RESUME OF OCB LUNCHEON MEETING, 10 DECEMBER 1958

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R002700050004-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2005
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: December 10, 1958
• Content Type: MFR

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10 December 1958
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Resume of OCB Luncheon Meeting, 10 December 1958
PRESENT: Mr. Coughran, Mr. Dulles, Mr. Gray, Mr. Harr,
Mr. Herter, Mr. McCone, Mr. Quarles, Mr.' Smith,
Mr. Washburn, Mr. Melbourne
1. Berlin
There was a brief general discussion on the latest developments
in the Berlin situation. Mr. Herter said that the State Department has
drafted a study on the legal aspects involved in maintaining the status
of West Berlin, and Allied access thereto. He said he would send a
copy of this to Mr. Dulles.
Mr. Herter stated that the French are raising objections to
developing an immediate answer to the Soviet proposal to make Berlin
a Free City, preferring to have a full scale Allied meeting to discuss
the situation at length before coming to a firm agreed position.
2. Report on Mr. Smith's African Trip
The Director of ICA reported on the recent trip that he, together
with a number of scientific experts, has just completed to various
African countries.
Mr. Smith said. that he was most concerned with the almost total
lack of educational facilities and of printed matter in many of these
countries. He said he thought it might be necessary to develop new
techniques of education to meet the peculiar conditions obtaining in
Africa. He noted that the British have the idea that the best way to
meet this problem is to select a few potential leaders and educate them,
but he thought that a broader-based treatment was feasible and more
desirable.
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Among the miscellaneous points made by Mr. Smith were the
following: The economic and political condition of Liberia is
discouraging as contrasted to that of Ghana. The cost of establishing
and maintaining American advisors in these countries is far greater
than the cost for individuals of other nationalities. It is interesting
to note that in most of the countries visited the local officials did not
refer in any way to Communists or to the menace of Soviet bloc
imperialism, even in the context of providing a reason. for increased
U. S. aid.
(An official report on the trip is expected to be completed by
mid-January and will be available to interested agencies at that time.)
The desirability of capitalizing on the great disparity between
the fallout deriving from recent Soviet nuclear tests and that attributable
to our tests was discussed once again. Mr. Herter said that further
discussions had been held in the Department of State and that he now
felt that this point should be extensively exploited in an appropriate
manner. Mr. McC:one strongly backed this position and the rest of
the Board was in general agreement.
It was agreed that Japan presents probably the most fertile area
25X6 I I and .that the recent
stories from Denmark and from Norway, in which Scandinavians have
complained bitterly about the rise in radioactivity due to Soviet tests,
could constitute a point of departure.
4. Countering Soviet Propaganda on Economic Progress
The paper prepared by the Freers Committee on the above subject
and attached to the Weekly Activity Report was discussed in general
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terms. This contained recommendations that the U. S. , through the
State of the Union message and elsewhere, should rebut Soviet
propaganda on the superiority of their economic progress as contrasted
to ours. The State and Treasury representatives felt that it was pre-
mature to follow through on a recommendation of this kind, while Mr.
Harr and Mr. McCone were in favor of the recommendations. It was
agreed that the report should be returned to the Freers Committee
for further study.
Distribution:
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1 - DDCI
1 - BA/OCB
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