Sherman Kent's Final Thoughts on Analyst-Policymaker Relations
Abstract
Sherman Kent, widely recognized as the single most influential contributor to the analytic doctrine and tradecraft practiced in CIA's Directorate of Intelligence, was long seized with the importance, and difficulty, of establishing effective relationships between intelligence analysts and policy officials. Based on World War II experience in the Research and Analysis Branch of OSS, Kent concluded that analysts, ever the junior partners, had to carry the larger burden in managing the relationships with their policy counterparts. This required analysts to reassess regularly the issue of effective ties as challenges and opportunities changed. Over his 17 years of Agency experience (1950-1967), Kent experienced frustrations as well as successes with what he saw as the central professional challenge of simultaneous service to two demanding masters-analytic integrity and policy clients. In a series of post-retirement lectures in training courses for CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency analysts, Kent addressed two recurring challenges in analyst-policymaker relations-providing warning and analyzing intentions-that he argued needed fresh examination by each new generation of practitioners. Kent titled these lectures "Aspects of the Relationship between Intelligence Producers and Consumers." While he admitted, in his final recorded thoughts on the issues, that his generation had found no failsafe formulas to ensure effective ties, he did point to the general paths that he believed needed to be taken.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA526589
Entities
People
- Jack Davis
Organizations
- Central Intelligence Agency