THE SUPPORT SERVICES HISTORICAL SERIES VOLUME V: THE LANGUAGE AND AREA SCHOOL AND THE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNISM, 1 JULY 1956-1 JANUARY 1966

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP93-00791R000100050001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 109
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 18, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 1, 1971
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
SECRET
CIA Internal Use Only
Access ControZZed by DDS
I
^ The Support Services
Historical Series
THE OFFICE OF TRAINING, 1 JULY 1951 - 1 JANUARY 1966
VOLUME V: THE LANGUAGE AND AREA SCHOOL
AND THE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNISM,
1 JULY 1956 - 1 JANUARY 1966
SECRET
OTR - 9
November 1971
Copy 2 of 3
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
WARNING
This document contains information affecting the national
defense of the United States, within the meaning of Title
18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as amended.
Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re-
ceipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
GROUP I
Excluded from automatic
downgrading and declassification
1
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/0?/z-DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
CIA Internal Use Only
Access Controlled by DD/S
THE OFFICE OF TRAINING: 1 JULY 1951 - 1 JANUARY 1966
VOLUME V: THE LANGUAGE AND AREA SCHOOL
AND THE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNISM,
1 JULY 1956 - 1 JANUARY 1966
HISTORICAL STAFF
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Approved For Release 2003/c6hf;JAkDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 :'Q DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Contents
Page
The Language and Area School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
1
A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
1
B. Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
4
1. Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
4
2. Organization and Personnel . . . . . . . . . . .
.
6
C. Organization, Staff, and Status, 1 July 1956 . . . .
.
7
D. The Language Development Program . . . . . . . .
.
10
1. Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
10
2. Voluntary Language Training . . . . . . . . . .
..
13
3. Language Development Awards . . . . . . . . .
.
15
4. The Proficiency Testing Program . . . . . . .
.
17
E. The Tutorial Training Program . . . . . . . .
.
18
F. Area Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
19
1. Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
19
2. Major Area Training Programs . . . . . . . .
.
22
a. Country Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
22
b. The Americans Abroad Orientation . . . .
.
23
3. Other Area Training Programs . . . . . . . .
.
26
-iii-
Approved For Release SECiff R000100050001-5
 SECRET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
a. Introduction to Overseas Effectiveness . . . 26
b. The Senior Area Seminar . . . . . . . . . . 28
4. Termination of the Area Training Program . . . 29
G. Special Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
1. Interagency Roundtabl e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2. Programmed Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3. Isolated Training Facilities . . . . . . 33
H. Summary and Evaluation. . . . . . . . . 35
II. The School of International Communism . . . . . . . . . . 37
A. Background . . . . . . . . . . . ?. . . . . . . . . . . 37
1. Early Courses in Communism . . . . . . . . . . _ 37
2. Establishment of the School . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
B. Organization and Key Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
1. Staffing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2. Key Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
C. Major Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1. Introduction to Communism . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2. Communist Party Organization and Operations. . 44
3. Anti-Communist Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4. USSR -- Basic Country Survey . . . . . . . . . . 47
' Approved For Release 2003/0
- DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
MR L I
 Approved For Release 2003/dURE RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
5. China Familiarization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
D. Overseas Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
E. Headquarters Tutorial. Training . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
F. Non-Agency Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
G. Summary and Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 56
Appendixes
A. Agency Language Training, A Decade of Experience
1954 - 1964 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
B. Language Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
C. Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 97
Approved For Release 2003/0 8 CcR f bP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28Sc .. 93-007918000100050001-5
THE OFFICE OF TRAINING, 1 JULY 1951 - 1 JANUARY 1966
Volume V: The Language and Area School
and the School of International Communism,
1 July 1956 - 1 January 1966
I. The Language and Area School
A. Introduction
Late in 1955, OTR's language training activities came to be
of major concern to Agency officials at the highest levels. It appears
that not until that time did they realize that the Agency's support of
language training was not compatible with the Agency's need for lan-
guage competence -- this in spite of Mr. Baird's constant efforts to
enlist high-level support for language training. In any event, in the
fall of 1955 the DCI decided to put the power of his position behind the
systematic development of language competence in the Agency. This
decision resulted in the launching of a number of language development
programs during the following ten-year period, programs that are
described in the pages that follow.
Approved For Release 2003/05/SEV l \ R 1 93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05NV.GIAEDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
By early 1964, OTR's language training activities had
increased in number and complexity to the point where existing policies
and standards no longer provided adequate controls, and it became
apparent that there was a need for an official Agency language training
policy. The actual development of this policy was an extended process
involving Agency-wide coordination; the process was not completed
until after January 1966 and thus much of it is not within the time-span
of this report. The early steps, however, were taken during the 1956-
66 period and therefore are covered here. Among these early steps
was the preparation of background papers to support policy planning.
One of these papers was prepared by Dr.
in July 1964. At that time, Dr.
was Deputy Chief, Language
Training, Language and Area School (LAS). His paper was "a retro-
spective look at ten years of experience in language training in the
Agency" and covered the period from 1954 to 1964 (see Appendix A*).
In December 1966, Dr.
* Page 58.
-- then Chief of the Language Training
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/0; 6C?F DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/QGELIP93-00791 R000100050001-5
School -- prepared another background paper, this one covering the
history of the "incentive awards" program from its inception in Feb-
ruary 1957 to its termination in August 1963 (see Appendix B*).
These papers constitute, in effect, a somewhat detailed his-
tory of the major developments in the language training program of
LAS during the 1956-66 period. The present coverage will not repeat
the contents of these papers but will identify their salient features and
will supplement the information they contain. The papers do not, how-
ever, cover area training; that will be discussed here at some length.
The following sections, then, will establish the background
for the 1956-66 period of the LAS, describe the organization and staff-
ing of the school as of 1 July 1956, and discuss briefly the Language
Development Program and its major components; it will describe the
Voluntary Language Training Program, the Tutorial Program, and
the Area Training Program; and it will cover briefly some of the
special activities of the LAS during the period.
* Page 90.
-3-
Approved For Release 2003/055EP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : Sl - F 3-00791 R000100050001-5
B. Background*
1. Programs
Before OTR came into being early in 1951, language
training was arranged externally by the individual components of the
Agency. With the establishment of OTR, language training became
one of the responsibilities assigned to the new Office, and Mr. Baird
began to make some order out of the near chaos. As early as March
1951, he made an attempt to get systematic estimates of component
requirements for language training**; but the components failed to
respond, and external language training on an individual-request basis
continued to be the going procedure. In the summer of 1951, Dr.
was brought in to develop an internal
capability for language training, including a language laboratory***;
and in September 1951, the OTR External Training Division became
OTR's activities in language and area training from July 1951 to .
December 1953 are described in Volume I of this history (OTR-5),
pages 49-62; Volume II (OTR-6), pages 112-120, continues the cov-
erage to July 1956.
** See OTR-5, pp. 51-53.
*** OTR-5, p. 52.
-4-
Approved For Release 2003/05/si EO,RECTP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
 SECRET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
the Language Services Division. * By the end of 1953, the internal
capability had developed to the point where almost as many students
were taking internal courses as were taking external courses.
During that period, area training was closely linked with
language training, and what little area training there was was done in
external facilities. Some major attempts were made to establish ade-
quate area training programs, ** but these were not successful. By
the end of 1953, however, some progress had been made in Agency par-
ticipation in area programs conducted by the Department of the Army.
From December 1953 to July 1956, there was no major
breakthrough in either language training or area training. The inter-
nal capability for both continued to develop, however, and by the end
of the period almost all language training was provided internally,
and three internal area training programs had been established. ~x**
In late 1955, there were beginnings of breakthrough in both language
and area programs; these will be discussed later in this section.
See OTR-5, pp. 58-60.
See OTR-6, pp. 117-119.
See OTR-5, Figure 4, p. 121.
-5-
Approved For Release 2003/05i> (MM P93-00791 R000100050001-5
U V: L: I
%
 1
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 ~cBRD193-00791 R000100050001-5
2. Organization and Personnel
As noted above, Dr.
served as Chief of the Lan- 25X1
guage Services Division from the summer of 1951 to June 1953. At
that time, the Division was composed of the chief, three instructors,
one laboratory technician, and two clerk-typists. Dr.
25X1 followed Dr.
was changed to the External and Language Training Division. * Between
June and December 1953, two additional instructors were added to the
25X1 staff. In early 1954, Dr
got approval for the use of "contract"
instructors -- usually US citizens with native-speaking foreign lan-
guage ability, employed on a part-time basis -- and by the end of the
year several of the "exotic" languages were being taught by these
instructors.
In December 1954, the name of the division was changed
to the Language, Area, and External Training School, ** informally
abbreviated to LETS. By the time that OTR was reorganized in June
1956, it had been decided that the external training responsibility
* See OTR-5, Figure 4, p. 121.
** See OTR-6, Figure 1, p. 4.
25X1
-6-
Approved For Release 20030 ~/CR E11 f -RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 Iro(RDP83-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
would be transferred to the registrar section of the Support Staff, and
the name was changed to reflect this transfer -- the Language and
Area School. * Dr continued: as chief of the LAS until 12 Janu-
ary 1965, when the school was abolished and replaced by the Language
Training School (LTS). 1/** At that time, Dr resigned from 25X1 t
25X1 the Agency, and Dr was named chief of the LTS. At that time
also, the area training program was abolished. ***
of the LAS in July 1956 is provided by a December 1955 report from
Perhaps the best description, of the organizational structure
25X1
25X'I
activities of the school were divided among six "coordinators. "
anization, Staff, and Statics, 1 July 1956
to the DTR. 2/ Although this report established the struc-
ture as of December 1955, that structure was in effect throughout 1956
and -- with modifications -- for some years thereafter. The various
as Coordinator for Area Program Development, William
* See OTR-6, Figure 3, p. 10.
** For serially numbered source references, see Appendix C.
Although the post-1956 developments are not properly "background"
information, they are mentioned here to establish continuity of
organization.
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
ST
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 :[ClA-l T93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
for Language Training Support,
Seminars,
for Language
for Language Training Lecture Programs,
for Language Curricula, and
for Maintaining Intensive Training Standards (to be known as the
Qualifications Advisory Group). * In addition to the people named as
coordinators, Dr.
staff consisted of two full-time instructors,
a laborabory technician, and six training assistants. The Chief of the
School was a GS-15, four members of the teaching staff were GS-14's,
and two were GS-11's.
Some measure of the scope of the many activities handled by
the six coordinators and their assistants is provided by an OTR_report
of significant activities during fiscal year 1956. 3/ The significant
activities of the LAS were reported as these:
Training provided or arranged by the School repre-
sented 1, 263 individual requests. This total includes
678 at external facilities in area, language and other
specialized training and 585 in area and language within
the Agency. In addition, there were 1, 434 persons in
language self-study programs in the language laboratory.
The Qualifications Advisory Group had the responsibility for external
training, which at that time was still assigned to the school.
Approved For Release 2003/05/2-CIA-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
25X1
SECRET
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 SECP&T3-00791 R000100050001-5
An internal area program has been established to
meet previously stated requirements. A total of 105
Agency persons received area training in 12 courses,
including Basic Country Survey courses, Regional
Survey courses and Americans Abroad courses. An
increasing number of Intelligence Advisory Committee
personnel also attended these courses.
The internal language training program has been
significantly broadened in FY 1956 to include a larger
number of languages offered, semi-intensive language
courses, specialized language courses, workshops
in Eastern European languages and in Russian, applied
translation programs, intermediate and advanced language
seminars, foreign language lectures, foreign language
film presentations, and a foreign language dining room.
The language laboratory has recorded an increasing
number of native speaker tape recordings. A total
of 629 Agency personnel received training in 55
courses, in 13 languages.
The language proficiency testing program to assess
individual language proficiency in reading, writing, speak-
ing and understanding foreign languages has been enlarged.
Proficiency tests are used increasingly by Agency com-
ponents for judging whether or not individuals possess the
fluency required for selected assignments, as well as by
the School for recommending appropriate levels and types
of training. In FY 1956, a total of 24 language proficiency
tests were administered in 13 languages to 102 persons.
The Director of Central Intelligence has recently
approved a Foreign Language Development Program,
designed by the School in consultation with representatives
of other Agency components, providing for cash awards
for achievement and/or maintenance of defined levels
and types of language proficiency. This program will
become operative upon publication of an Agency regulation
now in preparation.
-9-
Approved For Release 20031 $ T-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 SECRET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA- DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
D. The Language Development Program
1. Origin
Although the initial impetus that led to the beginning of
the Language Development Program is usually ascribed to the DCI,
documentary evidence shows that Mr. Baird was the actual originator.
In January 1955, he issued a long memorandum in which he stressed
the pressing need for language competence in the Agency, implied the
need for Agency support of language training, proposed the establish-
ment of standards, and urged all components of the Agency to cooper-
ate in observing the standards. 4/ The memorandum identified and
defined qualifications for intensive language training, listed specific
selection standards, and outlined procedures -- all of which reappeared
more than two years later when the Language Development Program
was established by regulation. 5/
There appears to be no record of the response, if any,
to Mr. Baird's memorandum. Neither is there a record, of course,
of Mr. Baird's two-year effort to achieve the official establishment of
a language development program; undoubtedly he succeeded through
* See Appendix B.
