PROGRAM OF AREA TRAINING AND RESEARCH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00634A000100040005-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 3, 2001
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: November 3, 1959
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2001/ 00634A00( 0040005-7
ce Memorandum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
Director of Training
DATE: 3 November 1959
FROM : Chief/Language and Area School
SUBJECT: Program of Area Training and Research
The attached proposal represents our combined effort to state
policy and program respondent to the dictates for modification in
emphasis on area training. We believe this to be consistent with
views expressed in recent exchanges between CTR and DDP. The ap-
proved proposal, as is or as modified, will give us required guidance
for programming and performance. I believe we now have an opportunity
to develop and provide with vitality those aspects of area training
that, for the time being, can be most serviceable. I shall be happy
to have the benefit of any additional ideas, and hope for a chance
to discuss this with you. With your approval of the program as is,
or as you may wish to modify it, we will develop specifics, includ-
ing priorities of a production plan and proceed accordingly.
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PROGRAM OF AREA TRAINING AND RESEARCH
Introduction
Activities during the foreseeable future, say one year, will
concentrate on development of the two most serviceable types of
training not available anywhere in any reasonable approximation:
the Americans Abroad Orientation (AAO) and the Introduction to
Overseas Effectiveness (IOE). This need for concentration without
diversion by other preoccupying varieties of area training has long
been felt. The present desirable opportunity will permit concen-
tration on increasing scope and quality of these two basic programs.
It is highly desirable that, at least for a year, the entire efforts
of the small area staff be applied to these two programs.
The activities of the staff, pursuing development of these two
programs, will consist of (1) training, (2) research and develop-
ment, and (3) compilation of training materials.
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Americans Abroad Orientation
Three primary objectives will guide development of this pro-
1. Revision of the content, in consideration of: our
experience with the AAO to date, testimony from graduates who have
experienced application of the substance in the field, and develop-
ing opportunities to borrow material from the Overseas Effectiveness
program especially on "how to make the most of your everyday con-
tacts with (the pertinent foreign nationals)."
2. Development of alternate systems and techniques of
instruction, particularly for use on areas involving small numbers
of people at irregular intervals (tutorial, correspondence, self-
study kits, combining regional with country approach, etc.).
3. Expansion of coverage to add certain regions (Africa
South of the Sahara, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and -?
These three objectives will guide the three major activities
discussed below.
1. Training. Area training activities concentrating ex-
clusively on the AAO program will continue on a group and individual
basis within the not insignificant competence of the present staff,
and will be increased as the staff systematically pursues the re-
search and compilations indicated below. This training will be per-
formed on request, and the School gill endeavor to respond to all
requests. Numbers of persons requiring training will not be a fac-
tor in determining the willingness of the School, which Will train
both groups and individuals; lead-time may be a factor when re-
quested training requires development of a course not already well
under control. The amount of time devoted to an individual in train-
ing will vary according to the breadth and depth of orientation he
may desire. Apart from group training during a single week, indi-
vidual tutorial orientation Will vary in scope and intensity from a
single session of several hours to weekly or fortnightly counseling
and guided self-study over a period of months.
2. Research and Development. Concentrated staff endeavor
will gradually and constantly increase the scope of geographic cov-
erage of the School's abilities and training materials, as well as
the character and quality of more-or-less-ready orientation. The ob-
jective is global coverage (the areas of the 80 diplomatic missions
of the U. S. plus such other areas deemed presently or potentially
significant). The direction, geographically, of these efforts Will
be governed by requirements in so far as they exist, and beyond that
by the School's estimate of probable future needs. Within the latter
guide for development, emphasis will be placed on Africa South of the
0A
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Sahara, South and Southeast Asia, an. Beyond these (but
states requirements and School estimates, research and develop-
ment will consist of :
a. Continuous revising of a basic syllabus for
group and individual (both "one-shot" and extensive) ori-
entation for adjusting as a "foreigner" in life and in work
abroad, and for increasing effectiveness through an under-
standing of the facts of the history and society of the area,
the nature of American interests and of indigenous concerns
in relations with the United States.
b. Increasing familiarity with both the programs
and literature on selected areas used by other government,
business, philanthropic and voluntary agencies concerned with
"orientations" (as the Military Affairs Institute .
c. Research, pursuant to the AAO syllabus, on se-
lected countries of Africa South of the Sahara, South and
Southeast Asia, and
d. Research directed toward production of the com-
pilations indicated below.
3. Compilations. The production of selected annotated
bibliographies, syllabi for self-study, anthologies of selected
literature, self-study kits, diagnostic area familiarization tests
as guides to self-study and training counseling, etc., will be ac-
complished as by-products of the foregoing two activities of train-
ing and research, and their production will be a regular part of
the programs of training and research.
