SPRAGUE COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R001000010022-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 9, 2003
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: June 28, 1960
• Content Type: MF

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28 June 1960
MEMORANDUM 'OR: Director of Central Intelligence
SUBJECT: Sprague Committee
1. This memorandum is for the information of the DCI.
2. Meetings of the Sprague Committee are scheduled for
July 11 and the morning of July 12, July 18 and the morning of
July 19. Mr. Sprague hopes that these will be the last meetings
of the Committee to consider working papers and that a final
draft of the Committee's report will be completed by the end of
July.
3. I am attaching summaries of the discussion that took
place at the meetings of the Committee on June 6, 20 and 21. I
have not attempted to do anything more than indicate the
substance of the discussion as full minutes are kept by the
Committee. Also attached are copies of the papers discussed
at these meetings.
John A.- Bross
Senior Planning Officer
O/DDP
Attachments - 12
2 Memo for Record dtd 22 June
10 Sprague Committee papers
cc: DDCI wo/att,.
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A separate x +e ox c
i rose, it
ov,t rax due for a re?c -
Pr?agu+ o mitt re was *Ott
a .
r. 1rose to Mr.Niels
Z. Paper* c,
an4 a cco ptsd without
I by Ambassador Hare a
a. A:trtcaa usirta .Aber
Uorial Travel
..p r was c1rcu atad area 7
errs
'ITV will
tasuuaoaa ax
disc t CQ"%rjeta Of tb* Wort
publi: luion will unquestiolwX
out &ad CIA (# to >r. Mayor,*
1960). Vie.#r. ietaaa
erect (*to
196O).
subjsct* wori caasie red
Jous Opp*
tlop. A corollary
,1,pportuaity will ba the immense t ochu*J gi *l, adar liai$ftra
legal problems pres,ated by the r c*s.ity for coatroUlrag
allocattin tirri+ s and frequencies for telecasts.
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on,?Tbe PTOblows U. .
6`' parovea-k.d considerable al scusstom, a,
it s* x ewla*t adverse to the paper. T coAccaaa ma of the m itts
was opposed to xtas ag the resident's press secretary responsible
for coorrdinOWS the d.v+rl*pm*at and presentation of p pubUe ia or'ms-
tion as suggested at top of page 13 of the paper. > rwise, free
for i ptov emsnts, is the arecoz 'b e a
ili as In the paper the prrobl.m was rrscog iir aed as an important -7A*-
S. 'fur g an an executive session after lunch. Mr. gpr*$, r
reverted to the question of a rs ble review of this banging of tho . The public relaaatie *alp cts of 60 is-at incident. discussion f lowed
yore or less tot
place at the Committee r eetie pan, Mt
04 May 23rd. In substance they disclalu ed any interest in reviewing
been coo rrmunicaaatod on their behalf during 04 a rse
$pragus reiterated orally at this -m t
otiecurr.
nsttirtty of the subject arrs:aratterrs nsuy of
ratty much ant generic
at at the a eeti ra 13 mayr, - hat non. of the principal
still, highly classified. It was rrtcogaatised.
f
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 is tsstUy about any of the dsctst s aera
Tres ct to the aceueaptiaa o xs _ t tt
s read t rcw th is t h* Abseace, of B rae
*c emrslly ?seo .is d, t think, that,
:go the two public members of
lei. iii slt.rn*ti rs tea to present the
arA seek specific guidance,. This to effect
by Mr. Gray at the ms.tia$ of 1.1ay 43rd.
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ORM DU FOR T
ZZ June 1960
Sts' fl3 %. CT: Sprague Goa ni
s an 20 and Al June 1960
3. The meeting on ZO June opened with
at which the the
per Chairman reported on developments in the proposal to
rev p eA jaU-2matter. He said that due to a business commitment
he had been obliged to cancel the appointment which had been x :adee to
discuss this matter with the President but that Gen. Goodpaasteer had
Government, the 'resident would be glad to see them.
involving special arrangements outside of the normal
tions pertaining to the informational aspect* of future projects
hand, it was suggested that if the C*rnmtttoee envisages reeeon?
not review the M adling of the tY..Z rent specifically.
