Evening star., 1946-07-13
Scholars, Specialists
Sought for New u. 5.
Intelligence Unit
Third OF Four Articles. }
By CIorke Beech
Associated Press Writer


Lack of trained career personnel
tended to make United States in
telligence activities before the war
a rather amateurish, hit-and- miss
enterprise.
This to some extent is being cor
rected. From lessons learned in the
war, the National Intelligence Au-
thority. our new foreign intelligence
system, is proceeding on broad, real
istic lines.
The emphasis today is on large
staffs of scholars and technical
specialists, rather than on sinister
international snoopers and willy
female charmers.
Ninety per cent or more of in
telligence is freely available to any
one who wants it," says William
Benton, Assistant Secretary of State
for Public Affairs. You can get
it in libraries and bookshops and on
newsstands, from individuals and
from our accredited missions abroad
It's open intemgence."
Prosaic Information.
Masses of such data are channeled
back to this country to the Secre-
tarieS of State, War and Navy, who
compose the intelligence setup, and
various other Government agencies
Often the most prosaic Government
announcements regarding contracts
shipments and assignment of per-
sonnel reveal information of high
strategic value.
Within the United States are
hidden mines of information about
foreign powers. In fact, officials
of the now disbanded Office of Stra-
tegic Service estimated that 30 per
cent of the information used in the
air war against Japan was obtained
within this country-from the files
of banks, insurance companies, en-
gineering companies, business firms
OF all kinds and the private records
of individuals.
The Navy obtained highly impor-
tant information regarding the
beaches of Okinawa from a shell
collector living in the midst of the
Arizona desert. He had spent years
on Okinawa studying the shells.
Organizing Scholars.
Under DR.. William L. LANCER,
former Harvard historian who dur
ing the war was chief of the Re-
search and Analysis Branch Of OSS,
the State Department is organizing
"a unit employing hundreds OF
scholars. formerly in OSS.
They will make broad, systematic
studies covering many areas and
including all phases of a subject
economic, chronological, historical,
political etc. Subjects will cover
those with which diplomats, occu-
patton officials and military men
must deal, such as the Ruhr. the
Turkish straits and the Italian
situation.
To what extent Navy and military
attaches and their stats are quail
fed to dig patiently for the raw ma
terial of intelligence is a subject of
controversy. Some of the experts
suspect that many of the attaches
are primarily concerned with their
social duties.
An Army officer seldom makes a
career of intelligence work. He takes
turn at it, just as he would at the
job Of adjutant or post exchange
officer. West Point gives practically
no schooling in intelligence. About
the only education ever provided on
the subject is what is included
among the many other courses at
the Command and General Staff
School at Fort Leavenworth, to
which selected officers are sent for
general postgraduate study.
Navy School Established.
Until recently, the Navy was In
exactly the same position, but the
department has now become intelli-
gence-conscious. 1t has established
an elaborate intelligence school here.
Some of the graduates will make
a career of intelligence work. Re-
Gently, moreover, 25 intelligence
officers in the Naval Reserve were
given regular commissions. They
will remain in intelligence until they
retire or resign.
Many persons feel that the in
telligence work of the services will
not be on a solid professional basis
until most of the men assigned to
it make it their lifetime spe-
cialty.
1t. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg
director of the central intelligence
group, the intelligence agency's op-
Grating branch, looks at it from
another angle:
You have got to have men who
can use intelligence as we'll as pro-
duce it. They must have training
and experience in various command
and administrative posts as we'll as
in intelligence. I think some men
should specialize in intelligence, but
they shouldn't devote all their life
to it,"