The following is a fictional example of a cable sent from an allied European nation’s intelligence service chief of station in Washington to the headquarters. It reflects the analysis of the country’s senior-most intelligence officer on the scene, based on all source reporting over time. Such products are routinely produced by all intelligence services around the world and are often passed to senior-level decision-makers, including presidents and prime ministers. I have written such cables as a CIA officer, with one American president having had a grand time trying to pronounce my last name in the Oval Office. CIA officers often pride themselves as some of the smartest observers of local politics in any given country, given the agency’s requirement to hit the streets and obtain ground truth reporting. This ethos would be no different from that of our allies serving in Washington, reporting on our own political machinations.

From: Chief of Station, Washington
To: Chief, America’s Desk
Subject: Whither the Party of Lincoln?