-10-
Approved For Release 2003/08CRf-1DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2W t'4-4193-00791 R000100050001-5
the kind of person-to-person missionary work with Mr. Kirkpatrick,
the Executive Director, and General Cabell, the DDCI, that he so often
used to get things done. There is, however, one indication that Colonel
White, then the DDS, was a strong supporter of the project. In his 14
December 1960 Tenth Anniversary address to OTR personnel, Mr.
Baird stated that "in January of 1956 the DDS assigned to OTR" the
responsibility for producing a plan for an Agency language development
program. 6/ Mr. Baird's bureaucratic language meant, of course,
that the DDS had approved the development of the plan as it had been
proposed by Mr. Baird.
Whatever the means employed, the end was achieved.
The Agency regulation establishing the Language Development Program
is dated 4 February 1957. Bearing the same date but probably issued
a few days before the regulation was released, there appeared an Agency
notice about the program. 7/ This notice is really a personal letter
from Mr. Dulles to all Agency employees; it is chatty, informal, and
charming. It begins with the sentence, "Each time I travel abroad, as
I have done recently, I become increasingly aware of the necessity for
greater proficiency in foreign language skills among our personnel. "
The text continues in the same vein -- for example, "I need the
Approved For Release 2003I0Q/M ~q ET DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/0'5I `:CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
cooperation of all of you . . . I am asking you to devote as much time
as you will, on a voluntary basis. "* There is reference to the estab-
lishing of the program and to the provision for awards, and the text
concludes with "I urge all of you to become familiar with the program
and to participate in it to the maximum practicable extent. "= *
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the 4 February 1957
regulation that followed Mr. Dulles' notice was its official establish-
ment of an Agency policy on language training. Previously, language
training had been generally recognized as desirable, and employees
were encouraged to take it -- when the pressures of the job permitted
it. Although the regulation did not make language training mandatory,
it clarified and emphasized the importance of language training to
career development and added monetary incentives that attested to the
Agency's high evaluation of the importance of the training.
>k According to Hugh Cunningham, who at the time was Chief of the
Southeast Europe Division, Mr. Dulles had just returned from a visit
25X1 too He had an appointment with the Prime Minister and was
escorted to the government building by the Deputy COS, who neither
knew where the PM's office was nor was able to ask for directions.
They wandered, and Mr. Dulles was late for the meeting.
To raise the question of who may have prepared the text of this notice
borders on lese_maje ste; but if someone did, he succeeded well in
capturing the essence of Mr. Dulles's personality.
Approved For Release 2003/Q5 -RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003I0512- ~QIARDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
2. Voluntary Language Training
One of the important parts of the regulation's statement
of policy was that which dealt with voluntary language study -- done
at the employee's own initiative and on his own time. The regulation
stated that this kind of study was "particularly encouraged, " and the
encouragement was enhanced by monetary awards greater than those
given for directed study during work hours. Employees were quick
to respond to this kind of encouragement, and the number of "after-
hour" and "before-hour" classes increased rapidly after the publica-
tion of the regulation. By 1 July 1960, for example, the number of
Voluntary Language Training Program (VLTP) classes had increased
from a scattered few in 1957 to 33, with 237 students studying nine
different languages. 8/
The problem of providing instructors for the VLTP
classes was solved by finding Agency employees with the language
fluency necessary to the teaching job. These people were, of course,
paid for their "moonlighting. " The LAS instructors provided super-
vision and guidance for the VLTP classes, but only rarely did they do
-13-
Approved For Release 2003/0S8cR OMitDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28Z;93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
the actual teaching. 9/ Needless to say, there was seldom much dif-
ficulty in finding Agency people who were completely competent in
almost any language for which there was a demand.
In the latter half of 1960, an interesting situation devel-
oped in the VLTP. Up to that time, there had been heavy enrollments
in beginning classes in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. It
appeared that this emphasis on the so-called "soft" languages was not
consistent with the Agency's needs and that students were more inter-
ested in the awards than in useful language competence. The Agency
Committee for Language Development -- an oversight group established
by the regulation -- decided to phase out these beginning courses,. and
by the end of 1960 the phase-out was completed. Between that time
and March 1961, there were only 150 students in the VLTP, most of
them in intermediate-level courses and seminars. In March 1961,
the beginning courses in the "soft" languages were reinstated, and
during that year 378 students were enrolled in them, bringing the 1961
total of VLTP students to 528. 10/ There appears to be no record of
the rationale behind the reinstatement of the beginning courses, but it
Approved For Release 2003/?
MIRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : C& DPOii.-b0791R000100050001-5
could be conjectured that the experiment reflected the beginning of
doubts about the validity of the incentive awards program -- doubts
that subsequently led to the termination of the program.
3. Language Development Awards
One provision -- perhaps the key provision -- of the
Language Development Program was the establishment of monetary
awards for language study. The "incentive awards" as they were called,
are discussed in some detail in Appendix B. Only a brief summary
and recapitulation is provided here.
The implementing regulation provided for two categories
of awards II/ -- Achievement Awards, those granted for achieving
proficiency in a language for the first time and for increasing the level
of proficiency to the next higher awardable level; and maintenance
awards, those granted for maintaining an awardable level of proficiency
in a language. Achievement awards were not made for language pro-
ficiency possessed as of the date of the regulation or for proficiency
already possessed by people entering on duty with the Agency after the
date of the regulation. Maintenance awards were not made for
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : G1ARDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
SECRET
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2S:cA'-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
proficiency acquired prior to Agency employment by residence abroad
or family association or for proficiency representing the primary rea-
son for employment with the Agency.
From the beginning of the incentive awards program,
there was a conflict of interests. The program was designed to serve
the Agency's needs for foreign language proficiency; the program was
used by individuals to serve their own needs for additional income. *
In December 1958, in an attempt to diminish the personal-interest use
of the program, the implementing regulation was revised to cut the
awards in half. 12/ In May 1960, another revision again cut the awards
in half. 13/ By March 1963, the maintenance awards had been elimi-
nated, 14/ and on 5 August 1963 -- on the recommendation of the DTR
and the approval of the DDCI -- the entire incentive awards program
was terminated. 15/
It was common knowledge at the time that a few Agency officers --
most of them, unhappily, in the higher GS grades -- managed to
bypass the safeguards built into the regulation and get awards in a
dozen or more languages. One of them, a GS-15, boasted that he
had collected awards in 23 different languages.
-16-
Approved For Release 2003/058?PP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 SECPU
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA- 93-00791 R000100050001-5
With the demise of the incentive awards, the VLTP began
to wither away; in September 1965 it was "suspended, " and a year later
it was terminated. * There is no recorded official evaluation of the
incentive awards program and no authoritative judgment on whether it
was a failure or had served a good purpose. If it did serve a good pur-
pose, there still remains the question of whether or not that purpose
was worth the $765, 562. 50 paid in awards during the six years of the
program's life. ** 16/
4. The Proficiency Testing Program
Although LAS and its predecessors had always done lan-
guage proficiency testing in the course of normal placement of students
in language courses, the incentive awards program created vastly
greater requirements for proficiency testing. Awards were granted
for having achieved certain' levels of competence and for having main-
tained certain levels of competence. A definite measurement for each
See Appendix B.
The concept of monetary awards for achievement of foreign language
competence was not entirely abandoned by the Agency. In December
1966, the Language Development Committee was debating the inclu-
sion of the incentive awards in a new Agency language training policy
under discussion at that time (see Appendix B).
-17-
Approved For Release 2003/05P?7P93-00791 R000100050001-5
 SL
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIADP93-00791 R000100050001-5
of the levels had to be determined, and tests to coincide with the meas-
urements had to be devised and administered. The intricacies of this
problem and the various solutions of it are described in detail in Appen-
dix A. It need only be said here that the problem was one of major
proportions and its solution was one of the outstanding achievements
of the LAS during the 1956-66 period.
E. The Tutorial Training Program
The tutorial language training program is described in detail
in Appendix A. In brief, it was a device that made it possible to give
language training to Agency employees who, for a variety of reasons,
could not enroll in regular courses and to employees in deep-cover
status who could not enter Agency buildings. The "tutors" were, for
the most part, wives of Agency employees. The program was begun
in January 1960, and by May of that year about 40 students were
enrolled in the program.
In April 1963, the program reached a peak enrollment; about
100 students were in tutorial training at that time. LAS had a roster
of 100 cleared tutors -- not all of them, of course, active at the same
time; and training in 26 languages was available. During the period
from April through August 1963, the cost of the tutorial program --
-18-
Approved For Release 2003/08(~ 1f~bP93-007918000100050001-5
 SECRET'
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
for instructors' salaries only -- was more than $800 a month. Of the
students trained tutorially from January of 1960 to July 1964, about
75% were DDP personnel. The program continued through 1965, and
at the end of that year the LAS had the capability of providing tutorial
training in 49 foreign languages and had added the capability for the
teaching of English to foreigners, a frequent covert training require-
ment.
F. Area Training
1. Background
As noted in earlier volumes of this history, * OTR had
no internal area training programs during a greater part of the 1951-56
period. Some area training was done externally, primarily in courses
given in Defense Department facilities; but OTR had no internal capa-
bility for area training, and what little was done in the Agency was
done by other components for their own people. The actual origin of
OTR's area training program is shown in a November 1954 memoran-
dum from the DTR to the DDCI, written in response to what must have
been an informal oral query. 17/ This is the text of the DTR's memo-
randum:
* See footnote, p. 4, above.
.-19-
Approved For Release 2003/0$W
0 C_ C qrI DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28: C 1 I' 3-D0791 R000100050001-5
The answer to your query of 30 October, "What are
you doing with respect to indoctrinating dependents before
overseas assignment, "is, -- "nothing!"
The Office of Training has felt for some time that the
indoctrination of dependents before overseas assignment
is one aspect of the larger problem of Area Training.
Area Training, as such, is presently not formally
offered in CIA. The area divisions give what they call a
briefing to stenographic and professional employees prior
to their going overseas. These briefings vary from good
to bad, depending upon the desk concerned. There is no
standard and no uniformity. So far as I know, the desks
offer no briefing to wives or dependents.
The Central Processing Branch of the Office of Per-
sonnel gives some briefings to employees going overseas.
What is given, I am told, is excellent.
The Office of Training proposes that it be given the
authority to institute an Area Training Program. Such
a program would consist of area courses to be given
both within the Agency and outside the Agency on an
intensive basis, the courses to consist of historical,
political, anthropological, cultural and social material
on those countries in which the CIA has an interest.
Ultimately, we suggest that all employees of the Agency
be required to take such courses provided the nature
of their work requires a knowledge of the country con-
cerned.
An adjunct to the above courses would be a short
area training course for the wives and adult dependents
of employees assigned overseas.
-20-
Approved For Release 2003/0K8CRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 1
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/05 NNDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
To date no such requirement has been levied on
the Office of Training, and we are not staffed to do the
type of job we would like to do. We have, however, as
you know, made a "guinea i " approach to this in the
form of a training film geared to female
employees of the Agency and wives of employees of the
Agency who will be sent If this proves suc-
cessful and economical, the program could be expanded.
The routing sheet under which the DTR's memorandum
went to the DDCI -- probably hand-carried by Mr. Baird -- was initialed
by General Cabell, then the DDCI, on 5 November and returned to Mr.
Baird with General Cabell's handwritten comment:
Please draft a Directive to yourself along the lines of
our conversation 4 Nov, for my sig. Establish in that Direc-
tive the ultimate goal but require piece meal performance
toward its attainment.
There appears to be no documentary evidence that the
"Directive, " as such, was ever actually prepared; but the job of ini-
tiating an area training program was assigned to the chief of the OTR
Plans and Policy Staff and the chief of the then Language, Area, and
External Training School. By July 1955, a proposal had been pre-
pared and had been approved. 18/ Soon thereafter, two OCI area spe-
cialists, Dr.I I were trans-
ferred to OTR to develop the area training program. By July 1956,
two "country studies" courses had been introduced -- one on
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 20031"l f MRDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
 t1 C t1 '1 -
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 "CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
I 25X1
-- and the Americans Abroad Orientation (AAO) pro-
gram had been initiated with courses on
19/
2. Major Area Training Programs*
a. Country Studies
The "country studies" courses consisted of two kinds,
country surveys and regional surveys. To the country studies courses
I 25X1 on
developed before July 1956, courses on
the Indian Subcontinent, the Arab States,
25X1
Sahara, Nationalism and Communism in the Arab World, and the
National Interest of the US in the Middle East were added during the
latter half of 1956 and in 1957. During the following two years, courses
The undocumented data used in this section are drawn from OTR
catalogs, bulletins, and announcements issued during the 1956-66
period. All are in the files of the OTR Instructional Support Staff.
This was called the China Familiarization Course. It was devel-
oped at the request of the Far East Division of the DDP, and it was
offered at regular intervals until the termination of the Area train-
ing program.
This was called Basic Country Survey -- USSR. Early in 1960 the
course was transferred from the LAS to the School of International
Communism.
25X1
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/Q5 grrDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 d>~ g
Approved For Release 20031O~ ~Z RDP93-007918000100050001-5
Thereafter, all of the country studies courses were available and given
"when requested" until January 1965, when the area training program
was terminated. The courses were given on a part-time basis, vary-
ing in duration but usually scheduled for 60 hours of classroom instruc-
tion, and tailored to the requirements of the students. Most of the
students in the courses were DDP officers preparing for specific over -
seas assignments.