President's views. These were to the ea
submitted the question and transmitted the general sense
2. Mr. Gray stated his understanding of the President's, views
av of the U-Z Incident, certainly in terms of a
avoid. welcome recommendations at to h
it, was e3eesiraaable or permissible. t e other hand, the President
'by-blow review of the incident itself, sad the decisions resulting
ch for security reasons or otherw
of the, NSC or other appropriate mechanisms of the
t. Mr. Nielsen argued that this category was larger then,
which were handled outside the W chinery of Government for security
reaaasons, such as as the V -Z, and matters which were handfeed outside
the normal machinery of Government because of their political,
titans the Committee should distinguish very carefully between ma
Mae informational and public relations aspects of this type of decision
would be desirable, I suggested. that in formulating any recorz=eexula-
Accordingly, he felt that an examination of the procedures Bove
was generally recognized. He suggested that various decisions
Involving the President's trip and other similar ma rs appear to
have been bandied outside the regular maces eery of Govreeraa ent.
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= licatj~ or their failure to coaform to any c .ventii l fir.
=bvio ly, the procedures pertaining to very high security aetivt**,
including intelligence operations, should be different from those
nio.g to certain other decisions because of the security
to involved, etc. The Chairman said that he recognized this
+au1d one that It was observed.
The. tmittoe then discussed .some procedural matters
concee n the publication of its report. Meetings of the Committee
have been Scheduled for July 11, 1U, la and 19. It is hoped that these
ill be the last regular mootiangs
the first draft of the Coxremittee's report will be completed by the
Some discussion armed as to the desirability of having
anon of the report coincide with the elections. There was also
discussion as to the desirability of some interim racommendstions in
the event that the main body of the report is withheld until, about the
time of the elections. In general it was agreed
should be prepared to go to the President covering matters on whic.
e executive action. The
ce of the report, which in effect is designed to constitut
legacy to the next Prosideent, should be completed for submission
two versions around the time of the elections. One version would be
avail ale for :Public release and the other would be classified.
4. The Committee* is losing some members of its staff in thi
reasonably near future as Mr. I rn er returns to Italy and Col. Coffey
to the Army. However, the Chairs hopes to complete the report
with the present staff. Conceivably he may call upon the agencies And
de rrtments represented on the Committee for some as
completing the final draft of the report. Mr. Rood stressed the
necessity of pressing an with the work of the Cor .ittee with a view
to completing it as expeditiously as possible irrespective of any
decision as to the appropriate date for submission of the report to the
sident or release to the public. Mr. sprat" agreed that the
ommittee should press on with.h, the completion of the report as quickly
as possible. (At lunch he confirmed that he hopes to have all subsidiary
papers completed and at least a final draft of the Committee report
prior to the first of August.) It was also agreed that the proposal for
foreign inspection trips by members of the Committee and the staff
bandoned.
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the siibj.ct of "'Tine Impact of Achievement* is Science and Tech l*gy
UPon the Image Abroad of the United States". This paper au tmarizes
pry paretd by Col. Coffey in consultation with represents
ties all agencies and departments of the Government concern,
and dourest i opinion on the relative status of
SPutWk. however. it concluder that world opinion generally
the United States and the USSR in the fields of science and technology.
It concludes that U. S. achievement, and capabilities in these fields
exceed, on balance. those, of Soviet Russia. With the advent of
The Committee then addressed itself to the very comp
substantial change and that the preponderance of publ;i
duo Soviet Russia as either already ahead of the United States
or as developing a tom
eminent in the
a number of ass
these conclusio . It idetr tt
abroad about V. S. programs and accomplishments to science
ussia pre-
The report attaches,.
