The Talking Points Instruction Cable
How foreign ministries draft and transmit talking-points instruction cables that arm chiefs of mission to deliver coordinated démarches abroad.
Function and provenance
The talking-points instruction cable is the operational instrument by which a foreign ministry directs a chief of mission to convey a specific message to a host government. In U.S. practice it is transmitted via the State Department's classified cable system (formerly SMART, now the Department of State Telegraph system) under the signature of the Secretary of State, even when drafted by a desk officer three layers below. In the British system the equivalent is the FCDO telegram; in the French MAE it is the télégramme diplomatique (TD) carrying a plan d'action. The cable's authority derives from Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), which obliges missions to conduct official business with the host state through its ministry of foreign affairs or another agreed channel — the cable is the internal instruction that triggers that external conduct.
Standard structure
A properly drafted instruction cable contains seven elements, in fixed order. First, a classification and caption line (e.g., SECRET//NOFORN, with captions such as STADIS or NODIS restricting distribution). Second, an action addressee — a specific embassy or set of posts — and information addressees including relevant regional bureaus, USNATO, USUN, and allied capitals when coordination is required. Third, a subject line in the imperative: "Démarche Request: Sanctions Coordination on DPRK Vessel Reflagging." Fourth, a summary paragraph, typically labeled "1. (C) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST," stating in three to five sentences what post is being asked to do, by when, and at what level (foreign minister, political director, MFA desk). Fifth, background providing the policy rationale and recent diplomatic history. Sixth, the talking points proper, numbered and marked "Begin Points" / "End Points," written in the first person as if spoken by the démarcheur. Seventh, a reporting requirement specifying the deadline by which post must transmit a reply cable, and a point of contact at the desk.
The talking points themselves
Talking points are drafted to be read aloud or paraphrased verbatim. They observe three conventions. Each point is a single declarative sentence or short paragraph. Points are sequenced from least to most demanding: opening courtesies, statement of shared interest, specific request or warning, and a closing that previews consequences or next steps. Sensitive language — "the United States cannot accept," "we would view such action as inconsistent with" — is cleared at the assistant secretary level or higher, and in cases involving the use of force, at the deputy secretary or NSC level under NSPM-4 (2017) procedures.
A representative example: the 4 March 2014 démarche cable instructing Embassy Moscow and all OSCE posts to convey the U.S. position on Russia's incursion into Crimea contained twelve talking points, an annex of legal citations (UN Charter Article 2(4), Helsinki Final Act, 1994 Budapest Memorandum), and a 24-hour reporting deadline. Posts delivered the démarche to host MFAs within 36 hours, generating a coordinated diplomatic record used at the UN Security Council session of 15 March 2014.
Drafting authority and clearance
No instruction cable leaves Main State without clearance. The drafting desk officer routes the cable through the office director, the deputy assistant secretary, the regional assistant secretary, and functional bureaus (L for legal, INR for intelligence equities, EB for economic, T for arms control). Inter-agency clearance — DoD, Treasury OFAC, NSC directorate — is required when the points commit the U.S. to action by another department. The cable is released by the Executive Secretariat (S/ES-O) after final review.