Introduction and background intelligence analysis ia professionals are faced with daily challenges to meet high demands for rapid, accurate assessments that require discovery and marshalling of evidence, integration and synthesis of data from disparate. Through the collection of information, which may be at times, incomplete or even contradictory, the di provides organized and analyzed intelligence that is then used in making u. Central intelligence agency cia book inside look at the. This organization started in the beginning of the cold war. Analyzing intelligence, now in a revised and extensively updated second edition, assesses the state of the profession of intelligence analysis from the practitioners point of view. Originally written for intel analysts at cia, the principles found in this book are applicable to the conduct of all types of analysis.
All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the central intelligence agency cia or any other u. This is a very good book about the difficulties associated with acccurate intelligence gathering and analysis. The cia is indeed best positioned bureaucratically to produce intelligence analysis that is divorced from policy interests, and as long as the dci continues to have access to the president and george tenet by most public accounts does enjoy access to, and the confidence of, george w. The information is relatively timeless and still relevant to the neverending quest for better analysis. Psychology of intelligence analysis central intelligence. A cia veteran explains how to think like an intelligence analyst. Intelligence analysis is a process of collecting and generating intelligence from multiple sources such as data and information. Psychology of intelligence analysis table of contents. The psychology of intelligence analysis is a book freely available from the cias website.
We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go. Critical thinking through writing, intelligence and crime terminology. He was referring to the dismal measure by which cia analysis is now judged. Analyzing intelligence georgetown university press.
Dick heuers contribution to intelligence analysis by jack davis i applaud cias center for the study of intelligence for making the work of richards j. The central intelligence agencys cia directorate of intelligence di is responsible for analyzing the intelligence obtained by the special agents of the cia. Because this book is now out of print, this portable document file pdf is formatted for. The cia has posted the full text of one of its guidebooks, psychology of intelligence analysis. It also raises our awareness of how intelligence analysis is a continually changing, evolving practice, which if it is to remain relevant and useful in a practical sense constantly needs a fresh, flexible approach, new ideas, new skills, new techniques. As director of intelligence fran moore writes in the foreword. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of deliberately deceptive information. Failure motivated them to be more selfconscious about how they do analysis and to sharpen their thinking process.
Leading intelligence analysis sage publications inc. The director of the central intelligence agency dcia is a statutory office 50 u. Government, national intelligence, office of the director of, et al. Constructing cassandra analyzes the intelligence failures at the cia that resulted in four key strategic surprises experienced by the us. Lessons from a life in the cias clandestine service. Even thought the book is focused on intelligence analysis, one can adapt the same approaches described in the book to other domains. Because we maintain a library of resources, we are always eager to.
While this book is specifically written for the intelligence community, it has quite a few. The directorate of intelligence and the agency as a whole have always understood that. Central intelligence agency 1999 iii this book was prepared primarily for the use of us government officials, and the format, coverage, and content were designed to meet their spe cific requirements. Cias psychology of intelligence analysis book online. The central intelligence agency cia, formally created in 1947, is the principal foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the u. They do not necessarily reflect official positions or views of the central intelligence agency or any other us government entity, past or present. The process usually involves accumulating information about a variety of circumstances and individuals who have knowledge in areas that include strategy, operations, or tactical intelligence. Intelligence community legal reference book laws of the federal government guiding the intel community cia act, usa patriot act, detainee treatment act, war crimes act, executive orders by u. Published in 1999 by richard j heuer and the cia, its a short read of less than 200 pages and masterfully illustrates complex subjects, such as innate cognitive bias. His book is a must have on any reading list on intelligence. Its republishing with some editing of various articles written internally at the cia directorate of intelligence between 1978 86. The oss was formed to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for the united states armed. This volume pulls together and republishes, with some editing, updating, and additions, articles written during 197886 for internal use within the cia directorate of intelligence.
So when the cia begins working on the definition of terrorism, it uses that mission as a driving facture. As a targeting officer in the cias directorate of operations, you can do all. Many of these details were included in original drafts of the cia and the cult of intelligence, but were removed by the agency for political reasons. Since february 2017, the dcia has been a cabinetlevel position. Intelligence analysis is the process by which the information collected about an enemy is used to answer tactical questions about current operations or to predict future behavior. The book does not pretend to be the definitive topic on intelligence analysis but rather promotes critical thinking. Structured analytic techniques for improving intelligence analysis by. Welcome to the directorate of analysis da, where incomplete and some times contradictory information is transformed into unique insights that help inform us policy decisions. The cia is headed by a director and deputy director, only one of whom may be a military officer.
