THOMPSON, Robert (Sir)

Call No.: K239.0512-255

IRIS No.: 00904159

IRIS Tape No.: no tape

Accessibility: OPEN

Pages/Time: 24pp/No tape

Class: U

Date/Location: August 1969/Columbus OH

Interviewers: Not applicable

Source: Project CORONA HARVEST Collection

Topics:

(N/A) Lecture delivered at Battelle Memorial Institute, "Basic Principles of Counterinsurgency," by British authority on insurgency; stresses importance of knowing enemy and his objectives; insurgents need good organization and good cause; counterinsurgency (COIN) task is to destroy will and organization of enemy; reviews Communist revolutionary warfare tactics; COIN time, space, cost aspects different from conventional war; COIN principles include know your objectives, maintain standards/justification of war, have a coordinated plan, destroy guerrilla organization, secure your own bases first; question and answer period follows lecture; Thompson opposes spreading war, bombing North Vietnam; criticizes numerous uncoordinated intelligence efforts; comments on impact of change in administrations in US; Strategic Hamlet Program.