Scoville’s Role in Office of Scientific Intelligence

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Constraints Scoville Had to Overcome
Scoville’s Achievements
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

At present, scientific intelligence is one of the most potent tools in the hands of the US intelligence service. However, there were times when this branch was underestimated. However, in the middle of the twentieth century, it became apparent that scientific advances in the field of nuclear power, biological weapons, etc. required specific attention.

Herbert J. Scoville was one of the key figures in the development of the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI). He managed to make OSI a strong branch that revealed the necessary results. Under the rule of Scoville, the very existence of the branch was justified and appreciated. OSI provided important information concerning the scientific advances of major rivals of the USA as well as the effectiveness of some US military projects. The agency also managed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the potential of certain kinds of scientific research.

The Constraints Scoville Had to Overcome

It is necessary to note that OSI was one of the first steps in the creation of an agency devoted to scientific intelligence. There were loads of opponents to the creation of this agency as people did not see the potential or still could not understand how to build such an agency. OSI was almost non-operational in the forties. The first head of the branch, Brode, failed to gain authority, and other intelligence agencies did not share information with OSI, which negatively affected the branch’s efficiency.

Scoville became the head of the branch in 1955. He got a BS degree from Yale, and he was also a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. He had been the “technical director of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project” before he joined the CIA (Richelson, 2002, p. 7). He understood what the major problems of the branch were. Even though OSI developed a substantial study on Soviet nuclear capabilities, the branch lacked strong leadership and authority among other branches. He claimed, “I found myself continuously in the position of being held responsible for matters which I have had neither the authority nor the means to control” (Richelson, 2002, p. 58). OSI was involved in a variety of joint projects, and quite often, the staff of OSI did not get the necessary information or support from other branches. However, unlike the previous heads of the organization, Scoville managed to overcome the major constraints OSI had faced.

Scoville’s Achievements

In the early fifties, OSI came up with a few substantial reports. After Scoville had been assigned, the branch managed to develop several reports on nuclear capabilities of the USSR, Israel, and other countries. Admittedly, the branch also provided an analysis of US nuclear research. Though OSI had to overcome bureaucratic difficulties, the branch proved to be effective.

This was the result of Scoville’s strong position. He understood that OSI could be efficient if it had adequate support from other branches. Scoville tried to highlight the bureaucratic constraints the branch met, and this led to certain positive results. Joint projects revealed the faults in the work of different branches, including OSI. Besides, the first meaningful results proved that the organization was effective.

Conclusion

Scoville was one of the most influential figures in the development of OSI as he managed to overcome several bureaucratic constraints. He proved that the organization contributed greatly to the development of scientific intelligence, which was crucial in the era of science. Scoville was the leader who made the branch an effective part of the US intelligence service.

Reference List

Richelson, J.T. (2002). The wizards of Langley: Inside the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

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Scoville’s Role in Office of Scientific Intelligence

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