as much favorable comment
from the students as any p::cscntation on the progrcn. The
strai_ .tfo `Ta:CC~1 ess of the formal presentations seemed to
remove the reticence of many of the students, and I had several
informal talks with members of the seminar 'chat indicated their
lack of and desire for a better understanding of the AC;ericyls
objectives and methods of opera-t- i_on. For this yreason I feel
that additional participation by the Agency in either a formal
or informal manner would be beneficial.
I feel 'chat the benefit of the hIS is not at a:ll restricted
to those Agency Personnel with immediate a: }si n '_2 is oven'; eas.
Headquarters personnel in all operational branches could learn
much that would aid then in their jobs by the C:_,Oosurc -to -the
presentations and personnel o? other U.S. agencies concerned
with internal defense.
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AN IULAN
In m W opinion, the MIS is ranking a valuable eo.itribution to
the overall U.S. effort to produce a coordinated effort in the
field of overseas internal defense. . . ."
36th Session (26 February - 22 March. 1968)
`Quite franLly, I question the value to our students of much
of the content of the HIS as currently constituted. To tale the
specific exaa: ple of the five AF officers in Team Al. Each student
has in fact served a considerable period of time in dealing with
underdeveloped countries, both in ,- 7ashington and in the field.
Each has in fact both field e_perience in dealing with insurgency
problems, a Q. I-Ieadciwtr teas experience in dealin ; with other govern
rent agencies. Much of the ground covered, therefore, is not new.
We all hnnow a great deal about p:roble1-'1s of underdevelopment and
in truth do not need a rather ele:;ncntal and theoretical coverage
of this subject. Furthermore, we are all well acquainted with
the Coi ntry Tan concept and the activities and capabilities of
other agencies and thus do not need as extensive a coverage of
this aspect as is given.
What I, and. I an certain others, could have used is a much
heavier concentration on operE tionaily-oricu tcd discussion of
the ways and. means of dealing with counter--insurgency pr obl_e; ,s .
For instance, more emphasis could have been placed on case
studies such as that of Thailand (quite useful) which should be
explored in depth. . .
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One glaring weakness in our course was the virtual dearth
of coverage of the panoply of co nunist organizations active
in promoting and exploiting insurgency. A great t deal of
attention is paid to our bureaucratic organization for coping
With this threat but almost none to the mature of the ccm unist
operational tools which we sock to combat. r. I s should be a
principal contribution of the agency. Apart from
25X1
excellent presentation on Latin limeri_ca, howwrever, vex-,r little was
said on this; subject.
The HIS does provide a. useful opportunity for our officers to
take time to read and reflect on these problems freed from day-to-
day work pressuress. . .
I would conclude that agency participation is probably more
valuable to other participants than vice versa. We have accumulated.
a: body of experience and expertise which is not matched. by other
a enci.es. It is probably unavoidable, tnorefor:?e, that We have
more to o f?fer and less to gain in the E'TS. "
36t'ri Session (26 February - 22 March 1968)
principal value to the Agency, at least as I observed
durin our class, was that it gave the representatives from other
government agencies an o portunity to mix with our Ar-ency personnel
to work on pr obl_ems of mutual interest With them and thereby obtain
a better conception and Understanding' of our Agency and its actiyit_i es.
The reverse of the above is certainly true as far as our students
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are concern d. I x"or one had an o porGI-111:Ly to update mysel
on what other Agencies arc doing -- or trying to do in the
area of ry pending as: i.gnmenL. Of additional value is an
opportunity to remove yoursel from your own parochial A ency t s
interests for a few weeks and take a close loo? at the many
GO rep n e =z L' s
other trouble: spots around the g16-bc and the U.S.
involvement therein. . . .
In the particular case Of our course 1 do not feel that the
semilnzar acconmlished its co :,.plcte objectives because of the
limited attendance of State Department (1) ; and USIA officers
(2). This factor i.teCl the Country team d.iscLu.csioni.
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