APPOINTMENT OF AN AD HOC COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003600020031-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2005
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: June 13, 1946
• Content Type: MF

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SECRET ~ COPY N0. ~,~
13._June 1946
STS-ATE-WAR-NAVY COORDINA''3NG COI~P~iITTEE
PfiET~L4R.4NDUI~I FOR. Mr. William Stone, Department of State,
Steering Member (5-3215)
Colonel Dana ZT. Johnson, Velar Department
(W- 730 22)
Captain H. R. T:nur'~er, USN, Navy Den~~tment
(N- 2439) ~ ?
Subject: ATapointment of an ad hoe Committee.
1. Ey informal action on 10 June 1946 the State-?~1a::'-No.v;;~
Coordinating .Cammittee agreed to appoint an ad hoa Comiliit~cee to
study and report on SWNCC 304, co-~~y of whici~. is enclosed.~~
2~ The above-named inc~.ividuals have been designa'ced 'oy
their res~~ective departments to serve on this ad hoc Cammittee.
For the State~War-Navy Coordinating Committee:
ecre"ar
~' Furnished ~.'boVe-named, individuals only.
JCS, ARMY,- NAVY? and NSC ;review(s) completed.
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S E C R E T
SV7NCC 304
4 June 1946
Pages 1 - 2. incl.
COPY P10. 6~~
STATE-t~AR-T~TAVY COOI;.DII~IATIlIG CUP"I`ITTEE
PSYCIIQLOGICAL ti`!Al'~'Ah,E
T?1o~t.e by the Secrete.ries
The enclosure, a memorandum by the .'~ctir_~; P1avy I"ember, is
circuls,ted far consideration by the Committee.
ALIa~'AT~'li$I? U. REID
I3. L. AU ~TIPd
I'AROL]? '"~~ I',"O~ELEY
Secretariat
ST`~CC ~ A True Copy
Jahn F. 1{illea
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EiVCLOSURE
PSYCHOLOGICAL ~'dARFARE
Memorandum,b~ the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air
1. The United States had a gratifying measure of success
dvxing World ~+ar II in assisting military operations bar means of
psychological warfare. Time, fortunately, was available at the
beginning of the war to make plans for psychological warfare, and
to integrate them with military operations. Success came only after
protracted, extensive studies of the-subject,. and resultazit trial-
and-error methods. Coordinated staff studies to increase the effective-
ness of psychological vrarfare, particularly vaith respect to better
coordination in military theaters, were canceled when Japan surrendered.
2. The Joir_t Chiefs of Staff are now undertaking an analyti-
cal history of U. S. psychological warfare vrhicY: will be coripleted in
about one year. There are at present a number of reports and records
in the State, ~~ar and I'avy Departments on psycr:olo.'ical wr3r.fare during
t~orld ~?dar II. These, in com^ination with CCS, JCS, JPS and other
official paters on the subject and the present availabili;~r in T~ashing-
ton of a number of civilian and military personnel who participated
in l~orld VVar II efforts, fora an invaluable reservoir of lrnovrledge
with respect to the earlier phases and subsequent problems involved
in plans, coordination, imple?~~entation and techniques. Fersoruiel
available also are cognizar_t of the successes and failures registered.
3. I am of the opinion t?gat with this number of experienced.
personnel sn.d with ample source material on which to draw, we should
proceed novr with an analytical study of U.S. psychological warfare
in S4rorld ~~ar II v~.th a view toward keeping t? is weapon in a state of
coordinated readiness for future tivartime employment. Additional data,
such as th~~t whic:. undoubtedly will be cor_tained ir: tre Joint C~,iefs
ST~'~'NCC 304. -1-
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Enclosure
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S E C R E T
of Staff history, can 'oe evaluated later upon completion o*~ this
comprehensive study.
!,. It is recommended tYiat an ad hoc committee be appointed
by S~7CC to study and report on the future status of psychological
warfare. As an approach to the co~r~ittee's problem, I consider it
may be assumed that future national psychological warfare effort
will continue under non-military control, and that integration of
the national effort with military plans will be requisite so as to
assist and r_ot to interfere with those plans. with tl.is assumption
it is proposed that the committee be directed to review .`orld a'~ar II
efforts in psychological warfare, and recommend:
a. A peacetime organization for Y.eeping psychological
warfare in aready-for-mobilization status;
b. A wartime psychological warfare organization; both
organizatior_~s to be assigned such directives as will insure
effective planriY~~;, coordination and implementation, particu-
laxly tiaith respect to t~-e integration of national pssTchologi-
cal warfare with military plans.