public opinion polls to substantiate
roblem as one of improving the
machinery and facilities for informing public opinion at home and
auiogy. The problems of better coordination in the dissemination
of relevant information are *nalyzed in terms of various audiences
including the scientific elite. the general elite and the steneral s ubliic
programs amongst the ov~eernmeent c
of the CIA Scientific Intelligence Digest is recommended *8 oeea Meth,
of. developing better undeers?l E of the real significance ? f the Soviet
some of the more extravagant Soviet claim.. :broader diissen i
scientific significance. This includes a responsibility for
general comprehension of Soviet pro, is in terms of their tru
in carious areas. street is laird on the necessity for developing tt+
o.. The paper also enumerates a number of specific projects
which are calculated to impress world opinion and which, if success-
fullY completed, would have a favorable impact on attitudes toward
the United States. There, has been disagreement and some criticism
of some of the specific projects receeza it* ed as worthy of develop.
meeret bee, aus* of their potential. affect on public Opinion. The ones
criticized include proposals to work on an anti -gravity project, a
project to develop the potentialities of controlled nuclear explosions
for peaceful purpose, (the development of harbors. etc.) and project
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practicality or usefulness of he latter two projects And opposed to
consideration of and-gravity research As unrealistic science fiction.
The C wnwvitteee will eliminate the anti-gravity project as an illustrative
suggestion and may also eliminate references to the other two projects.
All of the other projects are listed purely for the purpose of suggeest-
of projects on which "Sources ould be concentrated with
I effect in the public relations field. They include project
1, ' (aimed at putting a man into space or into orbit), the
MC BOL ' (a project for drilling tl raugh the earth's crust), a cure for
s development of a feasible air car or rocket transpor
project for lighting up substantial parts of the atmnoap'
value but may have commercial value), anti-missiles missiles and a
nuclear-powered aircraft (which is not thought to haws military
course of the Committee's deliberations included the doveelopmont
am), etc. Projects not listed In the report but mentioned during the
drugs for repairing radiation damages, particle beams (a disintegrator
of eliminating darkness over large parts
substantial periods of time.
attempted to distinguish between science and technology. He agreed
that in technology it is proper to identify speecifiic goals and to effect
a concentration of technical effort on specific projects which are
determined to be particularly useful froaaa either-* practical or public
opinion standpoint. He was opposed to proposals which would result
concerned with the degree to which it is practical or desirable
establish guidance over the objectives of scientific research.
of the National Science y'oundation. His presentation wa a largos(
'l. The Committee received Dr. Alan R. ateerman. Director
ee ,pts to specify the objectives or g a of basic pure research
t remarkable and important
scientific discoveries had resulted coiscideentalty or as a by-product
to the primary purposes of research. The argument was largely that
scieentiists should be protected from We demands and
f specific practical programs Aid that basic research
geed as an and in itself. He .maintains that there to
already a considerable amount of ,guided research both in industry And
eC ernnient Anyway. 13a emphasized the importance of the traditional
conventions amongst scientists as regards meticulous reporting of
discoveries and developments in science, feeling more perhaps can
be done to shame the Soviet and bloc scientists generally into
publishierg, and recording their achievement*.
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Dr. B.cklor: who was rather closely questioned o9k The
a. Dr. ',Pateermaa was followed by -r. Kietciskowsky's
racy of existing Coveraatent proceeuarss for coordinating seioastlfc
progra .s for promoting projects calculated to Impress world p
and try t plotting and disset tiX) frog #aforr; ation about favorable
dev.lopxx ents.
9.
ensued as to practical measures
sure that the so-called "p" factor is considered In corM40104
stony to promote particular scisatUtc and technical projects
and programs. it was generally agreed that tho O CB should play a
more iarnport*nt Vol* in this coxnerction. It Was ree.o seed that the
already plays an effective part in ensuring appropriate publicity for as
dissemination of information atbaut developments and achievreerr eent$.
The Committee was inclined to the view that the OCS or some other
appropriate Interdepartmental committee should be given greater
responsibility for contributing to decisions as to which projects should
be ertaken or promoted.
1O. `W'het Committee: next considered a paper on the ''Psyckol.oj
cts of Foreign Aid". After accrue discussion it was
r would be given further consideration: particular
ly With ICA. Mr. Beading felt that the paper flay
the extent and effectiveness of Soviet aid. it was recognised that an
accurate evaluation of the effectiveness of Soviet activities in this field
was difficult but that facilities for gathering and evaluating Information
this subject have been greatly Improved.
