The aim of propaganda is to change behavior by changing attitudes. The efficiency of propaganda is measured by the extent of the change and the extent to which the behaviors changed are important to and in line with the operator’s policies. The targets whose behaviors are most likely to be important to the operator’s policies are the general elite (or political elite in its broadest sense) and potential elite of a society.

This manual assists the directing of propaganda efforts at the numerous elements of the political elite in a society. It does so by analyzing the components of the elite and disclosing means whereby each component - such as the intelligentsia or the rural elite - may be specifically uncovered and plotted as targets for the operator’s messages.

In general, the manual shows how to gather intelligence on elite targets by 1) direct observation; 2) interviewing informants within and without the power-holding groups; 3) studying various reference materials systematically. It explains how operators without specialized methodological skills can improve their operating logic and their collecting of intelligence by applying scientific rules of interviewing, sampling, and content analysis.

Hundreds of clues, sign-posts, and techniques are provided for the operators in their constant search for improved information about influentials in their area of operations. Classified broadly, they refer to the personal characteristics of influentials and their roles in their own societies, the characteristics of influential groups and their interrelationships, the issues and projects likely to claim the attention of the elite, the modes of operation of the elite, and the changes likely to occur among the elite.

How to find, validly and reliably, those targets whose influencing is of paramount interest, with a minimum cost and without rare technical competences - this is the lesson, in large, of the manual. How to apply these discoveries in short-term and long-term operations is implicit in the method used throughout and is specifically described in conclusion.

The Title of the BOOK

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