The director of central intelligence dci serves as the chief intelligence adviser to the president of the united states. The secret wars of the cia all statements of fact, opinion or analysis expressed in these books are those of the authors and do not reflect the official positions or views of the central intelligence agency cia or any other u. This book makes an admirable and useful contribution to that effort. Can be encapsulated by quoting two sentences from chapter 4 of this book. It was a wartime intelligence agency, and a predecessor of the central intelligence agency cia. The 1999 book was published by the cias center for the study of intelligence. The information is relatively timeless and still relevant to. Cia analyst training handbook 2000 pdf hacker news. The central intelligence agency which is known now as the cia.
The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 john prados, safe for democracy. Would you like to use your network analysis skills to help identify key people, relationships, and organizations that pose a threat to us interests. How and why the cia censored marchettis the cult of. Its a book aimed at intelligence analysts, who always have. Psychology of intelligence analysis book by richards j. Bruce pease has written a much needed book on a long ignored topic. Good intelligence depends in large measure on clear, concise writing. Members of the da help provide timely, accurate, and objective allsource intelligence analysis on the full range of national security and foreign policy issues to the president, cabinet, and senior policymakers in the.
The gathering and analysis of intelligence is the driving force in the central intelligence agency cia. Its an excellent book, and even more noteworthy given its originsthe cia. A glossary of terms and acronyms, and a new book set to be released in the fall, a handbook for intelligence and crime analysts. Whether in government or business, these are the best books for intelligence professionals. The information cia gathers and the analysis it produces mean little if we. As the book focuses a lot on how humans perceive information and build their own versions of truth this information can even be used to better understand judgements made by ourselves and those around us. Reframing intelligence failure at the cia, 19472001. Top ten needs for intelligence analysis tool development. Previously available only on four computers located outside of washington d. An intelligence professionals reading list small wars.
Some of cias best analysts developed their skills as a consequence of experiencing analytical failure early in their careers. Cariens has taken his unique knowledge about intel writing and authored several books including, intelligence and crime analysis. Books and monographs all statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in studies in intelligence and csi publications are those of the authors. According to the central intelligence agency, intelligence analysis. In 1974 former special assistant to the deputy director of the cia victor marchetti and former state department officer john marks published the cia and the cult of intelligence, one of the first.
Although there has been no shortage of studies exploring how intelligence. The true story of the highest ranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage and the son he trained to spy for russia. The information cia gathers and the analysis it produces mean little if we cannot convey them effectively. Behavioral and social scientific foundations the national academy of sciences is a private, nonprofit, selfperpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. We do not routinely respond to questions for which answers are found within this web site. The world factbook provides information on the history, people and society, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. Office of intelligence and analysis homeland security. Psychology of intelligence analysis central intelligence agency.
Buyer beware, this book is also published on cias website, and can be printed as a word document. I applaud cias center for the study of intelligence for making the work of richards. Lessons from a life in the cias clandestine service by henry a. Document number ciardp8101043r0001001200067 declassified and released through the cias crest database. The author who wrote this book, kessler, is the first journalist to receive full cooperation from the central intelligence agency. Because this book is now out of print, this portable document file pdf is formatted for twosided printing to facilitate desktop publishing. Director of the central intelligence agency wikipedia.
Originally published in the late 70s and early 80s for internal use within the cia, heurer compiled information on how people make judgements tied to improper analysis and how not to fall into cognitive traps. In his book, psychology of intelligence analysis, he explains techniques for structuring information, challenging assumptions, and exploring. This book aims to help intelligence analysts achieve a higher level of performance. Four of the articles also appeared in the intelligence community journal studies in intelligence during that time frame. The office of strategic services oss was a united states intelligence agency formed during world war ii. Please check our site map, search feature, or our site navigation on the left to locate the information you seek. This highly informative book reveals inside information about the agencys structure, policies, and key personnel. Pease is a consultant on national security issues and the application of artificial intelligence. Psychology of intelligence analysis book, 1999 worldcat.
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