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The aCorxsn ittee reconvened at ton o'clock Tuesday,
eresnsid,rireed the paper on "Disarmament a and the Factor
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a should adopt a more flexible posture in disarmament negotia-
tions and formulate proposals with More concern for their impact on
public opinion. The paper criticizes in somewhat general terms this
. on". had reviewed this paper for CIA and
VV E06004 general agreement with it. As in t case of the paper an
dais poor also takes the position that the United
of U. S. negotiating positions on the general subject of
dis*rmamarat and the U me which it has normally taken the United
States to develop or to change its position cm various issue* related
to disarmament. The author of the paper, Mr. Chilton, said that he
had considered submitting a bill of particulars to support criticism of
t hated States efforts in the disarmament field in the past but had
concluded that such.& bill of particulars would serve no particularly
useful, purpose.
13. In general, the Committee was sympathetic to the contents
Mention was made of the
,difficulties created by the lack of continuity of direction of disarmament
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i States Government. Not only have a relatively
(free Baruch to Fred Eaton) boon given
tern pc=raaaraly the chief responsibility for negotiations in this field but
the State Deportment stall responsible for thews matters has also
e:~xperi:enced coacstant turnover with the result that there is no individual
at the policy level and few, if any, individuals at the staff level who
have followed the disarmament problem for an appreciable period of
time. The point was made that the Defense Department has actually
paid more attention to this queeltion than has the State Department.
Not only are there officers in the Pentagon who have followed disarma-
meat developments for substantial periods of time but also the Defense
Department Its. engaged in a very substantial research program to
support its views and contentions in this field.
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14. Mr. Gray reported that the Preeijd#nt had ds,4*4.4 Cft se-t
debate as to ebether such an office. is properly located in the epartmxrent
of State or Whether it should report directly to the President. The
chief difficulty at the moment is to find somebody of national stature
whys is qualified and prepared to take as job. There, is also a question
Mr. John M+ Cloy to lead up this offic.ee. There has been cams
as disarmament office in the Stott Department at a very high level. The
Scrotary of $tat* is nue- looking for someone of the calibre of
ate Calibre and reputation at the very end of an administration.
1 -. As regards the, papor itself, no snerific tf recttr~intr .,.
paper aappo*red applie able to the present V.
>s>o ee
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however, that the paper was not intended to surest that t). t?vL#te..4
IRS the danger of developing a di*aara.nt position which is a clusively
Eli. ebttf,&w s... ... e. ...34- .]--n -- _ * s
public opinion purposes which it is not reallyprepared to live` with.
T
fl believe that would go quite far in the direction of
gates adopt or sponsor proposals which are
themee-lrees will oppose them. I doubt that the Committee was prepared
of some dideur*ai0*. The a er emphasizes the sue-es>sas hi
h
a
the concept of control has had upon public opinion generally and it was
suggested that efforts should be concentrated on the idoutificatiosr of the
United States with the concept of ''open societies'". The point was also
made that While additional efforts to identify the United states with
positive proposals were desirable it was also desirable to increase our
efforts to combat and refute Soviet slogans and campaigns such an those
which are calculated to ascribe to the United States responsibility for
the threat of atomic warfare and identify the United States with "atom
deeath"'.
lb. The only other paper discussed at this session of the,
Committee was "The Financial Flexibility at the U. S. pparatus?'.
This paper generally takes the view that present financial procedures
-f" 'dealing with foresosaabiar contingencies are adequat>s;, although ii
is possible that Congress may impose furthor restrictions +r n State
7
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lean , r
th* e*> a,144 city
*on" programs of Oun
projects to such
Croats an in preasi x
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ency funds which, r 1 L a uuably p it its
programs, then
at the l ' g that the C -era rsaat Me had
tsrel g a satisfactory program for
rigidity levied
be so much a lack of
pls ty 'rigidity of 00
mart uotie*. C-n the tither hsfd