LETTER TO HONORABLE DAVID A. STOCKMAN FROM B.R. INMAN REGARDING OPPOSITION TO H.R. 3231

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R002100150037-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 20, 2007
• Sequence Number: 37
• Content Type: LETTER

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Honorable David A. Stockman
Director
Office of Management and Budget
Washington, D.C. 20503
Dear Dave:
Your staff recently informed us that the-Department of Education strongly
opposes H.R. 3231, the pending Bill proposed by Representative Paul Simon,
Chairman of the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education,
which would provide Federal assistance to enhance foreign language programs
in our schools, colleges, and universities. I strongly object to Administration
opposition to this Bill. It has long been my belief that the foreign language
capabilities of this Country have been rapidly deteriorating and that one of the
most obvious results of this deterioration is the adverse impact that it is
having in the Intelligence Community.
You well know the importance that adequate foreign language capabilites
play in the conduct of the work of the Intelligence Community. This importance
.cannot be overstated. Now, more than ever, we must be able to translate and
assimilate a vast amount of information as fast as possible in order. to effec-
tively and correctly analyze it so that we may provide good information to our
Country's foreign policymakers. As you are aware, a great deal of this informa-
tion requires the use of foreign language expertise. Within the area of human
source collection we are also critically dependent on strong foreign language
capability. The very success of our officers overseas is dependent on their
ability to develop feelings of trust and confidence with those with whom they
deal. To do so we must be able to converse in the other person's language. In
recent years we have lost many of our most experienced officers who not only
had great expertise in operational or analytical areas but who also had strong
foreign language capabilities in a second, third, or fourth language. As well,
the U.S. has lost the large talent bank of second generation Americans where
another language was spoken at home. Consequently, in order for this Nation to
forge ahead and meet the demands imposed on us in the intelligence area, we must
now take decisive action to ensure improvement in the foreign language training
of our youth.
My strong belief on this matter was strongly endorsed by my years as
the Director of the National Security Agency and its relevance to our Nation's
we l.1-being has become ever more apparent since serving as the Deputy Director of
Central Intelligence. In the coming years, the Intelligence.Communit
expand its relations with the academic community. We have long relied onaforeoign
language assistance from academicians throughout the Country. In order to nurture
this new expanded relationship, I believe we must take every opportunity available
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to us to support programs that are important to not only the academic community
but that also have obvious benefit to ourselves. Representative Simon's Bill is
an effort in this regard. Rather than opposing and possibly killing the Bill, I
believe it is essential that we work with him on it. I do not disagree that the
Department of Education has raised significant concerns regarding some of the
technical provisions of the Bill itself--that is their purview. However, opposi-
tion by this Administration will have far-reaching effects within the Intelligence
Community. In recent decades we have witnessed many universities and colleges
dropping foreign language requirements as part of the mandatory curriculum. If
we stifle Congressional action on this Bill we may well be perpetuating inaction
on any Bills to help improve this Country's foreign language abilities. Represen-
tative -Simon's Bill i5 a step in the right direction and one that the Administration
should not impede.
B. R. INMAN
Admiral, U.S. Navy
Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
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