The area training staff that handled the country
studies courses -- as well as most of the other area training programs
25X1 - -was composed of Dr.
25X1
25X1
Europe; Mr.
Mr.
a specialist on Western
a specialist on Africa and the Near East;
, a DDP Far East specialist detailed to OTR
on a long-term basis in 1957; and Mr
Far East specialist detailed to OTR in 1958.
b. The Americans Abroad Orientation
The Americans Abroad Orientation (AAO) courses
were designed to provide Agency employees -- both professional and
clerical -- and their adult dependents with the basic information they
needed to prepare them for a first.-time assignment to a specific over-
seas area. Each course consisted of from 15 to 18 hours of classroom
-23-
Approved For Release 2003/9r?:ATRDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 Q -RP93-00791R000100050001-5
instruction concerned with social customs, cultural and national atti-
tudes and sensibilities, and other matters affecting overseas duty in a
particular country or area. The OTR Catalog published in June of 1956
By the beginning of 1960, courses on the Middle East,
25X1
25X1
lists five AAO courses: the Arab States,
Free Europe,-I I had been added;
and by July 1961 the area training staff was capable of giving courses
on 73 individual countries and world regions. 20/
Some measure of the quantitative scope of the AAO
program is provided by a sampling of registration records. In fiscal
also indicate the expansion of the AAO program during the early 60' s,
an expansion that took place, according to Mr. Baird, "despite the
fact that the absence of an Agency policy on enrollment of Agency
25X1
- 24-
Approved For Release 2003/1~-$1ARDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
J ~
 Approved For Release 2003/>:r+L~~Aj
CRDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
employees and adult dependents means that probably only half of the
persons going to a given area for the first time are enrolled in the
appropriate AAO. " 21 /
The AAO program continued to expand after 1961,
still without an Agency policy on attendance and without any increase
in the area training staff. In July 1964, the chief of LAS informed the
DTR that the program could not go on at its then current level without
an increase in staff. 22/ At that time, however, there was a severe
budget pinch, and the area training staff could not be increased. An
alternative -- a major reduction in the number of AAO's offered
then Deputy Chief of LAS for Area Train-
ing; and in July 1964, the DTR recommended this to the DDS. 23/ The
DDS approved this recommendation in August, and the DTR assigned
the chief of the OTR Plans and Policy Staff (PPS) to make a study of
the problem of reducing the offerings. In September, the C/PPS
reported that even a curtailed AAO program was beyond the capability
of the small area training staff and recommended, in effect, that the
AAO program be abandoned and replaced by a program of "guidance
-25-
Approved For Release 2003/6FI,~E-f DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
was suggested. by Dr.
 Approved For Release 2003/05/ ~I RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
for personal adaptation overseas. " 24/ Subsequent study by the C/PPS
arrived at the conclusion that the AAO program should be abandoned
entirely, and on 12 January 1965 this came about. 25/
3. Other Area Training Programs
a. Introduction to Overseas Effectiveness
At some time in late July or early August of 1958,
the DDP Chief of Operations -- then Mr. Richard Helms -- suggested
informally to the DDTR -- then Mr.
k- that OTR 25X1
develop a course of training directed toward improving the effective-
ness of Agency personnel overseas by giving them an understanding of
"what makes foreigners tick. " 26/ The Helms suggestion was referred
who assigned the follow-up task to Mr.
On 20 August 1958, Dr.
and 25X1
plan* for a course to be called Introduction to Overseas
Effectiveness (IOE). 27/
* Actually, the plan was a team effort involving Dr
other members of.the area training staff, and a professional anthro-
pologist brought in on contract as a consultant. 28/
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : LiARDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
25X1
SL.L1
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28. S
FRD093-00791 R000100050001-5
The plan was eventually approved, and the first
course was given in December 1959 for 19 Agency officers in the mid-
dle and upper GS grades. 29/ The course was given a second time --
with the "Introduction to" of the title changed to "Principles of" -- in
February and March 1960 and a third time in April and May 1961. 30/
It was a full-time, two-week course, using both Agency and non-Agency
experts as guest speakers, and Dr.l
acted as chief instructor 25X1
and coordinator. In the second and third runnings of the course, most
of the students were at or above GS-14 level, and most of them were
DDP officers.
After the third running, it was decided, apparently,
that the name of the course should be changed, the level of sophistica-
tion should be raised, and even more prestigious speakers should be
engaged. The October 1961 OTR Bulletin contains a three-page article
announcing that OTR had. developed plans for a "Human Relations Pro-
gram" and that the first segment of this program would be a "new"
course called "Interpreting Foreign Cultures: Clues for Analysis and
Operations. " Although the article does not so state, the "new" course
was the Overseas Effectiveness course warmed over -- the descrip-
tion clearly identified it as such. The rhetoric of the Bulletin article
-27-
Approved For Release 20033F ET RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
is enthusiastic -- almost lyrical. It says that the new course "packs
a liberal education in behavioral sciences in ten short days, " that "the
many intriguing aspects of social communication are explored by an
international authority with a flair for entertainment, " and that "our
roster of speakers -- some with international reputations and all with
outstanding knowledge and stimulating delivery -- is our pride and joy. "
The article concludes with the statement that "plans are under way for
an early 1962 running of the course. "
Just what happened to these somewhat grandiose plans
appears to be unrecorded; it is probable that budget pressures killed
them. In any event, neither the January 1962 OTR Schedule of Courses
nor the August 1962 Catalog of Courses mentions either the "Human
Relations Program" or "Interpreting Foreign Cultures: Clues for Anal-
ysis and Operations. " Both publications, however, list Principles of
Overseas Effectiveness. It can only be assumed that once again a noble
effort had been blighted by the frost of the budget.
b. The Senior Area Seminar
Another noble effort in area training did, however,
come to brief fruition. Early in 1959, Dr.
proposed and got 25X1
approval for an advanced area training course called the Senior Area
Approved For Release 2003/si2RTf DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 kQ F P!? FT
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
Seminar. 31/ This was a two-week, full-time course designed for mid-
dle- and upper-grade DDP officers concerned with specific world areas.
The first running of the course, called Free Europe -- Current Prob-
lems Seminar, was given in February and March 1959 for 16 students.
Among the prestigious names on the roster of guest lecturers were
those of Paul Nitze and Arnold Zurcher. r The course was given a
second time -- on the same world area -- early in 1960. Thereafter,
for some unrecorded reason, it was abandoned.
4. Termination of the Area Training Program.
As noted earlier in this section, all OTR area training
activities were terminated by a 12 January 1965 OTR Notice -- the
same notice that abolished the Language and Area School and estab-
lished the Language Training School. 32/ The official reason given at
the time for terminating area training was the need to meet budget limi-
tations. Unofficially, of course, other factors were involved. Chief
among them perhaps, was the fact that neither the Agency as a whole
nor the DDP had any policy at all about area training, but the DDP
At that time Mr. Nitze was President of the Foreign Service Educa-
tional Foundation, and Mr. Zurcher was Head of the Institute of Pub-
lic Affairs and Regional Studies at New York University.
Approved For Release 2003/ A RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 SECT ET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
components were constantly levying special requirements for area train-
ing. The absence of policy made it impossible to project systematic
plans for training; stated requirements often proved to be capricious,
and actual registrations in area training courses meant little or nothing
until a class actually met for the first time -- or even the second time.
The continuous levy of special DDP requirements was made without
regard for the limitations imposed on the size of the area training staff
and without any intent to provide personnel or funds to help meet the
requirements. Eventually it became clear that an orderly area train-
ing program within the capability of the existing staff was impossible.
With the, termination of the area training program came
the dispersal of the staff, which at that time consisted of only three
full-time instructors. Dr.
whose position as Deputy Chief,
LAS, Area Training was eliminated, was reassigned to the Covert
Action Staff of the DDP; Mr.
gence School; and Mr.
time, Dr.
was reassigned to the OTR Intelli-
resigned from the Agency. At the same
resigned from the Agency, and Dr.
as Chief of the Language Training School.
took over 25X1
Approved For Release 2003/ M i 1 ft RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : S I CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
A sardonic footnote could be added to the somewhat unhappy
history of area training by recounting the numerous post-1965 high-
level expressions of the need for area training and the several specific
high-level requests that OTR "look into" the possibility of developing
one or another kind of area training. * Such a footnote would have to
include the fact that none of these expressions of need or specific
requests was accompanied by a promise of policy or personnel or funds.
G. Special Activities
Like the other OTR schools, the LAS was constantly engaged
in special activities related, either directly or indirectly, to the train-
ing mission. A few of these activities are mentioned here as illustra-
tive of the kinds of things that were done.
1. Interagency Roundtables
In mid-1956, Dr.
the chief of the LAS, devised
the concept of an Interagency Language Roundtable, and his idea was
warmly approved by the chief language training officers in other govern-
ment agencies and departments. Dr.
balled the first meeting 25X1
Such requests were referred to the Intelligence School for "appro-
priate action. " The opinions expressed here are those of the officer
who was chief of that school at the time. 33/
-31-
Approved For Release 2003SFI%p 7 RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 SLCI[.j
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
of the group before the end of that year. * By mutual agreement at the
first meeting, it was decided that the organization would be unofficial
and informal with a rotating chairmanship determined at each of the
monthly meetings. The general purpose of the roundtable was to
exchange information, discuss mutual problems, and to devise solutions
that might be profitable to all of the members of the group. The round-
table also served as a medium for contact with the academic community
and the consequent dissemination throughout the government of new aca-
demic techniques in language training.
A similar organization for area training was established,
at some time in 1958 -- the Interagency Area Training Roundtable.
This group had the same pattern and purpose as the Language round-
table and, to some extent, the same membership; Dr.1 I for
example, attended meetings of both groups. Dri
I, of course,
was the principal Agency representative to the area roundtable and was
a frequent contributor of papers and other presentations at the meet-
ings. He continued his membership in the group even after the Agency
area training program was terminated.
* See Appendix A.
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 200 f. ET-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 T
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
2. Programmed Instruction
Initial experimental work in adapting the techniques of
programmed instruction to language training is described in an earlier
volume of this history. * This experimental work was continued by the
LAS throughout the 1956-65 period, and the guidance and facilities of
the Center for Applied Linguistics of the Modern Language Association
became available to support the work. ** At the end of July 1964, the
deputy chief of the LAS stated in a report to the DTR that "although
initial claims by proponents of programmed teaching have proven to be
exaggerated, the principles of programmed teaching are already well
established. "
3. Isolated Training Facilities
One of the most effective language training devices used
by the LAS was the isolated training site, a device that permitted inten-
sive study of a foreign language and required functional usage of the
language in a situation isolated from the usual distractions of the
Headquarters training situation. This activity was initiated in 1956;
* OTR-7, pp. 85-87.
** See Appendix A.
-33-
Approved For Release 2003/&f FR,- 'RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 .'nn r-Approved For Release 2003/05 8-.~dIALRbP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
25X1 fairly remote area
was rented and was equipped as
a residence facility for small groups of students. Two groups used
the house for three-day periods without incident; but the third, a French-
language study group, ran into unexpected difficulties. * Apparently the
rural residents of the area had noticed the comings and going of the
first two groups and had become suspicious enough to mount a home-
spun surveillance operation. This operation revealed to them that both
men and women were staying at the house at the same time, that some
of them were orientals, and that mysterious electronic devices were
much in evidence. These facts were enough to warrant reporting the
insidious situation to police authorities. Because the house was in
The result was that on the second evening of the study session a
0
police task force raided the house and demanded explanations.
This summary of what happened at the isolated site is based on the
25X1 recall of Dr. who was deputy chief of the LAS at the
time of the incident. 34 In the files of the CIA Inspector General,
there is an official report on the subject; that report was not used
in this brief summary.
-34-
Approved For Release 2003/OS IFTZDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
25
 S EC; 7"t `T
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
25
The detailed report submitted by the instructor who was in charge of
the French-study group at the house states that the police were much
concerned about the electronic devices on the premises. The officer
in charge of the raid pointed to an encased movie projector and asked
what it was. He was told that it was a movie projector. He asked
what it was used for. The instructor replied, "We brought along some
French films. " After the misunderstanding generated by this reply
was cleared up, the police were satisfied, and no arrests were made.
site was hastily abandoned
thereafter, and in August 1957, an unused residence
25X1
was obtained by OTR for the
25X1
was 25X1
used thereafter and served the purpose well -- and with insured immun-
ity to police raids.
H. Summary and Evaluation
The foregoing discussion of the LAS activities has been lim-
ited largely to the period from July 1956 to January 1965 -- a year
short of the stated time-span of this history. The January 1965 cutoff
-35-
Approved For Release 2003/ /Lr l IDIATDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
`-L
isolated training site purpose. This facility, called
 nrr
Approved For Release 2003/05 4 CIA;8FP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
point was chosen because that date marks the termination of the LAS,
as such, and the beginning of the Language Training School (LTS); the
interests of continuity will best be served by covering the total activi-
ties of the LTS in a later paper.
The greatest achievement in language training during the
1956-65 period was undoubtedly the establishment of the Language
Development Program and its components, the voluntary training pro-
gram and the incentives awards program. The rapid expansion of pro-
ficiency testing capabilities was, perhaps, a byproduct of the develop-
ment program, but it was a notable achievement in itself -- as was
the tutorial training program. Although the area training activities of
the LAS came to a premature end because of budget pinches and the
lack of supporting policy, they did achieve their objective during the
period, and over the nine years of their existence they certainly made
a major contribution to the overseas missions of the Agency.
