MAINTAINING THE MOMENTUM OF THE PRESIDENTS PEACE INITIATIVE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R002100110050-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 24, 2008
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: January 18, 1982
• Content Type: MEMO

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I ternationai Office of the Director
Cor rnunicati?n
Agency ,
United States of America
Washington, D. C. 20547
State Dept. review
completed.
January 18, 1982
The Honorable
James A. Baker
(Addresses are listed The Honorable
in alphabetical order) William J. Casey
The Honorable
William P. Clark
The Honorable
Michael K. Deaver
The Honorable
Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
The Honorable
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick
The Honorable
Edwin Meese, III
SUBJECT: Maintaining thi Momentum of the
President's Peace Initiative
FYI, I am attaching a copy of a letter I recently sent to
Dr. George Gallup.
The letter follows up on a productive brainstorming session we
had with him here at USICA. It emphasizes the need to maintain
the momentum generated by the President's historic speech of
November 18, 1982. It also outlines a unified public affairs
approach designed to:
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keep the U.S.S.R. in a reactive posture;
set the agenda ourselves;
strengthen our own position in the eyes of our
allies and uncommitted countries.
I would welcome your comments.
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January G, 1982
Dear Dr e Gallup:
Several weeks have passed since our meeting in my office, and
I would like to review for you some of the actions we have
taken or are working on as a result of the ideas surfaced in
our discussion.
Your thoughts on maintaining the momentum of the President's
initiative for European peace are a significant factor in our
planning
for a public and diplomatic drive to force the
Soviets
to
address the American position, rather than vice
versa.
Our
Policy Staff is just now completing a thorough
analysis
of
how we can keep the U.S.S.R. in a reactive
posture,
set the agenda ourPelves, and strengthen our own
position
in the eyes of our allies and uncommitted countries.
we envisage a government-wide effort to adopt a single public
affairs approach based on firmness, patience, constancy, and
coordination. At the same time, we reconmend a search for
viable actions which will not only affect public perceptions
of American positions, but will also move-the world toward
peace and stability. We can take an agressive and
for=w;ar-d-looking position in the STARS talks should they become
possible; we can provide visible measures of food and
humanitarian aid to the Polish people under certain
conditions; we can initiate talks on other forms of arms
reduction such as chemical and biological warfare or
anti-satellite weaponry; make new proposals for resumption of
MB-'R talks or for increased confidence building measures in
the CSCE context; an we can continue to hold up for public
condemnation the many examples of Soviet misbehavior.
1r. George Gallup
Gallup organization
53 Bank Street
Princeton, N.J. 08540
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This-is obviously only a brief outline of what we hope to
propose for the Administration's consideration. In
addition, we are working with the State Department to
develop a publication on the history of American peace
proposals in the years since World liar II, and pie have
taken steps to ensure that the Voice of America and other
Agency nedia restructure the political lexicon to our
advantage: We developed an intensive series of public
affairs fora, especially in Europe, for Administration
spokesmen and reinforce the President's genuine search for
peace.
We find that as the Agency and, indeed, the whole foreign
affairs community focus more clearly on the advocacy of
American positions and the conconmitant need to identify
Soviet transgressions, both the effect and effectiveness
of our work increase. I have related to the President and
several key Administration advisers your incisive response
to my quest ion, ?"Khy do you think the Russians are beating
us in the war of ideas when we are really the good guys?"
You answered that the Russians keen talking about peace
and calling us warmongers while we only talk about missile
and warhead counts. We have made the mistake of assuming
that--everybody knows we want peace. We cannot continue to
make that assumption. The cornerstone of the Soviet PR
victory lies in our own failure to place U.S. discussions
of the strategic balance of power in the context of peace.
I.am encouraging the Administration to consider the
importance of your observations. I hope that in the near
future we will be able to show you even more examples of
how we have vigorously followed up on the ideas discussed
with you in november.
fly associates join me in thanking you for sharing with us
your compelling vision for a stronger America and a better
and more peaceful world.
Sincerely,
Charles Z. Wick
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