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Writing Assignment #1H
“Sources & Methods”
Due: Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Preamble:
Imagine yourself the Director of Central Intellidence (DCI) for a new U.S. President. His election campaign was almost exclusively devoted to domestic issues. He has a reputation for knowing little about foreign affairs, and has no previous experience wth secret intelligence information.
North Korea has announced publicly that it wants to acquire nuclear weapons.
The president has decided he wants to “do something” about North Korea’s persistent efforts to build nuclear weapons and the missiles capable of carrying them. He has spoken publicly about “getting tough” with North Korea.
The new President summons you to the Oval Office, barraging you with questions: “What have they got? Where is it? Who provided it to them? How can we respond? I want answers – NOW! And I want to go public with them.”
He has a press conference scheduled in a few hours.
You realize the President needs to be brought up to speed quickly with a concise primer on what’s known about North Korea’s nuclear program… and what he can say about it publicly.
Write:
Using resources available on the Global Agenda web site, and others you find, write a 5- page briefing memo addressed to the President. You can’t dwell on past history. And he won’t understand all the technicalities of nuclear arsenals. Importantly, you know that if the President reveals to the world decades of intelligence-gathering secrets, that would jeopardize vital ongoing U.S. intelligence collection North Korea. But the President does need to know something before he answers questions from the news media at his press conference in just three hours.
You decide to answer these questions – and others you might add – in your memo:
What do we know about North Korea’s nuclear program?
From what kinds of sources does this information come? Are they all U.S. sources?
What, if anything, can be said publicly about those sources and intelligence-gathering methods? (Why/Why not?)
Alternative writing form: If you wish, you may write your paper as a “transcript” of the conversation you have with the President in the oval office, in which you answer his barrage of questions.
Things to remember:
This is a course about espionage and intelligence, not about nuclear weapons or about North Korea.
Even though the President won’t care, you must cite your sources on a bibliography page.
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