SPES Operational Handbook — Section 8

Appendices (Templates, Artifacts, and Institutional Memory)

Purpose of this section:
Provide ready-to-use tools that translate SPES judgment into durable institutional artifacts—without turning the role into paperwork production.

These appendices are:

• optional but powerful,
• lightweight,
• and designed to survive staff turnover.

Tool A — Claims vs Non-Claims Ledger (Template)

Purpose
Prevent overstatement and institutional self-entrapment.

Used when

• Allegations arise
• Press inquiries arrive
• Washington asks “what’s really going on”

Template

Issue:
Date / Time:
Decision deadline:

What We Can State (Verified)

• …

What Is Alleged (Unverified)

• …

What We Are Not Claiming

• …

What We Do Not Yet Know

• …

Implications if Facts Change

• …

What this does not do

• Decide truth
• Assign blame
• End debate

Tool B — Authority & Risk Ownership Map (Template)

Purpose
Prevent “everyone thought someone else had it.”

Used when

• Authority is unclear
• Ambassador unavailable
• Multiple sections involved

Template

Notes

• Interim ≠ permanent
• Silence still requires ownership

Tool C — Holding Language Framework

Purpose
Allow composure without commitment.

Used when

• Facts incomplete
• Press deadlines exist
• Silence risky but denial unsafe

Core structure

1. Acknowledge awareness
2. Signal seriousness
3. State review status
4. Avoid confirmation/denial
5. Set expectation for follow-up

Illustrative examples

“We are aware of the report and take the matter seriously. We are reviewing the information and will share updates when appropriate.”

What this does not do

• Defend programs
• Refute allegations
• Predict outcomes

Tool D — Social Media Escalation Checklist

Purpose
Avoid reactive posting and accidental policy signaling.

Used when

• Engagement spikes
• Comments shift tone
• Media begins quoting posts

Checklist

• Is this post being treated as policy?
• Are comments turning into allegations?
• Is clarification likely to reduce or increase volatility?
• Has Legal/PAO been looped?
• Is documentation in place?

Decision options

• Monitor
• Clarify (pinned comment)
• Pause engagement
• Escalate
• Edit/remove (with record)

Tool E — Media Product Archetypes (Correct vs Problematic)

Purpose
Build shared intuition without commentary.

Includes

• Media notes (good / brittle)
• Press releases (disciplined / overreaching)
• Press guidance (bounded / absolute)
• Q&A (safe / unsafe)

Use

• Onboarding
• Internal training
• Pre-clearance calibration

What this does not do

• Judge staff
• Prescribe style

Tool F — Monitoring & Data Export Request Packages

Purpose
Enable defensible analysis without ad hoc scraping.

Includes

• Facebook export request (posts, comments, insights, screenshots)
• X/Twitter export request
• Collection log template

Key principle

Raw data + context beats anecdotes.

What this does not do

• Enable targeting
• Enable profiling
• Enable performance scoring

Tool G — American Spaces & Exchanges Tracking Sheet

Purpose
Prevent cumulative narrative drift.

Tracks

• Space / program
• Theme
• Partner
• Visibility level
• External amplification
• Risk notes

Used for

• Quarterly review
• Leadership brief
• Pattern detection

Tool H — Audience & Influence Mapping Worksheet

Purpose
Ground discussions of “who this is for.”

Fields

• Audience category
• Typical interpretation
• Primary risk
• SPES watchpoints

Used when

• Deciding tone
• Choosing channels
• Assessing silence risk

Tool I — Glossary (Operational Definitions)

Includes:

• SPES
• PAO
• MATS
• ICS
• PDIP / PDCC
• Attribution risk
• Screenshot travel
• Bounded confidence
• Silence risk

Definitions are:

• short,
• functional,
• non-theoretical.

Tool J — Minimum Viable Documentation Set

Purpose
Keep SPES work auditable but light.

Includes

• Incident snapshot
• One-page interim brief
• Risk register entry
• Decision trace email

Rule

If it didn’t leave a trace, it didn’t happen.