-36-
Approved For Release 2003/0~5d28':c1RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
"_., - U. Ift
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 CI10tk?k
II. The School of International Communism
A. Background
1. Early Courses in Communism
As early as 1950, a course called Communist Party Oper-
ations was being given by the OSO/OPC Training Division. With the
establishment of OTR in July 1951, the course continued as an offering
of the "Covert" training component of the new office. In February 1952,
it was transferred to the "General" training component of OTR as an
offering of the Intelligence Training Division of TR(G);* and when OTR
was reorganized in December 1953, the course became one of the offer-
ings of the Basic Training Division of OTR. In December 1954, the
name of the course was changed to World Communism, and it continued
to be a three-week, full-time course. =~*
Throughout the 1951-53 period, a three-week course called
Basic Intelligence Course (Clandestine Services) had contained a one-
week phase on Communist ideology, history, methods, and tactics. In
December 1953, this course became the Basic Intelligence Course
* See OTR-6, pp. 7-8.
** See OTR-6, p. 46.
-37-
Approved For Release 2003MQ~/l RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 ~ 4-
Approved For Release 2003/05/2 EC' Pb
93-007918000100050001-5
(BIC) -- without the "Clandestine Services" limitation -- and retained
the one-week segment on Communism. When the BIC was later changed
to the four-week Intelligence Orientation Course, * the Communism seg-
ment was expanded to two weeks and was called Introduction to Com-
munism.
2. Establishment of the School
The establishment of the School of International Commu-
nism in June 1956 is described in detail in Volume it of this history. **
In brief, the rationale for the existence of such a school was based on
the generally recognized need for broader and deeper training in Com-
munist organization and tactics, a need that existed not only in the
Agency but also throughout the government. Mr. Baird originally pro-
posed that the School of International Communism (SIC) be developed
in three phases: first, expanding instruction in the Agency; second,
providing instruction for other government agencies and departments;
and third, providing instruction for nongovernment groups and organi-
zations. Mr. Baird's proposal was acted on by Gen. Cabell, the
* See OTR-8, p. 46.
** OTR-6, pp. 7 - 9.
Approved For Release 2003/0572V P93-00791 R000100050001-5
 n~
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 :CIA-F~13 93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Acting DCI at the time, who approved the establishment of the SIC and
the first phase of development -- expanding the coverage of Communism
within the Agency; the second phase he approved with qualifications; and
the third phase he directed to be held in abeyance, pending the develop-
ment of the first two phases.
The SIC was officially established in June 1956 by an OTR
notice. 35/ Perhaps the best statement of the mission of the school at
the time is that given by Mr. Baird in an official report covering OTR
activities during fiscal year 1956 36/:
Its [SIC's] general mission is the development, coordination
and conduct of training programs on all aspects of Inter-
national Communism. Specifically, this school is develop-
ing and conducting courses at headquarters on the history,
doctrines, organization, objectives, activities, and capabil-
ities of International Communism; on special techniques of
anti-Communist operations; and courses providing area
knowledge of the USSR. As it is able, the school also pro-
vides instructors and instructional materials on request to
training programs in the United States or abroad conducted
by the Agency or by other government agencies for selected
non-Agency personnel and foreign nationals.
-39-
Approved For Release 2003/0S( RIB-TDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 _ n r--
L i1LT
Approved For Release 2003/05/2 :r C A-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
This statement not only reflects the modification of the original three-
phase plan but also provides for the SIC's activities in covert training
and non-Agency, services -- both of which eventually developed into
major segments of the school's responsibilities.
B. Organization and Key Personnel
1. Staffing
Approval of the establishment of the SIC was granted with
the predictable stipulation that there would be no increase in the num-
ber of personnel positions in OTR to accommodate the new school. To
solve this problem, Mr. Baird used the rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul device
of transferring positions from other OTR components and assigning
them to the SIC. This action, of course, required officially approved
action on the revision of OTR's table of organization. In August 1956,
Mr. Baird sent his request for such approval to the Agency Manage-
ment Staff. 37/ He proposed that positions be taken from the Basic
School, the Intelligence School,* the Support Staff, and the Operations
School to provide a 15-person staff for the SIC. This staff would be
By August 1956,, the Basic Training School and the Intelligence Train-
ing School had been merged into the Intelligence School, but the offi-
cial table of organization had not been changed to reflect the merger.
-40-
Approved For Release 2003/05 i [RTP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 11~1ET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
composed of a GS-16 chief, two GS-15 instructors, three GS-14 instruc-
tors, four GS-13 instructors, one GS-12 instructor, a secretary, a
training assistant, and two clerk-stenographers. 38/ The request for
the new table of organization was approved; but at that time there was
no requirement for a 15-person staff in the SIC, and the actual transfer
of all of the positions was not made. Actually, the SIC never developed
the requirement for such a large staff, and eventually the personnel
slot-juggling that is so often employed to meet budget pressures cut the
SIC staff to eleven positions, two of them clerical. 39/
2. Key Personnel
When the SIC was established in June 1956, Dr. Harry
Rositzke was appointed chief.* At that time, Dr. Rositzke was chief
of the Operations School, and until October 1956 he served officially
as chief of both schools. In October he was relieved of the Operations
School assignment and continued as chief of the SIC until May 1957,
when he returned to his parent component in the clandestine services.
was appointed acting chief of the school when
Dr. Rositzke left, and a year later -- in May 1958 -- Mr.
* See OTR-7, p. 16.
25X1
-41-
Approved For Release 2003/ C8 i~-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Ucn :-~
Approved For Release 2003/05/28: CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
I 25X1
became chief of the school. From 4 August 1958 to 15 June 1959, Mr.
attended the National War College, and Mr.
a DDP officer, took his place. Mr.
I 25X1 1956 to 1960 were Dr
25X1
25X1
thereafter and continued as chief of the school throughout the remainder
of the 1956-66 period.
The key instructors in the SIC during the period from
exception of Dr.
25X1
returned to the position 25X1
who went to a rotational assignment in the DDP
in 1963 and remained there for additional assignments, all of these
men continued as SIC instructors throughout the 1956-66 period. Other
OTR careerists who served as members of the SIC staff during parts
of the period were Dr.
All members of the staff had
1
specialized in Soviet studies for several years, and several of them
were competent in the Russian language and the languages of the Euro-
pean satellites.
* Early in 1970, the SIC and the Intelligence School were merged, and
25X1 Mr, became chief of the new component, the School of
Intelligence and World .Affairs.
-42-
Approved For Release 2003/ ,#':r jL_A DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
25X1
 SECRET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 ! CIA-RD 93-00791 R000100050001-5
C. Major Programs
1. Introduction to Communism
As noted above, in September 1956 the one-week Commu-
nism segment of the Basic Orientation Course -- formerly the Basic
?T1 L? -G ? to a t'o- wee cart of the ae n. four-
week Intelligence Orientation Course (IOC) and was called the Intro-
duction to Communism Course (ICC). Like the other two-week phase
of the IOC -- Introduction to Intelligence, the ICC was, by Agency regu-
lation, mandatory for all professional employees of the Agency. **
The first official description of the ICC appeared in the
January 1957 OTR Catalog. That description makes it clear that although
the course was a part of the IOC, it could be taken separately -- that is,
apart from the other half of the IOC -- as a prerequisite for more
advanced courses in Communism. Although the course was primarily
concerned with the international Communist movement, a considerable
part of it was devoted to the development of Communism in the USSR
and to the objectives and capabilities of the USSR. In 1957 a relatively
Undocumented course data are extracted from OTR Catalogs and
Bulletins.
** See OTR-8, p. 45.
-43-
Approved For Release 200395Y/7:f8 -RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 leh4-1 93-007918000100050001-5
25X1
small segment of the course was devoted to Communist China; in later
years, of course, that coverage expanded considerably. Because the
teaching methods used in the ICC were lectures, demonstrations, films,
and basic readings, the only limitation on the size of the class was the
number of students that could be accommodated in the classroom.
After the so-called "integration" of the JOT program in
late 1958, * a separate ICC was established for the JOT's. Although
this was basically the same as the regular ICC, the depth of coverage
was greater, more sophisticated methods of instruction -- such as
seminars,
role-playing, and live closed-circuit television
25X1
-- were used, and the course was extended to three weeks.
This special ICC for the JOT's continued from 1958 through 1965. **
2. Communist Party Organization and Operations
The Communist Party Organization and Operations
(CPO&O) course began in 1953 as a three-week course given by the
OTR Intelligence Training Division. *** In December 1954, the name
* See OTR-8, p. 53.
After 1965, the name of this course was changed to The Challenge
of Worldwide Communism.
*** See OTR-6, pp. 101-102.
Approved For Release 2003/052$ Cc )?--F DP93-007918000100050001-5
 S L_ r
Approved For Release 2003/05/28. l -Rl3A3-00791 R000100050001-5
of the course was changed to World Communism -- probably to make
a clear distinction between this course and a new course given by the
Operations School, Anti-Communist Operations. When the SIC was
established in 1956, the course became a part-time, 80-hour course,
and the name became the CPO&O.
The prerequisite for the course was the two-week Intro-
duction to Communism phase of the IOC. The coverage in the course
was definitely slanted towards the needs of officers of the Clandestine
Services; but other Agency professionals were admitted, and usually
the classes had several DDI representatives. Basically, the course
was concerned with Communist party organization, analysis of the
structure and function of both open and underground parties and front
organizations, and the methods used by Communist parties and fronts
in exploiting their organizational assets. The CPO&O was a prereq-
uisite for the more advanced course, Anti-Communist Operations.
-45-
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 n r---DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
,,J,- ,i \....
 Approved For Release 2003/05f~S': 76b? R P93-00791 R000100050001-5
3. Anti-Communist Operations
Before the SIC was established, the OTR Operations Train-
ing School had given the Anti-Communist Operations (ACO) course*; by
January 1957, the course had been transferred to SIC- 40/ The ACO,
was a half-time course, spread over four weeks and meeting a total of
80 hours in the classroom. One of the prerequisites was "projected
assignment in Anti-Communist operations," 41/ a qualification that
virtually limited enrollment to DDP officers. The seminar method of
instruction was used, and the maximum size of each class was 15 stu-
dents. The coverage of the content included the development of US
anti-Communist operations; the vulnerabilities of various types of Com-
munist parties;
Beginning in January 1957, the ACO course was given twice each year
by the SIC throughout the period up to 1966.
Dr. Rositzke was at that time considered by many people to be one
of the foremost US authorities on Communism, so this advanced
course remained in the Operations School as long as Dr. Rositzke
was chief of the school.
-46-
Approved For Release 200?d (2$?CM-RDP93-00791R000100050001-5
L. '_j; 1 L,
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 'Cs RB93-007918000100050001-5
4. USSR -- Basic Country Survey
As noted earlier in this paper, m the area training program
of the LAS had included a number of "Basic Country Survey" courses,
each course devoted to a specific country or world area. One of these
was a 60-hour course called Basic Country Survey -- USSR. OTR Cata-
logs show that at some time in early 1960 this course was transferred
to the SIC. There appears to be no record of the making of the transfer
or of the reasons for it; it could be safely assumed, however, that by
1960 the requirements being levied on the small area training staff had
already become greater than the staff could meet. Also by that time,
the SIC had demonstrated the capability for handling the course.
Another factor, probably, was the logic of grouping all of the Commu-
nism courses in one school, and the USSR survey course could well be
considered a Communism course.
The SIC offered the USSR survey- course twice each year.
Each class was limited to 15 students, and the schedule varied in for-
mat -- sometimes running full time for two weeks and sometimes half
time for four weeks, usually depending upon the on-the-job requirements
Approved For Release 2003/Ok7 E(%DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
0 t_Up t" T
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28`'' CI1~'~ 3-00791 R000100050001-5
of the students. 42/ The course emphasized the current political, eco-
nomic, social, military, scientific, and diplomatic developments in
the USSR; as background for this coverage, some aspects of the history
of Tsarist Russia were studied.
5. China Familiarization
After the termination of the OTR area training program
in January 1965, the China Familiarization course was assigned to the
SIC. Like the USSR survey course, the "China Fam" course had been
developed by the LAS area training staff as one of the country survey
courses; and, like the USSR course, it was as closely related to Com-
munism as it was to area study. When the course went to the SIC, it
retained its basic format -- one week, full time, with a 15-student
limitation on the size of each class.
The first segment of the course was devoted to Chinese
language familiarization. This part, handled by Language School instruc-
tors, was designed to give place-name and pronunciation familiarization,
using a Romanization system. The second and larger segment was con-
cerned with area familiarization; this was handled by the SIC staff, with
DDP Far East 25X1
Division and the Geography Division of the DDI Office of Basic
-48-
Approved For Release 2003I4?: ATRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
__ It
 Approved For Release 2003/0528":''dI)L-R P93-00791 R000100050001-5
I
Intelligence. 43/ "Area familiarization" was treated rather broadly
and included some history, key personalities of the current regime,
economic and scientific developments, and political activities. Origi-
nally, the course had been designed for DDP officers only; but as the
position of Communist China on the intelligence priority intelligence
list climbed higher, DDI officers began to take advantage of the avail-
ability of the course, and the composition of the classes changed.
