is located in Arlington, Virginia, which has a small cadre of profes-
sional staffers. Much of its work, however, is carried out by volun-
teers in various chapters around the country.– B –
BASIC INTELLIGENCE.Basic intelligence refers to descriptive data
about a country, region, or issue. It involves not only data about a
country’s geography, topography, population, political structures, re-
sources, and capabilities, but also information about its history, cul-
ture, and social composition. Intelligence analysts and policymakers
often employ the usually unclassified basic intelligence as contextual
information or for background purposes.BAY OF PIGS INVASION. The Bay of Pigs invasion, code-named Op-
eration Zapata, was an ill-fated incursion into Cubaby exiles trained
by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in April 1961. The purpose
of the invasion was to encourage a popular uprising on the island
against the regime of Fidel Castro, who had come to power in 1959.
However, the operation failed totally, largely because of inadequate
preparations, insufficient political backing, faulty assumptions about
what the Cuban population thought of the Castro regime and what it
might do in the wake of the invasion, and “reckless” expert opinion
about its outcome. President John F. Kennedywas compelled to ac-
cept responsibility for the failure and ransom the captured exiles by
paying $10 million in medical supplies to Cuba. In addition, the fail-
ure prompted the Kennedy administration to seek alternative ways of
ousting Castro, one of which was Operation Mongoose. However,
the Bay of Pigs debacle convinced President Kennedy that force and
covert actionshould be applied only as a last resort.BERLIN TUNNEL.SeeGOLD (OPERATION).BLACK CHAMBER. The cryptologic arm of the Military Intelli-
gence Division (MID), the Black Chamber was established immedi-
ately after World War Iand operated out of a townhouse in New
York City under commercial cover. As part of the MID, it was offi-12 • BASIC INTELLIGENCE05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 12