Leader Personality Assessments in Support of Government Policythe problematic implications for simultaneous negotiations of the
contrasting cognitive styles of Sadat, the "big picture" man with an
abhorrence for detail, and Begin, the legalistic wordsmith consumed
with detail and precision, who had a tendency to become embroiled
in power struggles.
This paper informed and influenced the middleman role Garner
played in these intensely personal negotiations, while minimizing
direct contact between the two protagonists, and the manner in
which he worked at narrowing the gap between Sadat and Begin.
Carter indicated that he was concerned that Begin's "preoccupation
with language, names, and terms could severely impede free-flowing
talk" (1983, 330). On one occasion, he cleverly put his own concern
with Begin's penchant for details and with the gap between Sadat's
and Begin's style into Sadat's mouth.
As {Begin} was preparing to leave after our stilted and some-
what superficial discussion, I told him that Sadat had expressed
a concern about Begin's preoccupation with details at the
expense of the major issues. Begin looked up quickly and said,
"I can handle both." (330)
After his diplomatic triumph, President Carter conveyed his
appreciation to the CIA for the intelligence support provided him
and singled out the personality profiles for special praise: "After
spending 13 days with the two principals, I wouldn't change a word"
(Post 1979, i). The Camp David profiles highlighted the value of
leader personality assessment in support of government policy,
emphasizing their special value in summit negotiations.The Institutionalization of Political Personality Profiling
Certainly the recognition given by President Carter of the value of
the Camp David profiles of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat was a
transformational event for the CAPPB. No longer would the in-
depth studies they prepared be considered avant garde. Now they
would be considered a requisite for each summit meeting and a
required resource for managing politico-military crises.
Because of the lead time required to develop in-depth political
personality profiles, the CAPPB regularly surveyed senior officials at
the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the National