D. Overseas Training
One of the responsibilities assigned to the SIC when it was
established was providing tutorial training overseas for both US and
foreign personnel. * Such activity was done primarily for the clandes-
tine services, and requests for overseas tutorials and briefings were
usually channeled through the OTR Operations School after having been
cleared by the training liaison officer of the DDP component concerned.
The standard procedure was the writing of temporary-duty orders for
the SIC instructor who was to do the training, with the requesting com-
ponent paying the costs of the trip and doing the necessary planning and
liaison work.
* See p. 39, above.
Approved For Release 2003/e5/228n jDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 ~~ ~
Approved For Release 2003/05/2S + A-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
The nature of the overseas training depended, of course, upon
the individual situation; and each program was tailored to the specific
requirements after careful consultation with the requesting DDP com-
ponent. As a result, the content of the programs varied from conden-
sations of one of the courses regularly given by the SIC at headquarters
to detailed analysis of Communist activity in a single country or area.
25X1 For example, early in 1960 one of the SIC instructors went on TDY to
his briefing
I 25X1
covered the organization and operations of Communist parties -- a
condensation of the SIC's Communist Party Organization and Opera-
tions course. 44/ On 16 March 1962, the chief of the SIC, Mr.
briefing the
where he spent ten days
intelligence service on Communist activities in
the Near East; from there he went to
to "guide the
[intelligence] service in its assessment of the regrouping of
" 45/
These examples illustrate not only the wide variance in the
25X1
coverage of the SIC's overseas training but also the difference in the
kinds of groups trained; the
sonnel, and the
program was designed for US per-
programs were designed for foreign
Approved For Release 2003/0028 RlP fDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28: CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
nationals. Throughout the 1956-66 period, the SIC's overseas train-
ing activities continued. The requirements never exceeded the SIC's
abilities to meet them and still meet its other responsibilities, but
there were periods when they were heavy. In one calendar year, for
example, SIC instructors were involved in TDY assignments
E. Headquarters Tutorial Training
Another responsibility assigned to the SIC was that of provid-
ing tutorial training, both overt and covert, in the headquarters area.
In this activity, too, the programs had to be tailored to the individual
situations. For example, early in 1960, in response to a request from
the Department of State, SIC instructors briefed a group of 15 Latin
American newspaper editors on Communist party organization and
activity in Latin America. 47/ At about the same time, most of the
SIC instructors were involved in a four-week, full-time covert train-
ing program for two senior members of the
25X1
25X1
48/ In April 1960, five members of the SIC staff -
25X1
-- conducted a three-day covert briefing
for a group o 49/
Approved For Release 2003/6I : 1A RRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
L- .~ 1 L_
 Approved For Release 2003/05/: `CFA=R6P93-00791 R000100050001-5
The requirements for headquarters area tutorial training were
greater than those for overseas training, but they were well within the
capability of the SIC. In the six-month period from 1 April through
September 1960, for example, the SIC provided 33 covert tutorial pro-
grams in the headquarters area; 50/ during the same period, the regu-
lar offerings of courses in Introduction to Communism, Communist
Party Organization and Operations, and Anti-Communist Operations
continued according to schedule. Perhaps the heaviest load of SIC
activities came during fiscal year 1964, when the SIC provided 66 covert
tutorial programs involving 164 full days in addition to regular course
offerings -- at that time with the USSR survey course added. 51/
F. Non-Agency Activities
The capability of the SIC to meet the requirements for over-
seas training and headquarters tutorial training and at the same time
to maintain a schedule of regular course offerings extended to a third
non-course responsibility, participation in non-Agency activities.
Although the SIC instructors were sometimes called upon to give lec-
tures and briefings to nongovernment groups, the non-Agency activi-
ties were primarily training programs conducted by other US agencies
and departments.
-52-
Approved For Release 2003/I 1. jA~RDP93-00791R000100050001-5 I'l
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28.: CIA-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
1
During the first four years of its existence, the SIC established
a reputation for being the best qualified Communist training group in
the US Government. By March 1960, SIC instructors were lecturing
in training courses given by the Naval War College, the Air Command
and Staff College, the Strategic Intelligence School of the Defense
Department, the Naval Intelligence School, the Army Intelligence
Course at Fort Belvoir, and the Foreign Service Institute of the State
Department. 52/ By May 1963, other programs had been added to the
list: the National War College, the Army Intelligence School at Fort
Holabird, the Military Assistance Institute, the War Planning Group
of the JCS, the AID Police Officials Course, the USAF Command and
Staff College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the
Army War College. 53/
Some of these organizations had several separate programs
in which SIC instructors participated. For example, in 1960 the For-
eign Service Institute had four programs: A Communism Course, a
Junior Officers Course, a Midcareer Course, and a Senior Officers
Course. During the six-month period from 1 April through September
1960, SIC instructors gave 23 lectures in these programs. 54/ During
the April-September period in 1962, SIC instructors gave six lectures
Approved For Release 20005/'2$-~ -RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28": 'CIA 1 DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
at the Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird -- four in the Senior
Foreign Officers Course and two in the US Officers Intelligence Course.
55/ In 1962, the Foreign Service Institute initiated a Counterinsurgency
Course in which SIC instructors made presentations -- as they did in
counterinsurgency courses established by the US Information Agency
and the Command and Staff College at Fort Bragg. 56/
Participation in nongovernment activities was a relatively
small part of the total non-Agency activity 9f the SIC. The first non-
government group to request an SIC speaker was the Brookings Institu-
25X1
tion. 57/ Mr.l
spoke at Brookings on "International Commu-
nism" in September 1960 and returned in May 1961 to give the same
lecture. 58/ Also in May 1961, Mr.
went to Sea Island,
Georgia, to address the Association of General Counsels on "Commu-
nist Tactics in Latin America. " 59/
Some measure of the scope of the SIC's non-Agency activities
in lecturing is provided by a sampling of the SIC's weekly activity
reports during the 1960-65 period. Early in October 1960, Dr.
went to the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base
and gave a four-hour presentation on the Soviet Political System. 60/
I
gave two two-hour lectures to the Regional
25X1
25X1
-54-
Approved For Release 2003/W5F2 ' +1+RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1 On 28 April 1961, Dr.
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2 e1A-RD093-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Seminar on China, sponsored by the Foreign Service Institute -- one
on "Ideologies and Strategies: Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist" and
one on the international Communist movement. 61/
During a single week in June 1961, SIC instructors gave six
separate two-hour lectures to non-Agency groups: 62/ on 12 June,
25X1 Mr.
'spoke to the FSI Seminar on Communism on the theoreti-
cal background of Communism; on the same day, Mr.
spoke to 25X1
25X1 the same group on the political system of the USSR; on 13 June, Mr.
addressed the FSI group on the economic potential of the
25X1 USSR; on 14 June, Dr.
gave a lecture on Communist philosophy
to the Associate (Reserve) Course at the Strategic Intelligence School;
25X1 on 15 June, Mr.
status of the Communist movement; and on 16 June, Dr.~ returned 25X1
to give a summary of the current strategy of the USSR.
This general level of non-Agency activity continued throughout
the 1960-65 period. In his official report of OTR activities during fis-
cal year 1964, Mr. Baird stated that for the Departments of State and
Defense alone, SIC instructors had given 150 separate presentations
-55-
Approved For Release 2003/ F261: iATRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003I05/2 $ CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
representing 300 hours of platform speaking. 63/ Mr. Baird's state-
ment did not, of course, mention that for every hour of platform speak-
ing there were at least two hours of preparation and travel involved.
G. Summary and Evaluation
Although the SIC never formally developed the three major
phases of activities originally proposed by Mr. Baird in 1956, * it did
-- in effect, at least -- serve the purposes that Mr. Baird had in mind:
providing sophis ticated training courses in Communism for Agency
personnel, providing expertise in Communist activities for training
programs given by other government agencies and departments, and
providing the same kind of expertise for non-government groups and
organizations. By early 1960, as mentioned above, the SIC had estab-
lished a government-wide reputation for competence in the analysis of
Communist activities and skill in the presentation of analysis.
If there was any single factor that insured the maintenance of
the SIC's reputation over the years, it was probably the ability of the
group to change analytical approaches and interpretations as Commu-
nism itself changed, both organizationally and strategically. During
* See p. 38, above.
-56-
Approved For Release 2003//2' rJCffATkDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
L :_'J i 1
 Approved For Release 2003/0J/ kk1A-DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
1
1
the 1956-66 period, for example, the traditional concept of "Interna-
tional Communism" gradually broke down, and new concepts of regional
and factional Communism arose. Also during that period, Communist
China emerged as a priority in the study of Communism. Still other
developments during the period were the rise of revolutionary govern-
ments and factions supported by Communism and the increasing empha-
sis on counterinsurgency training in the US Government. All of these
developments directly affected the work of the SIC, and the record
shows that the school was highly successful in keeping up with them.
-57-
Approved For Release 2003/0JI 8 G I - DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/0 LV! 41 DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
Appendix A
Agency Language Training
A Decade of Experience
1954 - 1964
31 July 1964
Director of Training
Deputy Chief, Language Training
Agency Language Training
Attached is a retrospective look at ten years of experience in
language training in the Agency. At the end I have added a look into
the clouded crystal ball. I hope you find it of interest.
Attachment:
As stated above
25X1
-58-
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 R A- DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05 2E cF DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
25X1
1
The Language and Area School was first organized in the Office of
Training in late 1951 and early 1952 as the Language Services Division.
At that time it consisted of a Chief, 3 staff instructors, 1 laboratory
technician, and a clerical staff of 2. A few part-time classes began
on 1 March 1952; however, the bulk of the language training which was
carried out by LSD was accomplished in various external institutions,
governmental and private. Much of the training was conducted under
and the Foreign Service Institute,
Dept. of State. This contractual arrangement existed until the Fall of
1953. Problems of security, expense,. and lack of control of the sub-
stance of training made other methods appear desirable.
In the Fall of 1953, it was decided to shift from the previous con-
tractual arrangements and to make fullest possible use of the language
schools of other agencies of government. Students continued to attend
the Foreign Service Institute with which a contract was maintained.
Arrangements were made to send students also to the Navy Language
School, the Army Language School and the National Security Agency.
In addition a few part-time classes continued to be taught within the
Approved For Release 2003/05grCj, L t P93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2005051 REI-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
School. By this time the instructor staff had been increased only
slightly, from 3 to 5 and the name of the school had changed to Lan-
guage and External Training School.
By the Summer of 1955 it had become apparent that the use of
other agency facilities could be counted on for only a part of our train-
ing effort. Many of the cost and security problems inherent in the
external contracting approach were also present in the use of other
government facilities. Our policy then became one of taking full advan-
tage of all available, suitable external programs, especially of other
agencies, but simultaneously of developing our own resources to meet
our needs which could not be met elsewhere with consideration for sub-
stance, cost, and security. The addition of area training occurred
also in 1955 and the school was reorganized and became the Language
and Area School.
The purpose of this paper is to describe and comment on the
development of internal language training programs in the Language
and Area School and the Agency. This process, which has been going
on for about ten years, began during the experimentation period 1952
-54 and has been since 1955 a significant part of the Office of
Approved For Release 2003/c f 1RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003 R-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Training's efforts in behalf of the professional growth of the Agency.
Ten years and nearly nine thousand students appear to warrant a back-
ward glance.
-61-
Approved For Release 2003/M:ftI DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003&EWEll-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
DEVELOPMENT OF DAYTIME INSTRUCTION 1954 - 64
Class Instruction
In 1954 when the Language and Area School _(then called Language
and External Training School, LETS) began to expand its internal facil-
ities, the language teaching faculty consisted of 5 staff instructors giv-
ing part-time instruction principally in French, German, Italian,
Spanish, and Russian. To supplement these efforts the School was
able to obtain various individuals on part-time detail from other parts
of the Agency to offer classes in other languages. Classes were
taught by this method in Persian, Japanese, Chinese and other lan-
guages. Full-time students were being sent to various external facil-
itie s.
In 1955, as a result of continuing expressions of interest by SR
Division, it was decided to attack the problem of giving full-time
instruction internally. A new staff employee was hired in July of 1955
and given the task of developing full-time instruction in Russian.
Preparations for this coarse led to obtaining permission to hire con-
tract instructors for the first time. The first full-time classes in
Russian began in late September 1955. The success of this venture
Approved For Release 2003, r_ru pvtRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003S?13R T-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
led to further attempts in early 1956 with full-time classes beginning
in French (March 1956) and German (October 1956). Since that time
full-time training has been a very important part of our curriculum,
and we have taught full-time courses in 16 languages to 380 students.
One feature of our full-time classes is at least one stay of 3-5
days at
training site. The use of such
a site, where the use of the language being taught can be made compul-
sory on a 24-hour-'per-day basis, began with the first full-time German
class in 1956. At that time we made use of rented facilities. Unfor-
tunately the third such outing, a French group, met unexpected diffi-
culties in the form of a police raid. The activity was hastily discontin-
25X1 ued until August 1957 when we were able to obtain our present site,
25X1
The purpose of these
training exercises is twofold:
first, students are given a practical introduction under everyday living
conditions of many aspects of the language which they are studying
-63-
C-1 A
Approved For Release 2003ggl~R
RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2001/1 EM-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
which they do not meet in the classroom; second, the experience of
actually living for several days using only the foreign language is a
confidence-building device which has no equal.
