INT-04
Elicitation Tradecraft
Collecting information through conversation — and defending against those who do it to you
Elicitation is the systematic extraction of information through ordinary conversation, where the source never realizes they are being questioned. It is the most commonly used human collection method documented by the DCSA — and the one your members are least likely to recognize or defend against. This three-lesson course covers the doctrine, the twelve techniques, how to plan a collection conversation, how to recognize and counter elicitation when it is used against you, and how to integrate that awareness into your group’s information security posture.
Course Lessons
Covers the FM 2-22.3 definition, how elicitation differs from interrogation and casual conversation, why preparedness communities are specifically vulnerable, and the six psychological principles that make elicitation effective — with defensive implications for each.
- FM 2-22.3 doctrinal definition and three load-bearing elements
- Elicitation vs. interrogation, direct approach, debriefing, and casual conversation
- Why preparedness communities are high-value collection targets
- Six psychological principles: recognition, reciprocity, silence, common ground, cognitive obligation, helpfulness
- Defensive indicator for each principle
Start Lesson 01 →
Covers every technique in the FM 2-22.3 and Camp X doctrine — mechanism, defensive signal, and how techniques combine in a live conversation. The second half covers collection planning: intelligence requirement, approach legend, technique sequence, stopping conditions, and post-collection recording.
- All twelve techniques: flattery, mutual interest, deliberate pause, provocative statement, feigned ignorance, bracketing, reciprocal sharing, word repetition, leading question, hypothetical scenario, appeal to grievance, naive enthusiasm
- How techniques relate to psychological principles
- Techniques in combination — worked example sequence
- Five-step collection planning framework
- Pre-defined stopping and abort conditions
Start Lesson 02 →
Covers the ten recognition indicators, four counter-elicitation deflection techniques, suspicious contact reporting, the three-category OPSEC framework, the aggregation problem, three applied field scenarios with planning-before-analysis structure, and the A-F / 1-6 source reliability and information credibility system.
- Ten behavioral indicators of active elicitation
- Four counter-elicitation responses: vague answer, redirect, subject change, honest disclosure
- Suspicious contact documentation and reporting protocol
- Three-category OPSEC framework: public / internal / sensitive
- Aggregation problem and cross-member information security
- A-F / 1-6 source reliability and information credibility rating
- What people do not say — selective vagueness as a finding
Start Lesson 03 →
Doctrinal Sources
What This Course Is Built From
- FM 2-22.3 — HUMINT Collection Operations. Primary source for elicitation definition, technique framework, and collection planning doctrine.
- Camp X STS 103 — SOE Training Manual. World War II-era source tradecraft and elicitation doctrine; the historical foundation for modern HUMINT collection technique.
- AR 530-1 — Operations Security. Doctrinal basis for the three-category information classification framework and OPSEC countermeasures.
- DCSA CI Best Practices Guidance — Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Source for elicitation prevalence data and recognition indicator framework.
- FM 2-0 — Intelligence. Source for the A-F / 1-6 source reliability and information credibility dual-axis rating system.
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