SHORTAGE OF LANGUAGE AND AREA SPECIALISTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP55-00001A000100050038-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2002
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: March 12, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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March 121 1951
"E-ORANDUr TO: Dr. Arthur S. Flemming
SUBJECT: Shortage of Laneuage and Area Specialists
During the past few months, the critical importance of scientists and engineers
to the national defense proeram has been widely recognized. As a result, studies
are now going forward to determine more accurately our manpower requirements and
resources in scientific fields, and provisions are being made for continued
traininr and affective utilization of scientific and engineering personnel(.
Unfortunately, no comparable em6hasis has been given to our requirements and
resources of -anpoeer having other types of socialized knowledge to help tha
nation participate effectively in the conflict of ideas and nonemilitary actions
which are also of great importance to our national security.
One of our most critical manpower shortages at the present time is that of
persons expert in the laneuage, geography, economy, and psychology of the areas
in which we must act to protect our national security. This shortage is extramoli
acute with respect to Asiatic areas. It is practically impossible to find
Americans eith a thorough knowledge of the Korean language and people; the
situation is even worse as it relates to Burma, Thailand, Viet Nam, and Central
Asia. Our manpower resources for understendine and dealing effectively with
Middle Eastern countries are inadequate in the extreme.
Even with respect to Russia, our resources are below the danger point. Last year,
for example, only seven Americans took Ph.Dos in Russian language and literature,
the field most necessary as a base for increasing our supply of Americans *so
are exports on Russia.
These shortages cannot be corrected quickly. Nat only does the training required
for language and area competence require several years-4n many cases the materials
for conducting such training either do mot exist or are entirely inadequate. A
chort time ago, the Department or the Air Force sent a list of teentyesix
languages to the American Council of Learned Societies requesting informatiomk
on mhere Air Force personnel could be sent for treining in these languages,
The ACLS informed the Air Force that instruction is offered in not more than
ten of the lengpeges anyrhera in the United States and that there are no basin
materials available for teaching some eight or ten of them. Per example,
several English-foreign language dictionaries which were in production during
World rar II were discontinued at the end of the last war. (Buzseee was ona
of these, and it is still in card.file form.)
There are now only eight or ten universities in the United States equipped
to give advanced language and area training. Even these are staffed with a
bare minimum of cnmpetent specialists, and some of these, having reserve status,
are threatened with recall to active duty in the armed forces.
any of the eeperts in this field are foreign born. Consequently, the difficulty
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of obtaining security clearance on them is a very serious obstacle to their
employment within the government.
Few facts have been assembled regarding our existing supply of Americans having
language and area competence. Equally few facts are known regarding our require-
ments for this type of specialized personnel. The only compreheasive reqpirements
estimate which has been made is that of Dr. VOrtimer Graves of the ACLS. Adnitting
that his estimates are to a very considerable decree arbitrary, Dr. Graves
nevertheless bases his figures on his own knowledge and extensive contact with
the departments of government using such personnel. His estimates of our minimum
needs are as follows:
Australia-New Zealand .
. 0 20Mexico

50
Balkans
30
Moslem road
30
Brasil . ? ? ? ? ? . ,
? , 30
Netherlands
10
Central Africa . . . .
. . 20
Northern South America . .
. 30
Central AMerica . . ? 0
. 0 50
Philippines
. 20
Central Asia
15
Polynesia
10
China . 0 ...... ?
0 .100
Portugal . . ...
Eastern Mediterranean-.
? 0 30
Russia
100
Eire .
10
Scandinavia
20
France-Belgium
50
Siberia
10
Germany
50
South Africa . .. .
. 10
Great Britain
50
Southeast Asia
30
India . 0 . . .. . . . ?
.e 50
Southern South America . .
. 50
Iran
10
Spain. . ? ....... .
. 30
Italy
50.
Turkey . ? ? ?
15
Japan
? 30
West and North Slavs. . 0
? 30
Korea
20
West Coast of So America..