S~,VIVCC 304 -2-
1r closure
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3 1 D of I
5
1,2,3 Concurrence
s-2, dDGS
4 4 or ccmment Col Johnston/73022
Establishment of Psychological '~7arfare
I~,~'ID 912 Division, Special Staff
22 l"ay 1946
SUP,~~I~':ARY
1. The attached memorandur_ for the-Chief of Staff, subject as above, sets
forth the desirability of establishing a Psycholorics.l !1Tarfare Division as a com-
ponent of the 6~dDSS.
2. The memorandum emphasizes the follovrin~ points:
a. ';ar Department responsibility for psychological raarfare has been tl"ie
function of Propaganda Branch, G-2, l~'DCTS, since its establishment in A?ovember,
1943.
b. Prior to tl;at date there existed a ntmber of military ar~d quasi-
military organizations conducting psychological warfare planning and operations,
vrith divided authorit~T and consequent reduced efficiency.
c. Psych~lo~;ical warfare i not a new weapo} ~., yet no firm deterreination
of its role in the military establishment had been made at tl:e outbreak of
rlorld l~~ar II, and civiliah agencies were therefore ca17_ed upon to perform a
military function.
d. Since psychological vrarfare is certain to play ar increased role in
any?~ future conflict, its place z~itrin the `:7ar Department sl ould be estab-
lished.
e. V~/i~ile relying; on inteL igence du.rin~; vrartime, psychological l~rarfase
i.s primarily operational ir_ 7,.ature and does not fall reaGily vritl;in tLe
scope of the Intelligence Division. Hovrever, the diverse nature of its
activities is sucri that it does not appear to be a la~;ic^1 responsibility
of OFD.
f. Field experience in `~+orld 1'lar II proved that rsychological warfare. is
best conducted by a division or branch of Special staff status. Such a
division would insure complete exploitation of t',e potentials of psychologi-
cal vaarfare and tivould provide for tle study of existing metY:ods and the
developr.ent o"' improved techniques leading towards the most effective utili-
zation of the ~aeapor_.
g. Tre establishment of a psycl~olo.7ical ~aarfal~e division on a Special
^,taff level ti?rould ot~Taiate the necessity of forcing comr~ar_ders in tl,e field
to have civilian agencies trust ur-~on them for the conduct of military
psychological warfare ~~ithin t%eir theaters. It would provide a central
organization ~?vithin the +~~ar Department for the plannin~* and conduct of all
phases of psychological warfare.
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3. pecom3nended that Psycholot-ical '~Tarfare Division, ?r'DSS, be established
v~ith functions and responsirilities as set forty in Appendix A.
C OOT~.D I ~u AT IGN
Concur - D of 1
CAD
OPD
G-3
1 enclosure
~,_er.?orandum for the Chief of Staff,
2~attachr~ents.
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CL~?? EPA?~Ti ETv'T G fET~ E]? n l , STAFF
rIILITAI='Y I^1^ELLIG ~~Ct~
DIET . G-2
'"~a?IT:GTCT~1, 25, D.C.
~2 r~~y 1946
SUt3JECT: Establishment of Psycl~olo7ical :carfare Division,
Special ,Staff
1. Psychological ~,varfare problems of interest to the lar Depart-
ment have been the responsibility of the Propaganda Branch, G-2., ~'~'DGS,
actin; tinder the direct control of the A. C. of S., G-?, in accordance
with instructions of the Deput~r Chief of Staff. (T~zb A) Under the
provisions of JCS, 224 Series,~the Chief, Propa~-anda Branch also acts
a,s the ~xmy T,'ember of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Liaison vrith the Ehrer-
seas Planning Board, Oi'fice of International Information and Cultural
Affs~.irs, Department of State. The Propa;^~anda Braneh also provides for
AAF interest in ps;:Tcholo~ical vrarfare in accordance vritli the decision
of the D. C. of S. abolishing- the A'~F' Psychological '?arfare Service
and trar_sferring its r,ersonnel to the Propaganda Branch. (Tab B)
2. Prior to the establishment of the Propaganda Branch, psycholo-
gical vaa.rfare problems vrere the responsibility of the follovring staff
agencies:
s`orld j'tar I - Psycl:ologic Subsection, T,c.I. 2, 4,filitary
h,.telligence Division
191.9-191x.1 - IJone
1941 -Special Studies Group - OASzY and A. C. of S., G-2
191+.2 - Psi%chological v7axfare Branc:~, ~"IS
1943 - OI'D Policy Section, Strategy and Policy Group
A brief summary of ti'rar Department participation in psychological vaarfare
is attached as Tab C.
3. Although propaganda leaflets vuere employed by the Continental
Forces in action against British troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill
in 1775, and, in more modern times, an extensive propaganda effort
was developed in ~~lorld ?~aar I, yet no firY doctrine or determination of
the proper role of psychological warfare in the militar;~ establishment
had been developed by the ';star Department at the outbre