Sentence:  But he <WSD>takes</WSD> his bearings from the great guidelines of policy , well established precedents , the commitments of the United States under international charters and treaties , basic statutes , and well understood notions of the American people about how we are to conduct ourselves , in policy literature such as country papers and National Security Council papers accumulated in the Department . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial