57. Letter From the Director of the United States Information Agency (Marks) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Vance)1
As you are aware, the President and the National Security Council have given the Director of the U.S. Information Agency the overall responsibility for psychological operations in Viet-Nam.2 In order to carry out this task as effectively as possible, I believe it is desirable to define areas of responsibility among the field agencies in Viet-Nam.
The division of labor between our respective field organizations has already been worked out in Viet-Nam by appropriate officials and has received the endorsement of the responsible representatives of our agencies in Washington. The purpose of this letter is to confirm these arrangements.
Responsibility for supervision of psychological operations in Viet-Nam has been delegated to the Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs, who functions under the overall authority of the Ambassador. By agreement of all agencies concerned, he supervises the Joint United States Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO), which has incorporated all elements of USIS, the communications media personnel of the United States Operations Mission (AID) and a number of military officers.
JUSPAO is responsible for the coordination and direction of psychological operations by all American agencies in Viet-Nam, including both direct operations and the advisory function. It exercises this responsibility either through its own facilities or through technical supervision, direction, and support of the psychological operations element of the Political Warfare Directorate, Military Assistance Command in Viet-Nam (MACV).
JUSPAO’s activities in Saigon include media support of U.S. and GVN psychological operations, advisory assistance to GVN media, policy planning and guidance and technical service support for both American and GVN agencies, and overall substantive direction of the conduct of the American contribution to psychological operations.
[Page 164]At the corps level, JUSPAO carries out its work through its field representative and through the military S–5 advisor on the corps senior advisor’s staff. A statement of the responsibilities of the JUSPAO field representatives has been approved by the U.S. Mission Council in Viet-Nam and is attached.3 These representatives serve as the senior American psychological advisors to the corps commanders and province chiefs. They provide policy, planning, and guidance for U.S. psychological operations and advisory and technical assistance for GVN psychological operations. Working together with MACV and USOM advisors, they are members of an informal American team which coordinates the entire U.S. operational effort in the field.
A most significant operational level, where our personnel engaged in the overall psychological effort have their closest contact with the problems and the greatest opportunity to take action leading to their direct solution, is at the province (sector) headquarters. I do not believe that we should attempt to define rigid concepts for this echelon beyond the general statement of responsibility already issued by the U.S. Mission Council, for the needs differ from province to province and as the situation changes. I propose that we continue to allow these arrangements to be worked out on the ground between USIS and MACV under the general authority and responsibility granted to USIA and its principal representative in Viet-Nam, recognizing that the numbers of skilled personnel available for this task—whether they are from military or civilian manpower resources—are likely to fall short of requirements for some time to come. Assignments to these duties will depend on need, priorities, and availability.
If you concur, I would suggest that we agree to inform appropriate officials in our respective agencies that this letter constitutes a confirming memorandum of understanding between us.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, DIRCTR Subj Files, 1963–69, Bx 6–29 63–69: Acc: #72A5121, Entry UD WW 257, Box 26, Field—Far East (Viet Nam) July–December 1965. No classification marking. Drafted by Hays on August 27; cleared by Tull (IAF/VN) and in draft in DOD/ISA and DOD/SACSA. Moore sent the final draft to Marks under an August 26 covering memorandum indicating that the letter had the concurrence of the Interagency Psychological Operations Working Group. (Ibid.)↩
- See footnote 12, Document 37.↩
- Not found attached, but presumably a reference to Document 54. Regarding the U.S. Mission Council, see footnote 9, Document 37.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