Organization and Program
Organization of this program of training, research and compi-
lation will be based upon the specializations of the three IAS staff
area specialists, each responsible for the large geographic region
that encompasses his area specialization, viz., the Far East/Pacific
region (i.e., and eastward to Hawaii), the Middle East
and Africa, and the rest of the Free World (Free Europe and the Ameri-
cas). Each will be supported by such contract and detailed staff
employees as may be available, and by other faculty of the School
having foreign area origins add backgrounds out of which they can
contribute substance and perspective generally not possessed by the
Western student.
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Program and production plan will include:
1. Design of standard syllabus for basic AA4 course,
and also for tutorial orientations varying in intensity from sin-
gle 2-3-hour "quickies" to extended counseling--self-study pro-
grams of several months' duration.
2. Preparation for staff counseling on standard and
conventional academic basic education in area familiarization,
as well as advanced specialization in area studies in academic
institutions.
3. Acquisition, assessment and adaptation for use in
Agency training of:
a. Training materials used in other Federal
agencies and private organizations (as Military Assistance
Institute, Human Relations Area Files, etc.).
b. Agency information available in the form of
"post reports," current intelligence reports, etc.
4. Coordination with the DDP as primary consumer on:
a. Forecasted DDP training requirements.
b. LAS/TR requirements for relevent current
information.
c. LAS/TR capability for profitably using any
available "between-the-acts" personnel on detail.
d. Field follow-up on efficacy of training.
5. Adoption of an area-by-area production sequence,
division of responsibilities, and production accordingly.
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Overseas Effectiveness
One developmental running of an introductory course in Over-
seas Effectiveness has been successfully accomplished. Since then,
the course has been reworked and tightened up and will be offered
to a selected DDP group for two weeks beginning the 7th of December.
In our opinion, our program as now designed is the best, though
shortest training course of its kind in this country. We feel, how-
ever, that being best is not enough--that we must make the program
better, and more comprehensive. There are vast areas, both general
and specific, still to be explored in this field. There is much
material still to be developed or worked into shape for use in the
program. Only after considerable experimentation and extensive re-
search yet to be performed by all concerned organizations will we
feel we are able to develop a fully satisfying program.
The considerable research and the experimental training now go-
ing on throughout the country are significant and will provide valu-
able substantive material. Only within the Agency, however, can the
specific application to Agency problems of the theory and practice
of Overseas Effectiveness be developed. To do this will require re-
search, fact finding, borrowing and experimentation. The required
knowledge and its application are essential to the efficient and
effective fulfillment of the several missions of the major compo-
nents of the Agency: the production and evaluation of intelligence
in the DDI (which involves the prediction of human behavior), the
collection of intelligence and the influencing of people in the DDP,
and the living and working in foreign societies in support of Agency
activities by the DDS.
A primary object then is securing scientific and basic data on
the nature of inter-cultural experience-and its effect upon the indi-
vidual, and developing methods for ensuring effectiveness of Agency
personnel working in and with foreign societies. There exists a
paucity of data relating to personnel practices and to training. The
several projects described herein should materially improve the se-
lection, training and utilization of Agency personnel. Other pro-
jects will be developed as the result of early research and findings
and experience in conducting the IOE and related courses. This re-
search program will exploit both current research and experimentation
by business, religious, academic and government groups and apply
their findings and ideas to the specific problems and requirements
of the Agency.
Development of the Overseas Effectiveness program, for the fore-
seeable future, also will involve three major types of endeavor: (1)
training, and course development, (2) research, and (3) compilation.
1. Training and Course Development. Training emphasis
during the next year should be on the basic Introduction to Overseas
Effectiveness (IOE), postponing conduct of other related courses that
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will, however, be developed during the year (e.g., Applied Over-
seasmanship, and Mid-Career Seminar on Overseas Effectiveness, Su-
pervision and Leadership). From a developmental point of view, it
is desirable that the IOE be conducted at least four times during
a year (more frequently if desired for training), for classroom ex-
perimentation is one of the essential factors in developing its
character and maximum usefulness. Conduct of the course in December
for experienced as well as inexperienced employees should evoke sub-
stantial constructive ideas for improvement based on the overseas
experience of the participants. A subsequent running for-JOTS-only
will permit our preliminary evaluation of the course from the point
of view of the novitiate for whom it is primarily intended. An ob-
jective assessment of the course's efficacy, however, must be post-
poned until we can acquire data resulting from actual application
in overseas situations and operations (see 2, a, below).
