Information Policy


116. U.S. Information Agency Background Paper

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, FOIA/Classified Folder. Confidential. Attached to a memorandum from Oren Stevens of USIA’s Office of Research and Analysis to USIA Director-designate Edward R. Murrow, February 1, 1961, when Murrow and the rest of USIA were turning their attention to the proper scope, utility, and classification of their foreign opinion analytical products.


117. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Research and Analysis, U.S. Information Agency (Stephens) to the Acting Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Washburn)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, FOIA/Classified Folder. Confidential. Drafted by Stephens. Copies were sent to Donald M. Wilson (I), James J. Halsema (IOP), G. Lewis Schmidt (IOA), and Henry Loomis (IBS).


118. Memorandum From the Director-Designate of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to President Kennedy

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 69 A 6135, 1/1, Director’s Staff Meeting Notes/61. No classification marking. Drafted by Thomas C. Sorensen on February 7.


119. Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Bowles)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 64 A 853, 5/5, Directors Chrons, March ’61. Confidential. Copies were sent to McGeorge Bundy and USIA Deputy Director Donald M. Wilson.


120. Draft Letter From President Kennedy to the Director-Designate of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, USIA, Box 290. No classification marking. According to a handwritten notation, the letter was drafted by Thomas C. Sorensen on March 10. No record has been found of the President signing a letter resembling this draft, but according to an attached March 10 memorandum from Murrow to McGeorge Bundy, this draft reflected at least the intentions of the White House at that time. It was sent in response to a written request by Bundy which, Murrow wrote, grew out of Bundy’s earlier discussions with Deputy Director Wilson.


121. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to U.S. Information Agency Staff

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, USIA, Box 290. No classification marking. Two copies of this memorandum were provided to McGeorge Bundy under cover of a memorandum from Frederic Bundy of USIA, April 27. (Ibid.)


122. Paper Prepared in the U.S. Information Agency

Source: Kennedy Library, Arthur M. Schlesinger Papers, White House Subject Files, Classified Subject File, USIA, Box 48. Secret; Eyes Only. An attached covering memorandum from Murrow, dated May 8, transmitted this paper to Walt Rostow at the White House. It reads in part: “It seemed to me best to try to outline the magnitude of the problem we face in attempting to coordinate or consolidate United States radio efforts. This is our effort to do so. As you will observe, the paper is stripped of technicalities and I fear the alternatives are none of them satisfactory.”


123. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk and the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to President Kennedy

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Policy and Plans-Nuclear Testing/61. Official Use Only. According to a memorandum from Frederic O. Bundy, this memorandum did not go directly to the President, but was intercepted by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., who then forwarded it to McGeorge Bundy under cover of a June 19 memorandum. (Ibid.) Schlesinger’s memorandum is printed as Document 124.


124. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Schlesinger) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Policy and Plans-Nuclear Testing/61. No classification marking.


125. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the Under Secretary of State (Bowles)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Govt. Agencies, DOD/61. Secret. Drafted on June 24 by Thomas C. Sorensen and J. O. Hanson.


126. National Security Action Memorandum No. 61

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Policy and Plans-Nuclear Testing/61. Official Use Only.


127. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the Director for Policy and Plans, U.S. Information Agency (Sorensen)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Policy and Plans-General/61. No classification marking. Drafted by C. R. Payne of the Office of the Director. Copies were sent to Schlesinger, Bundy, and Rostow at the White House and to Assistant Secretary of State Tubby later the same day under cover of a memorandum from Murrow and Rostow. (Ibid.)


128. National Security Action Memorandum No. 63

Source: Kennedy Library, Arthur M. Schlesinger Papers, White House Subject Files, Classified Subject File, USIA, Box 48. Top Secret. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretaries of the armed services, and to the President’s Special Counsel, Military Representative, and Military Aide. Copies were also passed to Arthur Schlesinger, Evelyn Lincoln, McGeorge Bundy, and Bromley Smith/Charles E. Johnson.


129. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the Heads of all U.S. Information Agency Elements and All U.S. Information Service Posts

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Office of the Director-Circular Letters/61. Official Use Only. Drafted by Edgar D. Brooke.


130. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Subjects Series, Nuclear Testing, Box 799. Confidential.


131. Memorandum From the Director of the Research and Reference Service, U.S. Information Agency (Stephens) to the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow)

[Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 1415, FOIA/Classified Folder. Confidential. 2 pages of source text not declassified.]


132. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, USIA, Box 290. A handwritten note on the memorandum by Bromley Smith reads: “Kaysen’s views attached.” Another handwritten note by Bundy reads: “I told him on phone OK.” The memorandum was passed to Bundy under cover of a November 2 memorandum from Kaysen. (Ibid.)


133. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, USIA, Box 290. No classification marking.


135. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to All U.S. Information Agency Media Heads

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Policy and Plans-General (IOP)/62. Confidential.


136. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (McGhee) to the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, FOIA. Confidential.


137. Letter From Secretary of State Rusk to the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Policy and Plans-Genl. (IOP)/62. Confidential.


138. Memorandum of Meeting

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Field-Soviet Bloc (IAB)/62. No classification marking. A handwritten notation at the top of the page reads: “To: Reed Harris.”


139. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency to Attorney General Kennedy

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Policy and Plans-Genl. (IOP)/62. Official Use Only.


140. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Smith)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, USIA, Box 94F. Top Secret.


141. Letter From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (Sylvester)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Government Agencies-DoD/1962. No classification marking. Drafted by Tom Sorensen on November 30.


142. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (Sylvester) to the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Government Agencies-DoD/1962. No classification marking.


143. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to the President’s Press Secretary (Salinger)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Govt. Agencies-White House Oct.-Dec. 1962. No classification marking. Drafted by Anderson and Sorensen on December 18.


144. Memorandum From President Kennedy to the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, USIA, Box 290. Confidential. Murrow submitted this restatement of the USIA’s mission to the NSC on September 26; see Document 140.


145. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Murrow) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 72 A 5121, Field-Europe/63. Confidential.