ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGY BOARD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01065A000600020104-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: March 3, 2008
• Sequence Number: 104
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01065A000600020104-5
'W/ Security Information '
,SOLE OF PSYC11OLOGIC STIR Iii
The President's Directive creates the Psychological Strategy Board
to nrovicle more effective planning of psychological operations within
the framework of approved national policies, to coordinate the psycho-
logical operations of all departments and agencies of government, and to
evaluate the effectiveness of the national psychological effort.
The members of the Board are the Under Secretary of State, the
Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Director of Central Intelligence.
The Director, appointed by the President, sees that the decisions of
the Board are carried out. A representative of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
sits with the Board as its principal military adviser; and the Board may
add to its number from time to time appropriate representatives of the
heads of other governmental units.
The Board is the nerve-center for strategic psychological operations.
At the apex of government, it provides a focal point for assuring the
planned use by all governmental units of activities to influence the
opinions, attitudes, emotions and behavior of foreign groups in ways that
will support the achievement of our approved national aims. Through the
Board, the President is enabled to turn to one bo:1y, instead of rrazr
for a prompt assessment of these psychological operations-as to magnitude.,
emphasis,, pace, effectiveness, and responsibility for execution. Thus, a
unified base is afforded from which to take from an enemy the initiative
in psychological operations?
The Board itself does not engage in operations. It is not concerned
with day-to-day problems arising in the psychological field, except as
they may affect progress toward major strategic objectives. The Directive
reposes in the Board the responsibility for over-al]. psychological poli-
cies, objectives, and programs, and their coordination among the various
departments and agencies; provides for adjustments to be made by such
departments and agencies in their existing arrangements in this regard;
and amends previous National security Council instructions to that extent.
1. The Board will prepare, in order to determine the framework
of its action under the Directive, an inventory of those approved
national policies which may directly or indirectly involve psychologi-
cal operations; recomrending to the appropriate agencies the adoption
or development of such additional nolicies as may directly or indirectly
involve psycholo ical opcrations.
2. In support
NSC review completed.
Approved For Release 2008/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01065A000600020104-5
 Approved For Release 2008/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01065A000600020104-5
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2. In support of such approved national policies, the Board
will formulate and promulgate over-all policies, programs, and
objectives for psychological operations; including over-all strategic
plans in such detail as to enable operational planning by departments
and, agencies.
3. The Board will stimulate all departments and agencies engaged
in operations having psychological aspects, to set un effective psy-
chological operational planes
a. by assigning to such departments and agencies the
preparation of psychological operational plans to carry out
any part of such over-all strategic plans as to which no psycho-
logical operational planning has been initiated;
b.. by reviewing all psychological operational plans already
initiated by departments and agencies in order to assure that
they are consistent with such over-all strategic plans, deter-
mining those plans which may be left to the initiating departments
and agencies without further action by the Board and those plans
as to which the Board should take some further action.
.4. The Board will determine as to the various psychological
operational plans: (1). emphasis, (2) priority,, and (3) pace.
5. The Board will coordinate the execution by departments and
agencies of all such plans within the framework of over-all strategic
plans.
6. The Board v: R1 evaluate the programs of departments and
agencies and their execution through psychological operational rlansa
in terms of effective accomplishment of the national psychological
effort; selecting programs and plans for evaluation which are most
important to the attainment of national objectives.
F'i1aSTR.Iv T
Approved For Release 2008/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01065A000600020104-5