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Hello and welcome to SpyCast from the Secret Files of the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

I'm Peter Ernest, the Executive Director of the Museum. I served for some 36 years in the

Central Intelligence Agency largely as what is called an operations officer or a case officer.

Every month will be bringing you interesting talks with visitors,

with authors, with others who have something to do with the world of intelligence

and espionage. Our guest today is Brian Schellum.

Brian worked as a historian at the Defense Intelligence Agency and prior to that was a career Army officer.

He had a variety of troop assignments with tank units, served a tour as an Army attache and

Bonn, and did service on the staff of the Second Brigade First Armored Division in the Gulf War.

He is a graduate of West Point and has gone on to do interesting studies which we may touch on later on some of the tactics

being used by the insurgents in Iraq. What I'd like to do, Brian, as we start here, first of all, we're delighted to have you here.

Thank you. Thank you for coming.

You're coming from DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency.

It's not an agency that many Americans know a great deal about.

And I know that one of the primary field elements that DIA houses of course are the attachees and the attache system.

I wonder if you could just give us a sort of a thumbnail.

What is DIA primary function and then let's move into that field of the Attachies

themselves and what role they play in the field.

Okay, DIA is a fairly new organization created in 1961.

Came out as a result of a lot of study that was done in the 50s.

Actually Eisenhower in the in the 50s actually Eisenhower proposed a study group he was not happy

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