MINUTES FIFTH MEETING OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGY BOARD NOVEMBER 15, 1951

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003300160009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 16, 2005
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 15, 1951
• Content Type: MIN

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Copy No. i 1T
PSB -K-5
Fifth Meeting of the
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGY BOARD
November 15, 1951, 2:30 p.m.
Room 3E924, Pentagon Building
MEMBERS:
General Walter B. Smith, Director of Central Intelligence, Chairman
Honorable William C. Foster, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Honorable Edward W. Barrett, Assistant Secretary of State
(Acting for Mr. Webb)
Mr. Gordon Gray, Director, Psychological Strategy Board
OTHER PARTICIPANTSi
Department of state
Mr. Vincent C. Wilber
Department of Defense
Brig. Gen al John A. Magruder (Retired)
Joint Chiefs of Staff
-'-Brig, General Jesmond D.. Balmer, USA
Central Intelligence Agency
IMr. Frank G. Wisner
Economic Cooperation n s ra ion
Mr. Richard M. Bissell, Acting Administrator
(Present for the early portion of the meeting.)
P$ cholo ical Strategy Board Staff
Colonel Charles V. McCarthy, USA
Captain Richard N. Antrim, USN, (Left after Item #}5)
Mr. J. Wallace Carroll
Mr. Albert P. Toner, Acting Secretary
Charles W. McCarthy
Colonel, USA
Executive Officer
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NSC review(s) completed.
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Agenda Item 3 Plan for Conducting Psychola,ical Operations During General
Hostilities PSB D a
Action: 1. Final action was deferred until an early meeting. of the
Board. After PSB approves the paper, the Director will return it to the
NSC for approval.
2. Paragraph 11 was revised to read as follows: Strike the
version at the bottom of page 5 and retain the version at the top of page 6,
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with these changes: in lla delete "guidance" and add instructions. Retain
lib as it is and amend lic as follows: "Conduct their operations in the
field under the senior US military commander in military theaters of opera-
tions, and coordinate their operations in the field with chiefs of US dip-
lomatic missions in areas other than theaters of operation".
Discussion: It was fully understood that all official personnel in a
military theater in time of war are under the theater commander. Mr.Barrett
explained that the second portions of paragraphs llb and llc are considered
necessary by the State Department and represent normal government procedure,
Mr. Foster asked that final action be withheld until the receipt of JCS
comments, which he said would be expedited. The Chairman pointed out that
every effort had been ma de to take into account the interests of the JCS in
the drafting of the paper.
Mr. Barrett suggested that the paper could be subject to future amend-
ments, if required. He also reported that legal advisers in the Department
of State believe that guidance is adequate for lla, page.6, and that "in-
struction""is inappropr ate. The Chairman said that the question goes
back to the genesis of the Board itself. He said that the President wanted
a level of membership which would mean ipso facto that actions of the
participating agencies would follow upon Board agreements. The Chairman
also believed that the work "instructions" should be specified in 114 to
insure the proper relationship with non-member agencies, particularly any
new agencies which might be established in time of war.
Mr. Barrett stated that he would like to point out for the record that
there has been a little confusion as a result of the use of the word "guid-
ance" in several places in this paper (e.g. paragraph 6 1 (a) ). Within
the government psychological operating fields the word guidance has a common
usage as applied to the regular documents which are put out daily, weekly
and on special occasions to guide operators on what they should and should
not say in output. This, of course, is different from the use of the term
"guidance" in the President's directive. Further, he would like the minutes
to show what the Director said informally the other day: That the use of
the word in this document is not intended to affect in any way the present
procedures for issuing information policy guidances to the Voice of America
and other operators in this field.
Agenda item !t T National Overt Propaganda Policy Guidance for General War
PSBD-la ~ -~
Action: The Board approved this paper with the substitution of
reconssTruction for "stability" in page 11, paragraph 2,
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Discussion: Mr. Gray introduced the paper and called attention to
changes m ade-since the previous draft, Mr, Barrett proposed reconstruction
rather than "stability" in page 11, paragraph 2.
Agenda Item 5 - PSB.Staff Draft of Paragraphs on "Psychological Strategy
in Ensuing, ears" submitted to Senior NSC StafConsideration of nciusion an Reappraisal-in SC 65 and
S rrie a
Copies of this paper were distributed to the members atd alternates for
information at the time the draft was forwarded to the Senior Staff of NSC.
No action was required.
Agenda Item 6 - Report on Foreign Reaction to the President's Proposal for
an Arms Reduction Stu
Mr. Barrett said that the effect of the speech within the United Nations
has been generally good. Its propaganda impact on free countries was mate-
rially aided by the Vishinsky responses which drew criticism in about half
of the speeches of representatives of the free countries. Outside of the
UN,, the Presidentts speech has also been of benefit to the cause of peace.
Some experts see in the Vishinsky reaction and. the recent Beria speech
indications of uncertainty and lack of confidence in the Kremlin. Other
signs in support of this hypothesis include the unusually slow reaction
time of the Kremlin to outside propaganda initiatives.
Agenda Item 7 Report on the Work in which the PSB Staff is now Engaged.
Mr. Gray presented a brief status report for the information of the
Board. The staff study on publicity with respect to novel weapons was to
be distributed to the Board following the meeting and he hoped that it
might be considered at the next meeting. Preparation of plans for inte-
grated operations for the reduction of Communist power in France and Italy
is in progress.
Mr. Gray also raised the possibility of a long-range study by the Board
of the subject of a major relaxation of East-West tensions. It was the
consensus that this subject should be investigated further before it can be
determined whether to undertake the study.
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Agenda Item 8 - Briefing of Functions and Organization of the PSB Staff
This item was postponed.
Postagenda Item:
Mr. Gray stated that after making a careful review of the requirements
for staff for the balance of Fiscal Year 1952 and for Fiscal Year ).953, he
proposed a staff of 73 for FY 1952 and 79 in FY 1953. He further stated
that these figures represent reductions from the staff of 79 previously
authorized by the Psychological Strategy Board for FY 1952 and from 99
previously proposed by the Director for FY 1953? The revised dollar
estimate for FY 1952 is now $407,687 and for FY 1953 is $536,050. However,
both of these figures are subject to analysis by the Bureau of the Budget
and may require some amendment as a result of such analysis. Moreover,
neither figure includes the supplemental pay costs resulting from Public
Law 201.
Action: The Board approved the pfoposed level of ataffing for FY
1952 and FY 1953 and approved the financial estimates for presentation
by the Director to the Bureau of the Budget.
(End)
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