RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING INFORMATION ACTIVITIES RELATING TO MDAP ( MUTUAL DEFENSE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01065A000500120065-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 11, 2001
• Sequence Number: 65
• Content Type: REQ

Approved For Rele~~se. 2003/06/12: CIA-RDP80-01065A00050~120065-9
~~
R?commendations Concernine Information
..~,~ ~.
Activities Relate to
In view of recent events overseas9 a greatly
expand?d Mluttual Defense Assistance Program9 and the
recent establishment of a NATO information office9 the
need now ?7cists for a new appraisal of public information
poliary and procedures concerning 1umAP, and in particular9
an immediate step?up of information activities relating
MDAP to NAT and other foreign policy ob~ectives4
The program now has greatly increased public
acceptance in the United States and to a lesser degree
abroad! and recent action by Congress on the 1951 fiscal
year supplemental MDA Program will expand rJ?AP into a
gross 6 1/2 billion dollar program.
It thus assumes new importanc? to the Department
?f Defense, as the operating agency, to the Department
of State and to the Chief Executive as a mayor arm of
foreign policy9 and to ECA because of the effect of
such an expanded program upon the economies of the
countries concerned,
The role that public information can perform in
helping make the NIDA Program more effective overseas
was recently pointed up by Congr?ss in the House Report
No. 2 X38, of July 129 1950 under the headings 1'Morale
and Incr~sased Confidence:"
'1The ~ttual Defense Assistance Program
was meant to provide more than weapons and
materiel. In a world of fear and insecurity
"increasing the confidence of the free world ~s
a vital consideration. This can in many cases
be a deterrent to aggressiono"
The basic ob~ectiv? of I~AP has not changed; nam?lyg
to assist the free peoples of the world in their collective
?fforts to resist direct and indirect aggression including
maintenance of internal aecurity9 so that econom~c recovery,
political stability and eventually international peat?"
may b?come a reality.
State Dept. declassification & release instructions on file The basic
S E C R E T
Approved For Release 2003/06/12: CIA-RDP80-01065A000500120065-9
 Approved For Re~le~ase 2003/06/12: CIA-RDP80-01065A0~00120065-9
E C R E T
The basic information policy guidance as outlined
initially on January 3,1950, in FACC D-12/59 pointed
up th? complexity of the problem9 the relationship of
PAP to ERP and United States Foreign Policy9 th?
r?lation of SAP to NAT9 and the treatment to be given
~flL?AP information.
To carry out ?ffectively an ?~cpa~d?d information
program (as strongly recommended by the EDth CFA CCthe
FMACC Public Information working Group),
directs action on the following points to supplem?nt
earlier FMACC public information policy papersa
1. Immediate steps should be taken to
increase the information activities related to
'~,F'(~o~h in the United States and abroad).
2. Immediate steps should also be taken
to relate B~7AP obgectives more definitely and
consistently to political and economic ob~ectives9
and in Western Europe particularly those involving
NAT concepts.- Close coordination of MAP-NAT
information must be maintained at th? Washington
level9 to inform9 guide9 and serve t4~? operating
information offices abroad.
a. These activities must b? designed
to encourage PoP~~ stheirtrespe~Ctive
countries of moves by
goo?rnments to r?constitute and r?case
their military institutions within NAT
cons?pts (i.e. t'balanced collective forces").
b. Also9 to promote ~-cceptance by the
public of added financial burdens as the
military program develops.
3. In stepping up the information program
t and be more insis~ent
t
o s
it is necessary
that various overnm expand their information
c vit ess par c arly in respect to specific
projects propaganda th?mesy and techniques to
exploit hem--i.e. post?rs9 graphics9 all media
outlets. (List of projects to b? developed by
media ealecommitteeaof~advePtisings?xpert4~ossibly
a sp~eci
4o An immediate9
Approved For Release 2003/06/12: CIA-RDP80-01065A000500120065-9
S E C R E T
 Approved For Release 2003/06/12: CIA-RDP80-01065A000500120065-9
S E C~ T
-3-
4Q An immediate9 mass-education campaign
should b? launched using a
information facilities of th? Stat? Department
ECA~ NATO mnd of foreign governments emphasizing
th? theme of collective security and mutual
defense9 on a basis of teamwork rather than
stressing purely national aspeots of the program
in each countryo
5, Develop a to ~ m
-- - -
and keep informed Europe~s
e~ua~.s ~ and through th?m
'G'tie'?"p'atfio This would include all phases of
effective public relatians~ such as exchange trips
to the Unit?d States and betv~een NIDAPa~tAT countries a )
fi ~ As s
i~,~n,, immed
~_.
on ~AF~P~T'""matters o united States Enbassies in
~--s~e where urgently needed to insure
adequateplanning and implementation of D~IDAPeNAT
information pro~ectso In addition! all phases
of the steppedpup information program relating to
SAP shan~ld be coordinated and stimulated at the
Y~testern European regional levels
SECRE??~
Approved For Release 2003/06/12: CIA-RDP80-01065A000500120065-9