While the number of full-time students trained is not large,
representing only about 10% of directed training and 5% of the total
training effort, these courses represent much of the best training
which has been done in the Agency. Individuals so trained, along with
other language-proficient members of the Agency, have contributed
many years of successful overseas service to the Agency. Out of the
development of these courses have grown also the materials and the
instructor-training support which have contributed indispensably to the
part-time training activities of the School.
From the beginning it was apparent that full-time instruction,
while necessary, would not completely satisfy the requirements of the
Agency. In those schools where full-time training is the rule it has
been the practice to utilize one contract instructor approximately 30
hours per week in each course. Since we were faced with require-
ments for both full-time and part-time classes we hit upon the scheme
of using more than one instructor for each full-time class to provide
Approved For Release 200310S/3lR f f DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003Y0LW Ell-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
variety in accent and approach for the students and to utilize the
remaining time of the instructors for the teaching of part-time classes.
Aside from contributing much-needed variety to our full-time classes,
this system has helped greatly to keep our contract instructors at near
peak performance since they are not subjected to the same class in the
same room several hours per day.
The great bulk of Agency training has been done in part-time
classes. Most of the part-time classes have the same objective as
full-time classes; namely, spoken language proficiency along with
ability to read and write. In addition to classes with general objectives
a few others have been taught each year whose prime objective was the
teaching of reading and translation skills. Specialized classes have
consistently made up 10-20% of our teaching load. In the approximately
ten-year period here reported LAS has trained more than five thousand
students in part-time training during duty hours.
It has always been our policy, in view of the problem of security
and clearability of instructors, to develop a highly professional group
of contract instructors capable of handling a variety of types of instruc-
tional situations. By relying heavily on these instructors we have been
Approved For Release 2003/053ECI \ L 1 P93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release ZUUM-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
able to keep the number of our staff instructors to a minimum. Our
professional Staff positions now number no more than nine. To them
has been left the job of planning and coordinating instruction, develop-
ing materials, and, not least, the training and professional develop-
ment of contract instructors. The ultimate result of this process can
be seen in the support which the daytime program has been able to give
so to the Voluntary and Tutorial Programs in terms of materials and
instructor training, without which it would have been difficult or impos-
sible to run the programs. In addition to the support of headquarters
?~ programs we are able to supply tapes and texts to support language
training activities in the field. Hundreds of manhours per year are
no
devoted to this activity. Our present faculty numbers nine staff instruc-
tors, and eighteen full-time and four part-time contract instructors.
In addition to actual teaching the staff has produced a number of
highly professional and usable materials for language teaching. These
materials and the accompanying tape recordings are the distillation of
years of experience in practical language teaching. Many of our
materials are equal or superior to many which have been highly
praised and widely used in the profession. Materials production is not
-66-
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
.00 SECRET
 Approved For Release 200 El -RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
a one-time affair, it is a continuous process of applying lessons
learned and new discoveries in the field of language teaching to our
definition of our mission: It is our job to apply our experience and
skill to the language training requirements of the Agency in the most
professional way possible under the circumstances. "
Tutorial Instruction
In January 1960 the decision was made to supplement our normal
training facilities by setting up a roster of language tutors, in as many
languages as possible, who would be ready to give tutorial instruction
on short notice to students who for various reasons could not be fitted
into regular LAS classes. Many such students were still being given
training at commercial schools in the area at costs which were exces-
sive. By recruiting primarily wives of staff employees of the Agency
it was also hoped that the security of such training could be improved.
The two principal categories of students in tutorial training were: (1)
those who for reasons of scheduling or other reasons could not be
trained in regular classes, or (2) employees in covert status who
could not enter Agency premises.
Approved For Release 2003/M:,q ffDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003SE88REI-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
The first tutors were cleared, and hired on hourly rate contracts,
early in February 1960 and by May 1960 tutorial instruction had been
given to some 40 students.
The program grew rapidly until early in FY 1964. Between 85
and 100 students were in tutorial training at any one time. This was a
result of increasing Agency reliance, particularly by DDP, on the
easily available tutorial training, which made advance planning for
language training practically unnecessary. The availability of a large
cadre of native speakers soon became well known throughout the
Agency, and their services were frequently requested for other activi-
ties such as the following:
1. Assisting in the DDP/Systems Groups (formerly
MMU) Name Grouping Project. About 15 to 20 tutors have
assisted in this project since it began early in 1961.
2. Assisting in transliteration projects for RID and
other Agency offices.
3. Translation assignments.
4. Testing language proficiency of staff and contract
agents off Agency premises.
Approved For Release 2003( 1?SMr+-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
 Approved For Release 20033E/ EI-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
5. On a few occasions, acting as interpreters at
debriefings.
As the tutorial rush increased in volume, the peak was reached in
April 1963 when the cost of tutorial training for one month reached
$8, 225, and it remained until August 1963.
In August it became impossible for the Office of Training to budget
money for tutorial training and for a period of several months tutorial
training was to be charged directly to the using component. At the
same time the School made every effort to increase services by com-
bining tutorials into small classes and by scheduling regular Spanish
and French classes to begin on the first of each month. By doing this
we have been able to service many requests that would previously have
been purely tutorial using our regular staff and using tutors only to
make up the hours which could not be handled by the regular staff. As
a result the number of tutorials for FY 1964 dropped by 100 below the
number for the preceding year and the number of tutorials in progress
at any given time is between 30 and 40. The cost of the program has
leveled off to approximately $4, 500 per month.
-69-
Approved For Release 2003/05/?fitMff 93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003S/ EI 1-RDP93-007918000100050001-5
1
About 800 students have received tutorial training since the begin-
ning of the program. A fairly large number of these students, particu-
larly during 1961 and 1962, were trained for ludicrously short periods,
i. e. , from 5 to 25 hours. Approximately 75% of tutorial trainees have
been from DDP with the remaining 25% from other Agency components.
Since the program began, we have employed a total of 100 tutors who
have given instruction in 26 languages. An additional 53 were cleared,
but their services were never required.
There is little doubt that the advent of tutorial training has
increased the flexibility and capabilities of the School. At present we
have a total capability of 49 languages in which instruction can be
given, plus English teaching and covert training capabilities.
Approved For Release 2003/MDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/652?TTRDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 1957 - 63
The Language Awards Program
The Language Development Program, with its central feature, the
Language Awards Program, was planned in 1955 and 1956 and went into
effect on 4 February 1957. This was an event of signal importance for
the Language and Area School. It placed upon the School a number of
sharpened demands for services both in teaching and non-teaching
fields.
The Awards Program was conceived in the knowledge that other
intelligence services pay bonuses for language proficiency. The archi-
tects of the program began with the mandate that the awards to be paid
under the program were to be paid not for possession of the skill but
rather for the expenditure of effort involved in acquiring and maintain-
ing the proficiency. The attempt to write this notion into the imple-
menting regulations and to apply the principles of language difficulty
and manner of acquisition and maintenance to the adjudication of cases
occasioned much difficulty during the years that the Awards Program
was in force. Major emphasis was placed on off-duty acquisition of
language competence. During the six years in which the Awards
-71-
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
SECRET
 L I
Approved For Release 2003/(9421.ftMTZDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Program was in force, approximately $765, 500 was paid out in awards.
Nearly 4000 individuals participated in the program. Nearly 2500
awards were paid for acquisition of new skills and over 3000 awards
were paid for maintenance of skills previously acquired.
There appears to be no question that the Language Development
Program contributed materially in a general way to the development of
language proficiency in the Agency. It is significant that maximum
enrollments in LAS programs of training were registered in those
years (FY 58 and 59) in which the most money was paid out in awards.
Opportunities offered under the Language Development Program for
voluntary study of foreign languages almost doubled the total. number
of people enrolled in language training.
With its emphasis on voluntary learning of language and with the
administrative and budgetary limitation under which the Awards pro-
gram operated it was almost inevitable that it should have fallen some-
what short of the expectations which many held for it. There is room
for speculation that the same expenditure of funds and supervision
applied to a sharply-focused, workable, overall policy with respect to
language training in the Agency might have produced superior results,
Approved For Release 2003/0 2- P93-00791 R000100050001-5
'FE
 Approved For Release 200 8R> :g -RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
particularly if such a policy had made it possible to train a small num-
ber of carefully selected individuals in less common, but critical lan-
guages, such as Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc.
Voluntary Language Training Program (1957 -
The training offspring of the Language Development Program was
the Voluntary Language Training Program which began in May 1957.
The Language Development Program offered graduated awards depend-
ing upon the relative difficulty of languages and the circumstances
under which the languages were learned (i. e. , whether they were
learned as a result of directed training during duty hours or as a
result of voluntary study on the students' own time.) It became imme-
diately apparent that opportunities for learning foreign languages would
have to be afforded to those members of the Agency for whom directed
training during normal duty hours could not be justified. A study was
undertaken by the Language and Area School to determine the most
efficient and satisfactory ways of providing this training. Among the
alternatives considered were:
1. Contracting with an external institution to give off-
duty hours training for selected Agency students.
-73-
Approved For Release 20056$.0' -RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/08CR :DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
2. Contracting for instructors to provide training on
Agency premises during off-duty hours.
3. Recruitment of instructors from among Agency per-
sonnel with the necessary linguistic qualifications.
The latter method proved to be the most satisfactory from the
point of view of cost, security and flexibility, (and control of substance
and teaching practices.) It also provided the additional advantage of
affording an opportunity for many highly skilled members of the Agency
to maintain their proficiency in various foreign languages by acting as
instructors in the Program. As it turned out, one of the incidental
advantages accrued from the fact that many of the instructors were
themselves supervisors in the Agency, and they derived from teaching
in the Program a thorough understanding of the problems of language
teaching in the Agency. The language classes in the Voluntary Pro-
gram were conceived as regular classes to be taught on a definite
schedule with a definite curriculum, building through a series of part-
time classes up to usable proficiencies in terms of Agency proficiency
-74-
Approved For Release 2003/05/ ft~'RET IA-R 93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05 g (3 F P93-007918000100050001-5
standards. The support for this Program in terms of instructor
training, provision of materials, and administrative support was pro-
vided by the'regular staff of the Language and Area School.
During the first two years of its existence the Voluntary Language
Training Program was organized in 3 trimesters per year. First
classes began on 20 May 1957 with 170 students in 20 classes in seven
languages. By the sixth trimester in the Winter of 1959 we had
achieved a high point of 61 classes in 16 languages with an enrollment
of 372. The highest point in enrollment came in the Fall-Winter
semester of 1959-60 with 430 students.
In the Spring of 1960 it was decided to eliminate basic-level
classes in French, German, Italian and Spanish because extremely
high enrollments in these languages made it appear useful to attempt
to entice students to take up less common languages. The result was
a drop in enrollment to 237 in 30 classes in 10 languages.
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : et'i4-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
SECRET
 Approved For Release 2003/ RATDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
The situation remained thus until Spring of 1961 when the pressure
of demands for out-of-hours basic level classes in common languages
caused the reinstatement of these courses in the curriculum. As these
courses were reinstated it was recognized that it was desirable to
make the transfer from a first or second course in the Voluntary Pro-
gram into an advanced class in the Daytime Program as easy as possi-
ble, since the VLTP was destined to become a basic training ground
for many of our students. We therefore introduced into all basic VLTP
classes as rapidly as possible the same texts which are being used in
regular daytime classes. By now all basic level classes use the same
texts as Daytime classes. Since the reinstatement of basic classes in
the common languages, enrollments have climbed. slightly, but never
to the peaks which we experienced in the early days of the program.
The present semester has an enrollment of 204 in 25 classes in five
languages.
During the 16 semesters (or trimesters) of the Voluntary Lan-
guage Training Program there have been 4117 student enrollments in
583 classes in 20 languages. This represents about 2700 individual
students allowing for the fact that about one-third of the students
Approved For Release 2003/05gE ffL 1 P93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/ ( J C.F AiRDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
enrolled for two or more semesters. Of the 2700 individuals about
12% have gone straight through a sequence of courses, have taken a
proficiency test, and almost all have registered an immediately useful
level of proficiency. Approximately 25% drop out of the program with
unsatisfactory performance, attendance, or both. The remaining 63%
drop out of the program before finishing a complete sequence of
courses, but after achieving a significant start in the language. Our
present records and follow-up system are not equal to the task of keep-
ing track of all of these people. A significant number either go into
more intensive training, depart PCS for overseas and show up later
with a useful proficiency in the language or may later reappear to con-
tinue where they left off. There is reason to believe that as many as
half of these people do eventually achieve fully usable proficiencies.
The remainder have at least a start in the language which would cut
down on the lead time necessary to train them to full proficiency if
the occasion arose.
Approved For Release 20031R, IfRDP93-00791ROO0100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/ E6'JR 93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Thus while the Voluntary Program has not lived up to the hopes
which many people held for it, it has probably succeeded both in terms
of a not inconsiderable number of useful proficiencies and in terms of
a potential which we cannot yet precisely measure.
