The CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual

Technology, Law, and Human Interaction

Aug 10, 2016

Have you ever felt like your bosses and coworkers are trying to sabotage the workplace? It turns out that they may be (inadvertently?) employing tactics from the Office of Strategic Services’ Simple Sabotage Field Manual. This document was originally published in 1944 by the precursor to the CIA and has since been declassified. The purpose of the manual was to, among other things, “present suggestions for inciting and executing” simple sabotage by the citizens of a target country.

The document presents tips for sabotaging both infrastructure and organizations. A number of which are still effective, and in play, today. For anyone who has worked for a large bureaucracy, the sabotage of organizations and conferences will look familiar:

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 committee 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.

My favorite tactic of all, is listed under “General Devices for Lowering Morale and Creating Confusion” with the simple suggestion of “Act stupid.”

So, next time you find yourself stymied in the office, pull out your declassified copy of the manual, show the culprits the appropriate section, and let them know that you are on to them. What could go wrong?