MINUTES SEVENTH MEETING OF THE PYSHOLOGICAL STRATEGY BOARD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003300160004-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2005
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: December 20, 1951
• Content Type: MIN

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TOP SECRET .. SECURITY INFORMATION
S
Copy No.
PSB M.-7
MINUTE S
Seventh Meeting of the
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGY BOARD
December 20, 1951, 2:30 p.m,
Room 510L~, State Department
General Walter B. Smith, Director of Central Intelligence,
Chairman
Honorable William C. Foster, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Honorable James E. Webb, Under Secretary of State
Mr. Gordon Gray, Director, Psycholug-.oal Strategy Board
Mr. Raymond B. Allen, Director Designate, Psychological
Strategy Board
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OTHER PARTICIPANTS:
Department of State
Mro c and W . Barrett, Assistant Secretary of State
Er,, john M. Allison, Acting Assistant Secretary of State
Mr. Charles E. Johnson ,'-
(Agenda Item 5 only)
Mr. W. Bradley Connors (Agenda Item 5 only)
De ar' anent of Defense
R3-An General John A. Magruder (Retired)
Joi m:. -:hiefs of Staff
General Jesmond D. Balmer, USA
Cer.:.. Intelli e Agency
Mutual ecff InistraiClun
Mr. John Ohly (Agenda Item 2 only)
Mr. Robert Eichholz (Agenda Item 2 only)
Ps cholo ical Strate Bow d
Cc~..onel Char es W. McCarthy, USA
Mr, Tracy Barnes
Mr, Wallace Carroll
Mr. John Sherman
44,
Charles W. McCarthy
Colonel, USA
Executive Officer
NSC review(s) completed.
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urged that a check be made with key Congressmen on this aspect.
He further stated that there were other competing claims on these
funds and there is an element of priorities involved. He also
indicated that.it looked as though this might be the first phase
of a program that would lead to a larger expenditure in the
future, and asked if thinking had yet developed with respect to
this second phase.
General Smith said that the Board had not thought through the
second phase of the program and was not able at this time to state
such further requirements.
Mr. Webb pointed out that the estimate of governmental financing
had been kept low due to the anticipated tie-in with voluntary
refugee organizations and with the plans of other interested coun-
tries.
It was generally agreed that it was highly important that a
thoraugh study be made of the potential military usefulness of
the program, both for the purpose of supporting allocation of
funds by the Director of Mutual Security and the defense of such
allocation in the Congress and also for the purpose of developing
the second phase of the program.
Mr. Foster made clear his position that in approving the paper.
for further action he was specifically withholding for further
consideration the question of the transfer of funds from Title Is
Military End Item Funds, for the purpose.
General Smith asked that the staff study be amended to change
the language of paragraph 23-b-i as noted in~the action above. (G i
Mr. Webb proposed, and the Board approved, the _ne^rIvion of a
new estimate of the cost of program in paragraph 20 te., provide
for a request to the Director of Mutual Security for $11L; 300,OOO
instead of the proposed request of $2,500,000 contained in the
staff study. The text of the Department's budget for handling
18,000 escapees is set forth under "Action" above.
Agenda Item 1. - Staff Study on Publicity with Respect to Certain
Weapons (PSB D-
Action( The staff study was approved. The Board authorized
the immediate establishment of a committee chaired by a represen-
tative of the Department of Defense and a directive to the committee
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to proceed with the drafting of its terms of reference. for the
approval of the Psychological Strategy Board. The Committee
should then address itself as a matter of urgency to the prepara-
tion of a national information policy.
Discussion: Mr. Gray presented the staff study indicating
that -the thtitle now referred to "certain" weapons pursuant to a
suggestion by the Department of Defense. The kinds of weapons
covered are defined in the text of the study. Mr. Gray pointed
to the difficulties involved in dealing with this eubject due to
the presence of both domestic and foreign information a::p- is and
the fact that the Psychological Strategy Board is not in any way
concerned with the domestic aspect. Further there are :t.:nte_^depart-
mental difficulties due to divided statutory responsib..li.ties with
respect to the release and treatment of classified information.
There are other problems arising from the responsibility of the
State Deparrment under NSC-59/1.
Mr. Webb suggested that the proposed committee be established
with instruction, to proceed immediately with the ~ra.iang of its
terms of reference for the review and approva:. of the Board. He
noted that the Board at this time could not c:eal with a.11 11:.he
complications involved, Be further proposed tk t uc;-,Rri tee
could be next to prepare a national inF:~~ as A. )n policy
guidan_os under uhioh the Department of Defense and ?'.ate
Department could issue their respective types of bearing
on those may. ors for 10 ,.- ch they have statutory o:c- cxeciit.- Ira respon-
sibility.
Mr. Foster thought that through the use of the --.:r;r:i.ttee the
responsibilities now divided between the Lep&r;;cn:snt of Defense and
the Atomi.c Uon,mission could be coord ina-h: (I.
It was agreed that the committee would be organized as proposed
in the staff and that it would be roc nested to draft i +s
terms of ru:'e enc..: for the approval of the Board and further that
it wrou,1:i pr4_:.6z?e a national information policy as a matter of
urgency,
Genera:! Smith designated Colon s the CIA
represo:ntat, -re. Mr. Foster designated r. ay on itchey as the
Departirr.nt of Defense representative. Mr. Webb stated that he
would des gnnate the Department of State representative at a later
tima,
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Agenda Item 3. - Plan for Conducting Psychological Operations
uringGGeneral Hostilities D-8]a)
The Chairman inquired as to the status of the comments of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, receipt of which are needed before the
Board takes final action on the plan.
General Balmer reported that the matter is still under con-
sideration by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and that he has been at
tempting to expedite completion of the comments. The Chairman
requested General Balmer to inform the Joint Chiefs of Staff that
the Board hopes to receive their comments some time during the
month of January. Mr. Foster said that he would expedite action
and attempt to secure the final comments early in January.
Agenda Item 4. - New Projects Approved the PSB for Staff Action.
Mr. Gray reported that this agenda item is for the information
of the members of the Board. These three plans have already been
approved as projects for work by the PSB staff. He reported that
with respect to agenda item I-B the Department of State has sug-
gested that the study take the form of an evaluation of the psycho-
logical results obtained from the Presicbnt's original proposal
to the United Nations General Assembly with respect to the reduc-
tion and limitation of armaments and with respect to t^e manner
in which it has been exploited up to this time. This evaluation
would precede any further planning of further exploitation of the
proposal. Mr. Gray further reported that agenda 4-C is not con-
sidered to be a matter of high priority and it will be so treated.
Mr. Gray also stated that another project was considered by the
Board members which does not appear on the agenda, I. e., the
East-West Trade, Problem in connection with the forthcoming Moscow
Economic Conference which is set for next April. This matter is
also under study as authorized by the Board's members.
Agenda item 6. - Suggestion for a new project General Walter B.
Smith.
Actions The Board approved this proposal as a new project under
the lea ership of the Department of State with the assistance of
the PSB staff. General Smith1s proposal is as follows:
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