When the cost of the Voluntary Program -- approximately $35, 000
per year -- is reckoned, it is simple to leave out of consideration the
support provided to the Program in terms of instructor training and
provision of usable and practical teaching materials by the daytime
program. Without the support of the daytime program, the Voluntary
Program would virtually not have been possible. In return for its
efforts, however, the daytime program has gained from the Voluntary
Program an insight into various aspects of language training problems
which could not be studied as thoroughly in connection with the rather
less regular and more harried schedule of the daytime program. The
statistics on student aptitudes, attitudes, proficiencies developed and
teaching techniques which we have gained from experimentation and
careful records-keeping in the Voluntary Program have been of direct
help to the daytime program where the opportunity for experimenta-
tion was minimal in view of the constant struggle to do the best
Approved For Release 2003/05/2$ lE , fl93-OO79l R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/C.RliTDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
possible job in the least possible time. Thus, the 2 programs have in
many respects complemented each other and the 2 together have been
able to accomplish more than either would have been able to accom-
plish alone.
Foreign Language Proficiency Testing
The need for wide-range foreign language proficiency testing had
been foreshadowed in 1955 with the establishment of some experimental
proficiency tests done originally at the request of TSS.
Moreover, there was increasing desire to develop a realistic
inventory of the Agency's foreign language assets and recognition that
the existing self-evaluations provided on "application for employment"
forms were fallible and unreliable. As there was increasing concern
in the Agency for language competence as an operational tool and for
'ascertaining that an officer truly possessed the desired facility,
objective evaluation of proficiency became an essential instrument for
selection and assignment of personnel..
Approved For Release 2003/0~/ j DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 200 2IECT-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
I
The coming of the language awards program made it imperative
that methods be found to conduct large numbers of proficiency tests
with a reasonable degree of standardization. This small program
beginning in connection with testing the Slavic language proficiencies
of TSS employees therefore expanded into a considerable amount of
research in broad-range proficiency testing which we found to our sur-
prise was rather unique in the language teaching field in the United
States. Although beginnings in oral testing had been made at the For-
eign Service Institute, we found that there was absolutely no reliable
guidance to be had in this field. The only existing tests which we were
able to find were the Army's so-called proficiency tests which were
exclusively devoted to written language and suffer from many other
-inadequacies. Such information as we were able to obtain came from
who was already employed as a
we developed a number of guiding principles concerning the types of
tests which would be required. Prototype tests were composed first
in German and then in French, which tests eventually formed the basis
for the objective tests in 34 languages which were composed with the
aid of language-proficient members of the Agency and contract
consultant to the A&E Staff. In several conferences with Dr.
25X1
Approved For Release 2003IM J L 1 DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 200562R-R-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
employees under the guidance of an LAS staff member, beginning with
the end of 1955. The tests which ultimately resulted from this
research were the first and only serious attempts in the field to judge
as accurately as possible the abilities of individuals in speaking, read-
ing, writing, pronunciation and understanding, measured against the
standard of a native speaker of the language concerned. Understand-
ably these tests have shown over a period of time many deficiencies
and shortcomings. Nevertheless, they still stand as milestones in the
development of the foreign language field.
Testing began in 1957 and rose to a peak at the height of the Lan-
guage Awards Program in 1959 and 1960. After that, the number of
candidates declined in direct proportion to the number of reductions in
monetary awards. Oral testing to accompany the written tests has
been conducted by interviewing candidates with the aid of volunteer
help from language-proficient members of the Agency.
In all, over 10, 000 tests have been administered by the testing
section. In spite of this the Agency's Language Qualification Register
remains one of the darkest corners of the Language Development Pro-
gram. Of the thousands of claimed proficiencies only about 35-40%
Approved For Release 2003/ ~RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
jL
 Approved For Release 2003 1/ RElI-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
have been verified by tests. Although the regulation requires periodic
testing of proficiency, it has proven impracticable to find means of
administering tests overseas, and compliance at headquarters, in
spite of repeated attempts, has not been obtained.
With the advent of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, new
experiments were undertaken by the Research Center of the Modern
Language Association to produce tests of linguistic proficiency in 5
common languages. As a result of interagency cooperation developed
in the Interagency Language Round Table, which will be discussed in
another context, it was possible to begin with year-end funds for Fiscal
25X1
25X1
~o provide language proficiency tests based upon
Since the launching of the original contract, funds provided by the
Defense Language Institute have enabled us to amend the contract to
include 2 forms of the test in Russian, which is presently in produc-
tion. The contract for the French and Spanish tests terminated as of
30 June 1964, and while the resulting tests have not been fully
~ests for both French and Spanish.
Approved For Release 2003/05SUMP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Z an
Approved For Release 2003 & -RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
evaluated as yet, they give promise of a more objective standard of
measure of foreign language proficiency than we have had heretofore,
and it is hoped that these tests can be adopted as a government-wide
standard, meaningful also to the academic community for the measur-
ing of linguistic proficiency.
-83-
Approved For Release 2003/05/2$,, 11 L 1 3-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05S Cdf3P93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
INTERAGENCY COOPERATION
In 1956 the Chief of the Language and Area School called the first
meeting of the Interagency Language Round Table, which was to be an
informal, approximately monthly meeting of heads of language training
facilities in Government agencies for the purpose of exchanging usable
information on facilities, personnel and aids in the field of language
training. The organization of the Round Table was purposely kept
informal with the rotating chairmanship determined voluntarily at each
of the monthly meetings. Much emphasis was placed on the understand-
ing of common problems and recently on common solutions to these
problems.
Through the Round Table, Agency representatives were able to
know of and use the language courses of other agencies, resulting in
significant monetary savings for the Agency. Contacts have also been
made recently by this group with the academic community. The result
has been widespread dissemination of information on language training
problems and techniques which has resulted in minimizing duplication
among Government facilities, general agreement on salary scales to
be paid to language instructors, general agreement on standards for
Approved For Release 2003/OkY!C gDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 20034EE RELP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
language proficiency, and possible agreement on measures of language
aptitude. At present members of the Round Table are engaged in a
project aimed at formulating lists of languages for which training
requirements exist and for which training materials are not yet devel-
oped, with suggested priorities for the development of materials.
may take over the job of setting down information about existing mate-
rials with professional annotation as to the quality of the materials.
The Center for Applied Linguistics is also launching a project for
setting up a clearing house for information on and evaluation of auto-
mated teaching aids in the field of language training. It is hoped that
interagency support can be obtained for this extremely worthwhile
project.
There are many other problems in the field which can only be
solved, if at all, by the type of cooperation which has been developed
as a result of the Interagency Round Table.
25X1
Approved For Release 200310r
,'D P93-00791 R000100050001-5
Stff
 Approved For Release 2003/0 )&A-RDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
THE FUTURE OF AGENCY LANGUAGE TRAINING
Methods
The coming of the oral-aural approach to language training and
the use of the language laboratory have given great impetus to foreign
language study. The present oral-aural method promises useful
results, but it still requires inordinate amounts of time. The language
laboratory is the first step in the automation of many aspects of lan-
guage training. Present materials used in the lab, though consider-
ably refined by comparison with those of ten years ago, are still rela-
tively crude. Experimentation in learning theory which has been in
progress for some years shows the way to more refined and more
fully automated methods of teaching which give promise of allowing
the individual to progress at his own rate and much more thoroughly
than was previously believed possible.
Although initial claims by proponents of programmed instruction
have proven to be exaggerated, the principles of programmed teaching
are already well established. The working out of specific techniques
for teaching specific skills and the development of the necessary
means of exploiting the principles will undoubtedly be a longer process.
Approved For Release 2003/0'/> RIK:2DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2008 1, TA-RDP93-00791
Be that as it may, the prospect of significant breakthroughs in this
area are extremely bright in the coming ten years. The cost of these
breakthroughs will be very high and it is important that developments
be followed closely and examined critically at every step of the way.
The best hope of being able to accomplish this without premature com-
mitment and profligate waste of resources appears to lie in the coop-
erative approach among agencies, as accomplished by the Round Table.
Through this approach access can be had to tested new developments
at a minimum cost to each organization. As the proposal to set up a
clearing house for information on automated instructional materials
briefly outlined above becomes more firmly established, a proposal
for modest financial support by the Agency will be made. It is hoped
that conditions will permit the Agency to support the project.
Language Training Policy
Short of the brave new world of automated teaching described
above and in -spite of the not inconsiderable accomplishments of the
past ten years, the best means by which the Agency can guarantee its
linguistic future is to establish- policy through which it can forecast its
requirements with sufficient accuracy so that it may plan to fill them
Approved For Release 2003/05/28,UTA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
SECET
 Approved For Release 2003Ic iCllC1iTRDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
with the resources which it already possesses, or train in as orderly
a fashion as possible the necessary persons to make up deficits. The
efficacy of such an approach will probably be amply demonstrated in
the Armed Forces and in State and USIA where such policies are pre-
sently being implemented.
The problem of obtaining such a policy is not one which properly
belongs exclusively within the concern of the Office of Training,
although OTR has-been in the forefront in demanding such a policy.
One of the stumbling blocks has been that much of the information on
personnel, their skills, and their utilization necessary to the formu-
lation of an intelligent proposal for a policy has not been readily avail-
able to the Office of Training. Furthermore, suggestions leading to
the obtaining of this information and the formulation of a policy pro-
posal have been tarred with the brush of "vested interest" when they
emanated from the Office of Training.
On sober consideration much of the responsibility for the type of
personnel planning implied by the idea of a language policy appears to
lie with the Office of Personnel. Recently the Director of Personnel
has instructed members of his staff to look into the State-USIA policy
Approved For Release 2003/051 8 r-o~ P93-00791 R000100050001-5
L C; ET
 Approved For Release 200310~W UIDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
on language proficiency with a view to its implications for the Agency.
Thus far we have cooperated with the Office of Personnel by providing
as much information as possible on the State-USIA policy. This
approach through the Office of Personnel appears to have promise and
it is devoutly hoped that they will not meet with the same obstacles
which we have encountered in the past.
-89-
Approved For Release 2003/0 8p e-rP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/:0,,- Pj c- 2[ P93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Appendix B
Language Incentives
23 December 1964
Director of Training
Chief, Language School
Language Incentives
A discussion of incentive awards for language competence in the.
Agency begins with the Agency Language Development Program and its
central feature the Language Awards Program. The planning phase of
this endeavor was undertaken at the initiative of the Director, Mr.
Allen Dulles, in 1956.
When the implementing directives (see attachment A)-' were issued
on 4 February 1957 they provided for the payment of monetary awards
ranging from $25 to $1200 to individuals who achieved stated levels of
proficiency as well as cash awards to those individuals who demon-
strated annually thereafter that they had maintained stated levels of
proficiency which they had previously acquired. Different awards
were specified also for specialized proficiency, i. e. speaking or read-
ing only, as opposed to comprehensive proficiency. The Awards Pro-
gram was terminated on 1 August 1963.
The Awards Program was conceived in the knowledge that other
intelligence services pay bonuses for language proficiency. Major
emphasis was placed in the Awards Program on the acquisition of
The Attachments referred to in this memorandum are not included in
this appendix.
-90-
Approved For Release 2003/ 2~ 1A RDP93-007918000100050001-5
JE,.vi ~L
 .Approved For Release 2003I081 lK DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
linguistic skills voluntarily, by study during off-duty hours. Awards
ere aLso gl%e7 l:lcr e er f ~. r. :_:~~_` 7_ c C-`
directed training. The latter awards amounted to half the sum awarded
for similar acquisition during off-duty hours.
The architects of the program began with the mandate that the
awards to be paid under the program were to be paid not for posses-
sion of the skill but rather for the expenditure of effort involved in
acquiring or maintaining the proficiency. This was done in an attempt
to avoid awards which could be regarded as retroactive to the period
prior to the adoption of the program. The attempt to write this notion
into the implementing regulations and to apply the principles of lan-
guage difficulty and manner of acquisition and maintenance to the adju-
dication of cases occasioned much difficulty during the years when the
Awards Program was in force.
The six-year history of the Language Awards Program was one of
various attempts to focus it more sharply on the needs of the Agency
rather than generally to encourage the acquisition of linguistic skills.
These attempts were accompanied also by the pressures of diminish-
ing budgets. The following chronology illustrates the trend in the
program:
8 December 1958 - Regulation amended to cut amounts of awards
in half.
5 May 1960 - Regulation revised to cut amounts of awards in
half again as of 1 July 1960.
14 May 196Z - Cash awards schedule revised again to elimi-
nate maintenance awards, awards for directed
training, awards for achievement of proficiency
at the elementary level, awards for proficiency
in French, German, Italian, or Spanish at any
level. (See attachment B)
5 August 1963 - Awards program terminated as of 1 August
1963.
-91-
Approved For Release 2003/05/2$E I ET93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/SEC.-PCI TRDP93-00791R000100050001-5
The whittling away of the awards program undoubtedly left many
in the Agency disillusioned about awards programs for acquisition of
skills. During the six years in which the Awards Program was in
force, a total of approximately $765, 500 was paid out in awards. (See
attachment C) Nearly 4, 000 individuals participated in the program.
Almost 2, 500 awards were paid for acquisition of new skills and over
3, 000 awards were paid for maintenance of skills previously acquired.
There appears to be no question that the Language Development
Program contributed materially in a general way to the development of
language proficiency in the Agency. It is significant that maximum
enrollments in OTR language training programs were registered in
those years (FY 58 and 59) in which the most money was paid out in
awards. Opportunities offered under the Language Development Pro-
gram for voluntary study of foreign languages almost doubled the total
number of people enrolled in language training. The majority of the
skills attained were low-level skills in the common. languages. With
the diminution of awards and their final elimination in 1963 the Volun-
tary Language Training Program (opportunity for language study out-
side of duty hours) dwindled to the point where it, too, was suspended
in September of 1965 and terminated a year later.
