Ethics in U.S. Counterintelligence: Research Design

Introduction and Research Purpose

There is no standard ethical framework in counterintelligence, which presents a serious problem because of the risk of subjective or questionable morality seeping into counterintelligence activities (Valentine 2016). To understand the problem, this research design is qualitative because the subject is exploratory in nature. The aim of the research is to explore, by way of comparative case study analysis, the counterintelligence program under James Jesus Angleton, drawing on both past and present literature. Scholarly articles, Senate reports, memoirs, independent research, biographies, and analysis will serve as the sources of information.

Data will be analyzed using content analysis, with themes drawn from the literature and arranged to give a clearer understanding of how ethics might be better utilized to guide the integration of the counterintelligence enterprise with the private sector in the 21st century. Concepts of ethics will be operationalized by defining them in accordance with accepted scholarly practices. Potential biases will be addressed by bracketing them out at the beginning, as recommended by Johnston, Wallis, Oprescu, and Gray (2017). The case study analysis will focus on three areas in particular: (1) the use of counterintelligence in Operation CHAOS under Counterintelligence Chief James Jesus Angleton; (2) the use of counterintelligence in the Phoenix Program; and (3) the use of counterintelligence by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN).

Comparative Case Study Approach

The purpose for this approach can best be understood in the light of Erikson's model of human development, which enables psychologists to understand the adult by examining the age-related conflicts that must be overcome before the child can proceed successfully to later stages of development (Shriner and Shriner 2014). By examining the early stages of counterintelligence under Angleton, one may gain insight into the policies and issues of counterintelligence today — studying the early days of the counterintelligence program as it grew through its infancy, childhood, and adolescence during the post-war and Cold War era (Valentine 2016, 10). This study explores how conflicts of interest, problematic relationships, and a lack of ethical standards led to persistent problems in counterintelligence.

The comparative case study approach is a robust one because it allows for triangulation of research. The appropriate model for this approach is that of George and Bennett (2004), which employs a structured-focused research design. Research methods for obtaining data are important because they determine the kind of data collected. For instance, a survey can supply quantitative data using a five-point Likert scale that allows the researcher to statistically analyze results and test for correlation or describe averages. A focus group method can allow a researcher to obtain qualitative data that focuses on common themes found among the responses of participants when a question is put out for group discussion. Experiments allow a researcher to test a hypothesis and examine specific variables and their relationships. Interviews allow a researcher to obtain in-depth data from a single participant by asking questions that can lead to further questions and answers. Each method is helpful depending on what the researcher is attempting to accomplish, and all have a place in meaningful research (Walliman 2017).

The difference between quantitative and qualitative research is that the former is typically conducted to test a hypothesis whereas the latter is typically conducted to develop one. This study is exploratory and therefore aims not to test a hypothesis but rather to compare findings from three different case examples of counterintelligence activities.

Data Sources and Secondary Analysis

The comparative case study approach relies heavily upon secondary data analysis — that is, data that has already been compiled. For this study, three works in particular will serve as the starting point: Unkefer's (2013) memoir of working with the FBN, 90 Church; Morley's (2017) biography of Angleton, The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton; and Valentine's (2016) collection of research on the Phoenix Program as well as the FBN. Analysis of these works will then be followed up and complemented by analysis of relevant archival data, gathered by using snowball sampling — that is, reviewing sources identified in the original data and using those sources to gather additional sources.

Secondary data analysis is typically used in literature reviews and systematic reviews to provide a foundation for further research or to compile decades of previous research into one article, and it can be of equal importance in case study analysis (Walliman 2017). It can be used for either qualitative or quantitative research, and the data can be interpreted in terms of the quality and characteristics of the archival material or in terms of statistics. It can also be used by researchers who do not have time to conduct an experiment or fieldwork on their own, enabling them to use data from previously conducted studies and incorporate it into their own work.

For the purposes of this study, secondary data will be compiled thematically with a view towards evaluating counterintelligence case examples from the standpoint of ethics and outcomes, in order to determine how ethics might best be applied to bolster counterintelligence going forward. This method is carried out by creating a set of parameters for searching a database. The search must have inclusion and exclusion criteria so as to determine what data will be included in the study and what will be excluded, and this should be explained in the write-up. The advantages of secondary data analysis and archival studies are that they provide a good way to review what information is available in either published or unpublished form (Walliman 2017), allowing data to be aggregated to one source and presented for others in a systematic and orderly way.

The limitations of this method are that it will not generally provide new insight on a subject or advance a research issue. It is generally used for building a case for future research, showing where the focus in the past has been, or demonstrating why existing studies on a subject have been inadequate (Walliman 2017). Since the aim of this study is exploratory in nature and intends to focus the issue of the application of ethics in counterintelligence, this limitation is not seen as a drawback.

Conclusion

This research study uses the comparative case study analysis approach. The purpose of this method is to explore the counterintelligence program under James Jesus Angleton, including the literature of the past and present. The goal of the research is to identify what the ethical framework ought to be for the counterintelligence community going forward. The data will be analyzed using content analysis and organized thematically. The framework by which the data will be analyzed will encompass the ethical frameworks of virtue ethics, duty ethics, utilitarianism, and ethical egoism. Sampling methods will be purposive and snowball.

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