2. Research. Research will be directed toward continuing
validation of the IOE and acquisition of the extensive further know-
ledge required for most effective selection, training and overseas
utilization of personnel. Primary areas of research and fact-finding
will be:
a. Validation of the IOE as its substance is ap-
plied to overseas operations, involving identification of
criteria for validation, techniques for application of cri-
teria to acquire objective evaluations, and suitable controlled
study of performance of IOE graduates applying the IOE prin-
ciples.
b. A study of the American overseas. A study of the
nature and significance of the problems of adjustment and effect-
iveness overseas by American personnel. This will involve and
include identification of personal history factors and personal
characteristics that result in overseas effectiveness, and ex-
ploration of the methods of identification, measurement and
evaluation of such factors. We will share with other research
the search for "universal" factors of overseas effectiveness,
seeking specifically those applicable to the Agency. Compan-
ionately, we will endeavor to identify variations in the prob-
lems and nature of adjustment when (1) the area is the same but
jobs are different, and (2) the job is the same but areas are
different. Collection of research data and analysis will also
result in development of case studies on personal effectiveness-
A joint study conducted with cooperation of the A&E Staff, the
Medical Staff, including its psychiatrists, the Office of Person-
nel, and consultant behaviorial scientists. This research should
produce guidance not now available for recruitment, selection for
overseas duty, training, and utilization of employees.
c. Investigation, analysis and evaluation, on a con-
tinuing and where advisable participating basis, for Agency
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exploitation of the twenty-odd programs on Overseas Effective-
ness--research and training--being conducted outside the Agency
in government, business, universities, and philanthropic and
voluntary agencies. (What is being done, what is being learned,
what are the implications for Agency utilization?)
d. Research and training by other countries for
overseas effectiveness, particularly as concerned with the
United States (e.g., the Soviets, the British, the Japanese,
the Italians, the Chinese). These will provide not only ideas
on training methods but also identification of the nature and
essentials of problems in relations with Americans as viewed
by people of other cultures with which we are concerned.
e. Other research directed toward development of
the compilations listed below.
3. Compilations. Based on the foregoing and related re-
search, the following specific compilations should be developed.
a. Development of a plan, with companionate "culture
guides," for a program of "Applied Overseasmanship" applying
the principles of Overseas Effectiveness to individual "culture
areas" (not necessarily countries, e.g. China, at least six) for
operational guidance within specific areas. The courses would
be designed as a continuation of the IOE and the companionate
guides as handbooks for use of employees going to any area for
the first time. The production of guides would also include
plans for wartime requirements.
b. Development of plan for a Mi.d-Career Seminar on
Overseas Effectiveness, Supervision and Leadership- -primarily
for supervisors of personnel overseas dealing with their role
in increasing the overseas employee's effectiveness as influ-
enced by inter-cultural factors. As a by-product, this seminar
will be a valuable source of information from experience to guide
development of the ICE and Applied Overseasmanship courses.
c. Development of a Guide for Supervisors of New
Overseas Employees. This will deal mainly with (1)the nature
of adjustment; culture shock; effects on performance, effici-
ency and assumption of job responsibilities; the three normal
stages in adjustment of exhileration, depression and accommo-
dation; (2) individual factors affecting ease, difficulty and
methods of adjustment, including personal history, preparation,
travel and arrival; (3) symptoms of progress through these
stages reflected, among other things, in work attitudes and
performance, peer-relations, supervisor-employee relations,
attitudes of people and environment, physical and mental health,
and social practices; (4) effective "bridges" and antidotes;
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and (5) the role of the supervisor inatnimizing the deleteri-
ous consequences to effective performance.
d. Development of a Guide for Americans Going Abroad
to Live and Work: The Techniques of Adjustment and effectiveness.
(1) The nature of the problem, and the reality
of its vincibility.
(2) Pre-departure preparation: its value and
(a) "To be forewarned is to be forearmed."
The value of meeting the situation with knowledge,
understanding and ready tools, rather than with
ignorance, surprise, shock and maybe incapacity
to accommodate.
(b) Learning about the people, their man-
ners and values, and their image of Americans--
methods: guided reading; courses and lectures;
museums, galleries, movies and foreign "quarters"
in our cities; personal friendly contacts.
(c) Knowing ourselves--culture, personal
values and attitudes, contrasts.
(3) The first three months: the prelude to dis-
enchantment ("culture shock"). The importance of: re-
straint in unbridled enthusiasm, wide sampling and fev
judgments, something old and something new (new hobbies
and old patterns).
(4) Disenchantment and effectiveness: "culture
shock" is not inevitable.
(5) performance-plus:
(6) Your opportunity to aid and counsel others.
e. Overseas Governmental Activities Case Studies:
Development of case studies of professional problems involving
cross-cultural factors. What were the factors involved in the
Girard case? Where and why did our officials go wrong? (This
would not of course involve or imply a critique of any specific
recognizable Agency operation. All cases would be fully sani-
tized. The thought is to prepare a case book for instruction
purposes of actual problems.)
f. Preparation of a basic text of selected readings
for the IOE course.
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