. 40
Malaysia
20
Western Aediterranean. . .
. 20
Melanesia
10
These estimated requirements total a mare 1200 Americans having language and
area competence to service the aeencies and enterprises through ehich the
United States must exercise its role of world leadership.
Dr. Graves observes pointedly that "after all the forced draft of a total global
war aee a decade of worldwide activity, we are not equipped with even an epproxi-
nation of this minimum:"
In contrast with the bleak resource outlook in this highly important field, oar
requirements are Already pressing and growing rapidly. As our broad security
programs develop, need for specialists in foreign languages and cultures will be
more urgently needed as advisors in policy formulation and execution, as adminis-
trators, as technicians in special problems, and as Observers.
The agencies of government which are the principal users of manpower having
language and area competence are: The Department of State (including both the
Department and the Foreign Service Institute); the Department of Defense
(including Army, Navy, ane Air Fleece); Central Intelligence Agency; Economic
Cooperation Administration. To a lesser extent other agencies require this type
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of personnel. Among these are: Department of Commerce, Department of Labore
Library of Congress, and Federal Security Agency.
In audition to these needs, there is the problem of American staff for the U.N.,
and for its specialized aeencies and miesions. U. doubtedly, aeditional neod will
develop in the economic anu production plannine agencies of NATO and in connection
with the headquarters of General Eisenhower, As we move toward treaty arrange-
ments with Germany and Japan, the possibility of a Pacific Pact, and participation
in such enterprises as the Colombo Plan for development of Southeast Asia, even
greater needs will develop for laneuage aid area specialists.
Requirements for such specialized personnel must include private
companies also. There is not available even a rough estimate of
and prospective reqeirements. However, they must be expected to
ingly important.
The above data developed by the Manpower Office of the Resources
several areas in which action appears to be needed. These areas
agencies and
these present
became increaa-
Board point to
are:
1. Assessment of our present resources in manpower, materials, and tools.
2, Development of more adequate data on reqeirements of manpower, materials
and tools.
3. More effective utilization of qualified personnel through measures designed
to place them in employment there their skills can be used most effectively
and their knowledge disseminated most widely in meeting both governmental
and private needs.
The accumulation and servicing of materials in the language and area fields
needed by these experts.
5. The development of teacain, naterials and tecaniques in the language and
area training fields.
6. Developme.t of new or improvement of existing facilities for training.
7. Acceleration of a program of language training to relieve broadly trained
eeperts from routine work, such as translation,
8. Arranging for 'melee-born e.perta to work upon open sources (perhaps in the
Librare of Congress) untel security clearance on them has been obtained,.
96 The encouragement of additional research in foreign cultures, nareicularly
those about which re now knot; very ULU**
While tee immediate ro1ems indicated above are in process of solution, attention
should be elven to eeveloement of the number and kinds of experts in languaees
and cultures relict: the United States needs to sustain its nosition of rorld
leadership, The expaneion of American activities abroad rill in itself increase
the number oe persons with firsthand experience in Coreign areas. To be most
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valuable, however, this experience must be coupled with a systematic program of
trainin6 throuLh permanent institutes in area studies and integrated with such
measures as the FulbriLht Act, S-ita-MUndt Act, and operations under Point Four.
Considerable resources for a broadened program of training opportunities abroad
may be found in Treasury surpluses of unconvertible currencies which could be
appropriated for this purpose.
In addition to the Kovernmental agencies having a direct interest in this problem,
there are many private agencies which are concerned. Chief among them are the
American Council of Learned Societies, the Social Science Research Council, the
Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation,
and the universities which are currently offering training in this field. Any
action taken therefore requires close coordination of a number of federal agencies
and several private groups.
Mile each or the public and private agencies coqcerned is taking limited steps
to meet its individual problems and responsibilities, there is serious lack of
overall leadership and direction in dealing with the problem as a whole.
Consequently, I would like to discuss with you various measures which might
be taken to deal effectively with the language and area manpower shortage.
Robert L. Clark
Director, Manpower Office
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