The CIA recently declassified it’s “Simple Sabotage Field Manual“, which was used in World War II to sabotage operations (1944). A friend pointed out that on page 28, section 11 titled General Interference with Organizations and Production, strangely resembles the strategies of baptists in church meetings and decision making processes. I thought it was too funny not to share.
General Interference with Organizations and Production
- Insist on doing everything through “channels”. Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.
- Make “speeches”. Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your points by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences.
- When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and consideration”. Attempt to make the committees as large as possible – never less than five.
- Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.
- Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.
- Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.
- Advocate “caution”. Be reasonable and urge your fellow-conferees to be “reasonable” and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.
- Be worried about the propriety of any decision – raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the jurisdiction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.
See the actual document here. We all need to laugh at ourselves every now and then.
DR. MATT CAPPS 