Historical Evolutionary Process, by Organization and Function, of the Office of Strategic Services' Assessment and Selection Program

摘要

This study examines the historical evolution, by organization and functional process, of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Assessment and Selection (A&S) program. The (A&S) program was created by the OSS in response to mission failures that had been attributed to unreliable personnel. First, the organizational evolution is traced through examination of America's first central intelligence agency, the Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI). This evolutionary process is further evaluated through study of the dissolution of the COI, and subsequent creation of the OSS. Additional examination outlines OSS mission requirements that necessitated an OSS assessment and selection process. Second, the functional evolutionary process is examined through presentation of assessment and selection procedures used by the Chinese Ming Dynasty, Germany and Great Britain and their impact on the process eventually chosen by the OSS. The actual OSS A&S process is presented, highlighting the development and final product. Third, the paper concludes with a presentation of the perceived effectiveness of the program and suggestions for improvement as outlined by the OSS A&S staff. Finally, a suggestion, that recommends using certain OSS A&S tasks in the assessment and selection procedures employed by the Special Forces community today, is submitted for consideration.