EXTERNAL TRAINING REPORT -- NATIONAL WAR COLLEGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300570020-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 1999
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: June 23, 1966
• Content Type: MF

Sanitized - Appr
23 June 1966
.U AI DUci FOR: Director of Training
OUGii Director of Personnel
SUBJECT Rxternal Training Report -- National War College
1. This memorandum is for information and reports of my attendance at the
1965-66 , css:ion of the National War College.
2. As Your cata7_ogues indicate, the curriculum of the War College is
devoted to a study in depth of the essential factors of U.S. national security.
The curriculum is divided into 10 separate courses, each concerned with a
mr'ticular area of our national security posture or problems relating to foreign
policy formulation.
3. The ie rlcildcmic progralm of the War College includes lectures, where guest
s-?ua :ers from the Government and the academic world address the student body;
t; _scussion (;r"--oups made up of small numbers of students; student coruaittee
(problems and presclIta:tions; domestic and overseas field trips; and individual
student reading, research and oral presentations.
4. The 1.966 class was comprised of four g;enera.l groupings, representing
the Army, the Air Force, the Navy and Marine Corps, and civilian officers of the
;:Fe(leral Government. The class numbered 137 in size. The faculty, approximately
was made up of military officers from all branches of the armed services plus
;elected mcuiocrs of professorial rank from various universities.
5. The s"cudent body ~ody provided an extraordinary range of c.:per:ierlce. IUnost
every major clement of our military structure was represented in some aspect of
individual tl-1Cli n experience. The civilian group, although predominantly State
?i" 1110 it, i ipl'e en atiVe from the Treasury, CUI.11crCe, civilian c le-
c of the rvices, USIA, AID, DIA, NSA,, ACDA, bureau of the budget and,
of course, Cl;-.'-. 141L. ,'-out exception, individual students gave every indication of
been c 'n` 4,r selected for attendance. It is apparent that the National.
t;c.r College re arded as the capstone of a senior military officer's training
c areer. A:,(' e ;edge from the increasing numbers of career maba,ssadors who have
Cci.aecl tl;, '..._ College, Foreign Service. Officers, representing ,.._~ State De-
it.
r i overall critique of the course, I need only say tha
U. "i prov-1iriS an ;a umct year was one of the most stimulating and productive experiences I have
over had. 1 learned a great deal having to do with the broad formulation o-: o.~r
foreign policy and the development of national security policy, and the basic
~xc1~ 9d !(a l a' !^'aai
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000300570020-1
 Sanitized - Approved F&1' efea'se, LIALRDP75-00001 R000300570020-1
.:;utc1 ;C External Training; i;cport -- l.atioral War Col.leg
federal structure which contribu{;'~;_. to each. The exposure, I cm sure, affected
::jr Personal attitudes and. 7):lil0 O;)lly in a manner which defies exact definition
:e ld which, perhaps, will only become apparent in the light of possible future
ox Crience; in this regard, I cannot question its residual value.
7. The year at the I ation :l War College is a very active one, intellec-
'tt1all?r as well asocially. Thu student body and t -11c faculty arc cordial and
0regarious. As the academic year devclo;ns and problems presented for discussion
a co::1e 1;=e ; "ti Mating, intellectual curiosity is the order of i;he day. And, in
of the basic cour i;c y which never seems to diminish, some mighty penetrating
jnestions are asked. MMiy colleagues from the Agency and 1 found the best answer to
.)e 1 ays t e st` ai_;;ht forward one. War College student bodies are, by nature,
sophisticated in clatters concerniur; the national interest and are pragmatic in
approaches to 17"tion 1.1. security lil:ltters. The student members of my class were all
strong ii')W101"'t.Cr; Of C1,1 and its zili *_on. ..a: y of theiil, military and. civilian,,
have served with the Agency or even have C i. a ed in a gency operations overseas.
r'nd. ':7ilile the majority were not particularly '_ i1owledgeable, in terms of specific
ency _, ro rams, they all seemed to endorse its activity and minimize the criti-
cism. that- so e'time a get in the In ether words, the Agency's image at the
7c .r College is first rate. And, cer ly, one of the best ways to keep it that
way is to ensure that our s tudentt reurosentatives are honest and candid and do not
a tempt to equivoct:v,c, under trans,L)~,xc':lt cxcrosc-s of security privilege, in discus-
,`ins where Agency is under CO;:1c l.i er ion.
h. A IZl `b (:. .'?ge :Cy senior Oi 1::_:,Crn, including, of course, the Director
atidressed the ttl