British assessments of American naval policy did not depend on covert collection. Naval attachés and other officers reported the political context, construction programmes and their timing. Wartime cooperation also allowed exchanges about combat experience and ship designs. Stanley Goodall's briefing on Hood influenced the American reassessment of the projected Lexington battlecruisers, especially their protection. William Wiseman's political contacts provided another kind of information about negotiating goals and assumptions.
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Naval intelligence used open information and professional access
Naval attachés, public programmes, design exchanges and political contacts supplied British assessments of the United States.