Present discussion of incentives for the acquisition of language
proficiency centers in the Language Development Committee where
regulatory issuances are being drafted to implement the Agency's new
Language policy. On 1 February 1966 Mr. Helms approved the recom-
mendations of an ad hoc committee on an Agency language policy.
(See attachment D) The major thrust of the committee recommenda-
tions was to achieve a program for the acquisition and utilization of
Agency language proficiency which would place these activities
squarely in the long-range planning of the Agency for discharging its
missions. The policy requires the Directorates to state their language
proficiency requirements by position or position category. The
requirements thus established will become mandatory in filling posi-
tions on 1 January 1971. It further requires an intensive effort to
establish by proficiency testing an accurate register of current
Approved For Release 2003/057 DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
u El
 Approved For Release 2003/0JG?FIDP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
language skills. The policy also places requirements on individuals
in career categories liable to overseas service. Particular emphasis
is placed on language training for Career Trainees who represent a
large proportion of the professional younger generation of the Agency.
With respect to incentives the ad hoc committee reported:
"The Group considered the need to provide language
incentives for at least two categories of Agency employees:
(1) those who in the future bring to the Agency at the time
of their appointment a useful foreign language skill and who
are expected to serve in language-essential positions, or
in career fields requiring periodic service abroad, and (2)
those who undertake the study of specific esoteric or "hard"
languages in the expectation of accepting assignments involv-
ing these languages." The committee was, however, unable
to reach agreement on these proposals.
Thus far the Language Policy has been implemented by an Agency
notice which concentrates on the immediate tasks to be completed.
(See attachment E) The immediate task of the Language Development
Committee is the writing of a comprehensive regulation on all phases
of the policy. On the subject of incentives for language acquisition,
of which there has been much discussion in the Committee, there is
substantial agreement on the feasibility and propriety of paying addi-
tional increments in the form of step increases to those who enter on
duty with usable degrees of proficiency. Substantial disagreement
still exists on the payment of increments to individuals already on
board.
Major opposition to the proposal to pay incentive increments to
those Agency employees who undertake the study of esoteric or "hard"
languages has been voiced by the Clandestine Services. The source of
some of the opposition is without doubt the disillusionment of many
people with the earlier Language Awards Program, coupled with gen-
uine doubt as to the propriety or necessity of incentive payments for
only one of several skills required to do a job.
Approved For Release 2003/0.W28~- tfPDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/88491%- lP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
The basis for argument is the contention that cash awards are no
longer needed, that today the real incentive is that if you are language
qualified you may get that field assignment you want so badly. The
good effort you make in acquiring a better capability is reflected in
your fitness report. Your language facility enables you to do a special
job for which you are commended or rewarded. Your superior lan-
guage talents, coupled with your other professional skills, gives you
the nod in a time of limited promotions. In other words, the acquisi-
tion, possession, utilization and improvement of individual language
skills is an integral part of the personnel management and career
development processes.
In contrast to the above statement are the policy statements of the
Department of State, U. S. Information Agency, and Agency for Inter-
national Development. For instance, the combined policy statement
of State and USIA addresses itself to the problems of incentives as
follows:
"There are certain esoteric languages in which the num-
ber of applicants chronically falls short of requirements.
Acquisition of skills in these languages frequently involves
unattractive assignments. Also, the supply of skills in these
languages is critically short.
State, USIA and AID all authorize as many as two or three step
increases for study and use of skills in esoteric languages, beginning
at the time when they are accepted for study of these languages.
Although there is evidence that the Agency has recognized the
necessity for placing language-qualified people in field assignments in
some areas of the world where hard languages are spoken, notably in
the Far East and Near East, (See attachment F) this is by no means
universal in Agency practice. In Africa the Agency is still using
world languages such as French almost exclusively. In this connec-
tion it should be noted that recent gains in training in esoteric lan-
guages have been those where immediate assignment to the field is
planned. Since the Agency is concerned with crisis spots throughout
the world it is necessary to have a backlog of experience in esoteric
languages upon which to draw in fast-moving situations where the
Approved For Release 2003/05/?8 ~l . 9P93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
 Approved For Release.-.20R3f015/29 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
necessarily long-lead time for such training is not available. Any
system of incentives should be designed to attract people to training in
hard languages, to motivate them to maintain their proficiencies while
engaged in other pursuits, and to use them in posts of assignment
where conditions are often less than ideal.
Proposals for language incentives currently under consideration
for personnel of grade GS-12 or below are as follows:
1. Increase in entrance salary of 1 step increase for those indi-
viduals who have at least an intermediate proficiency in French, Ger-
man, Italian, or Spanish at the time of entrance on duty; increase in
entrance salary by one step increase for those individuals who have an
elementary proficiency in a priority language or by two step increases
for those who have an intermediate proficiency at the time of entrance
on duty.
2. Personnel already on duty who enter into 6 months' study of
a priority language will upon satisfactory completion of the course
receive an in-grade increase of one step. A further step increase will
be given upon certification by COS of a post where the priority language
is spoken that the individual is satisfactorily using the priority language
of that post in his duties. A second increase will be granted upon
similar certification during a second tour at the post, or another post
where the priority language is used.
The system of incentives described above are calculated to reward
individuals who bring language proficiencies to the Agency upon
entrance on duty, or who engage in the study and use of a priority lan-
guage in their Agency assignments. The postponement of second and
third step increases will tend to guarantee maintenance of the skill
once it is acquired. Use increases would also be paid to individuals
who entered on duty with skills in priority languages, the awarding of
step increases as described above is infeasible because of ceiling and
average grade requirements, the same ends could be achieved by the
payment of one time lump sum cash payments instead of step increases.
SECRET
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/0En~ 1DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
It is my firm belief that such a system of incentives is necessary
to ensure that the Agency will have sufficient skills in foreign lan-
guages, particularly the esoteric or "hard" languages, to carry out its
missions in the world's troubled areas. I calculate that the payment
of such incentives would cost the Agency an average of $40, 000 per
year over the next five years, assuming that 50 individual increases
averaging $300 were made each year.
25X1
1
25X1
Enclosures:
See attachments A-F
Distribution:
Orig and 3 - Addressee (with encls. )
1 - C/LS
1 - DC/LS
1 - Chrono
I - Sub j
OTR/LS
(23 Dec 66)
Approved For Release 2003/0~m ~I DP93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
1,E(
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28: CI'A-RDP~3-00791 R0001 00050001-5
Appendix C
1. OTR Notice 1-65, 12 Jan 65,F]
2. Memo,Chief, LETS to DTR, sub: Creation of Coordinators within
I 25X1 LETS, 13 Dec 55, 11 (in files of OT.R Historian).
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
3. OTR Report of Significant Activities, Fiscal Year 1956, undated,
^(in files of OTR Historian).
4. Memo, DTR to AD/DDI; C/OPS/DDP; Chiefs, Senior Staffs, DDP;
Chief, Admin DDP; Chiefs, Area Divisions, DDP; Chiefs, Admin
Offices, DDA; AD/Personnel; AD/Communications; all Training
and Training Liaison Officers, sub: Standards for Intensive Lan-
guage Training, 26 Jan 55, F](in files of OTR Historian).
5. CIA Reg.
4Feb57,F-1
6. DTR's Tenth Anniversary Address, 14 Dec 60, S (in files of OTR
Historian).
7. CIA Notice 4 Feb 57, ^
8. Memo, DTR to DDS, sub: Management Activity in the Office of
Training in Fiscal Year 1961, Attachment M, p. 36, 13 Oct 61,
25X1 [1in files of OTR Historian).
-97-
Approved For Release 2003/0 /,28 ClA DP93-00791 R000100050001-5
-
25X1
25X1
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 :'dlA-RDP9 -00791 R000100050001-5
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
25X1 11. CIA Reg.
12. CIA Reg.
13. CIA Reg.
14. CIA Reg.
15. CIA Noti~
16. Memo, C/AIB/RS/TR to C/LT/LAS, sub: Final Report of Lan-
guage Awards Money, 20 Jul 64,
11 in files of OTR Historian). 25X1
17. Memo, DTR to DDCI, sub: Indoctrination of Dependents Prior to
Overseas Assignment of Agency Personnel, 4 Nov 54~
OTR Historian).
18. Working Paper prepared by
n files of 25X1
"Area Training in
OTR, 1955 - 1965: A Tabulation of Highlights from Staff's Work-
ing Files, " 1 May 70, p. 1, not classified (in files of OTR Histo-
rian).
19. Ibid., p. 2.
20. Memo, DTR to DDS (8, above) Attachment M.
21. Ibid.
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/U $ `. If ZDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 ClA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
22. Memo, C/LAS to DTR, sub: Analysis of the Problem of Ameri-
cans Abroad Orientation, 26 Jun 64,1 I(in Area Training files 25X1
25X1 retained by Dr. in OTR School of Intelligence and
World Affairs).
23. Memo, DTR to DDS, sub: Americans Abroad Orientation, 15 Jul
25X1
64, Pin Area Training files; see 22, above).
24. Memo, C/PPS to DTR, sub: Americans Abroad Orientation, 18
25X1 Sep 64, 11 in Area Training files; see 22, above).
25. OTR Notice 1-65, 12 Jan 65, ^
26. Memo, C/LAS to DTR, sub: The Helms Proposal, 20 Aug 58,E
(in files of OTR Historian).
27. Ibid.
25X1
28. Working Paper by
(18, above).
29. Memo, DTR to DDP/TRO, undated (but internal evidence indicates
25X1 Oct or Nov 59),L1(in Area Training files; see 22, above).
30. Ibid.
25X1
31. Working Paper by
(18, above).
32. OTR Notice 1-65, 12 Jan 65,
33. Written comments by
OTR Historian).
Kin files of
Approved For Release 2003/0 8 CIS-lkDP93-00791 R000100050001-5
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
 Approved For Release 2003/05/28 : CIA-RDP9'3-d0791R000100050001-5
25X1
34. Notes on telephone conversation with Dr.
(in files of OTR Historian).
35. OTR Notice 20-56, 15 Jun 56,n
36. Report of OTR Activities, Fiscal Year 1956 (3, above).
37. Memo, DTR to Chief, Management Staff, sub: Office of Training
Reorganization, 9 Aug 56, [in files of OTR Historian).
38. Ibid. , Attachment 3.
39. OTR Bulletin, "The School of International Communism, " Mar 67,
25X1 p.
25X1
0 F-1
40. OTR Catalog, Clandestine Services Headquarters Use Only, Jan
57, p. 0-6, ^
41. Ibid.
42. OTR Bulletin, Mar 67 (39, above).
43. Ibid.
44. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR, sub: Report to the President's
Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities (Hull Com-
mittee) - 30 September 1959 - 31 March 1960, 25 Mar 60,^(in
files of OTR Historian).
25X1 45. Memo, PPS/OTR tol sub: OTR History, 26
25X1
I
I
Mar 62, Din files of OTR Historian).
-100-
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 -~rA'Rl P93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
3 Feb 71, 25X1
25X1
25X1
 Approved For Release 2003/05/2$:' CIA-RC0P93-00791 R0001 00050001-5
46. OTR Bulletin, Mar 67 (39, above).
47. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR (44, above).
48. Ibid.
49. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS, sub: Weekly Activity Report No. 17, 28
25X1 Apr 60, U(in files of OTR Historian).
50. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS, OTR, sub: Report to the President's
Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities (Hull Com-
mittee) - 1 April - 30 September 1960, 4 Oct 60, D in files of
OTR Historian).
51. Report of OTR Activities, Fiscal Year 1964, Oct 64,^(in files of
OTR Historian).
52. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR (44, above).
53. Weekly Activities Reports from C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR covering
the period from Apr 60 to May 63, ^(in files of OTR Historian).
54. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR (50, above).
55. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR, sub: SIC Contribution to Report to
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, 5 Oct 62, not
classified (in files of OTR Historian).
56. Ibid.
57. Memo, C/SIC to C/PPS/OTR (50, above).
Approved For Release 2003/0'5iZ IAfRDP93-00791R000100050001-5
25X1
25X1
25X1
 62.
Approved For Release 2003/05/28 :iA-RDP913-00791 R000100050001-5
Weekly Activity Report No. 19 from C/SIC to C/PPS,
16 May 61,
^(in files of OTR Historian).
Weekly Activity Report No. 20 from C/SIC to C/PPS,
23 May 61,
^(in files of OTR Historian).
Weekly Activity Report No. 24 from C/SIC to C/PPS,
16 Jun 60,
^(in files of OTR Historian).
Weekly Activity Report No. 18 from C/SIC to C/PPS,
9 May 61,
Din files of OTR Historian).
Weekly Activity Report No. 24 from C/SIC to C/PPS,
26 Jun 61,
in files of OTR Historian).
25X1
63. Report of OTR Activities, Fiscal Year 1964, Oct 64, F] in files of
OTR Historian).
Approved For Release 2003/05/2 CIAO R rP93-00791 R000100050001-5
 Secret Approved For Release 2003/05/28 CIA-RDP93-00791R000100050001-5
CIA Internal Use Only
Access Controlled by DDS
1
i
1
I
1
1
Secret Approved For Release 2003/05/28 CIA-RDP93-00791 R000100050001-5 I