INCITF, CLASS 1 -- LATIN AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04493A000100040005-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 3, 2000
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: October 19, 1972
• Content Type: MEMO

C Ober 19, 1972
.Approved For Release 2001/03/02 : CIA-RDP78-04493A000100040005-3
25XIA
To:
From: 25X1 A
Subject: INCITP, Class I - Latin America
The first INCITP class completed its three week training program on
October 13,. 1972. None of the students continued into language training.
A copy of the Class Schedule is attached.
Agency Participation
Twenty seven students from four agencies participated in the program.
BNDD
5
Customs
15
..
OPS
3
STATE
4
Speakers, reading matter, visual aids, and handouts were provided by the
four agencies mentioned above, CIA, US Army Engineering School, AID, FSI,
and various universities in the Washington area.
Course Scope and Content
Three days were devoted to General Orientation, seven to Operational
Training, and four to Area Familiarization. Forty-seven subject inputs,
ranging from the Role of the Ambassador and the Country Team through
operational case studies to historical background and Cultural Patterns -
Role and Status, were offered. The HumRRO Exercise was eliminated and
replaced by a talk on Language Training, Study and Testing, the reading
of classified documents, a talk on living and working overseas, and a
study and discussion of 4 country narcotics control action plan. In
State Dept. declassification & release instructions on file
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addition to the scheduled activities, all trainees, who had any proficiency
in Spanish and who had not been tested within the past three years, were
given a language proficiency test. Results of the test will be forwarded to
the appropriate agency.
Thirty-four speakers, not including those from CIA, addressed the group.
Most of them conducted their sessions on a seminar basis, encouraging
interaction with and among the students. This produced many lively dis-
cussions and succeeded in bringing to the surface latent anxieties, fears,
and resentments. By and large most of them were dispelled or mitigated by
the end of the course.
Course Evaluation
At the close of the course students were asked to grade each subject and
select the top ten speakers. They were also asked to comment on the CIA
input, the usefulness of the course, and to indicate what might be done
to improve it. A summary of their comments follows:
- 60% of the class rated all but two of the subjects as useful and/or
both interesting and useful.
- 9 of the 34 speakers were rated in the top ten by 60% of the class.
All but three speakers received at least one vote, placing them in the
top ten. On the other side of the coin, 10 of the speakers received at
least one vote as the least interesting speaker.
- The CIA input was evaluated separately. It was generally felt that the
CIA input was useful and professional, but too repetitious.
- In commenting on general usefulness, the concensus was that students had
received a clear idea of what to expect when assigned to a foreign post,
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and would also help them become rapidly effective after arrival at the post.
- Recommendations to improve the program were both definite and thoughtful.
Specifically, they requested that more time be devoted to questions and
answers, more time for discussion of the culture of potential host countries,
and perhaps a little less emphasis on professional type subjects as offered by
BNDD, Customs and CIA.
- The group concurred that the best way to use returnees was to have them
relate their individual experiences and answer questions without reservation,
as we did this time. It was also the opinion of the group that unless a
returnee had specific experience in narcotics law enforcement, he should
not speak to the group. (The Customs' returnees had no experience in
this area, although they were experts in fraud investigation and as Customs'
advisors.) The group further felt that returnees should not be enrolled
as students in the course.
Action Taken
Time between the first and second class does not permit extensive reaction
to student comment or modification of the schedule prior to the class
beginning October 24th. Nonetheless, we have been able to:
1) Expand the number of sessions relating to understanding the
peoples of potential host countries.
2) Eliminate talks on subjects which do not pertain to the area
of assignment.
3) Eliminate subjects which have little interest or utility to the
student body.
4) Encourage speakers from the various agencies to adjust their
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5) CIA will modify its presentation to focus further on issues and
problems of those going overseas.
General Comment
It was rewarding to work with the members of the IAG in preparing the
curriculum for this course. Agency representatives were interested in
the project; enthusiastic in their participation; and responsive and
cooperative.
As the course progressed, one could sense a change in the class. By
the end of the second week, interagency distrust and rivalries were
openly discussed and the participants were beginning to appreciate each
other as individuals, as well as to understand better the parent agency
point of view. By the third week, there was good-natured "needling"
.going on in the class.
Conclusions
The course was generally successful and achieved the two-fold goal stated
in the FSI proposal submitted to the CCINC.
Attached:
Class Schedule
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