Foreign Relations of the United States, 1917–1972, Volume VIII, Public Diplomacy, 1969-1972

179. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Director of the United States Information Agency (Shakespeare)¹

Washington, October 23, 1972

SUBJECT

• VOA Outstanding Performance in the Psywar Campaign against North Vietnam

The President has asked me to convey to you his appreciation for the outstanding work done by the Voice of America over the past months in its support of the campaign to bring home to North Vietnam the determination of the United States in the wake of the North Vietnamese invasion of the South.²

He has been kept fully aware of your efforts to assure that the fullest coverage was provided and has noted with satisfaction the imagination and persistence with which the VOA and the Agency have pursued this task.

The President considers this an example of professionalism and dedication of which the United States Information Agency can be justly proud.

Henry A. Kissinger

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 306, Agency Files, Voice of America. Confidential. Kennedy and Holdridge sent the memorandum to Kissinger under an October 23 memorandum, stating: “VOA has done a first-rate job broadcasting to North Vietnam in support of the psywar campaign directed by the President. Early in the campaign Frank Shakespeare diverted personnel and other resources toward the North Vietnam target, away from other areas, to make certain VOA broadcasts would have the impact on the North Vietnamese that the President’s directions called for. The contents of VOA programs have been imaginatively worked out to keep pressure on the DRV. We believe that the DRV reaction to these broadcasts is proof of their effectiveness.” (Ibid.)
2. Reference is to North Vietnam’s Easter Offensive, which began on March 30, 1972, when regular army units advanced into South Vietnam along three fronts: across the Demilitarized Zone toward Dong Ha and Quang Tri, from bases in Laos toward Dak To and Pleiku in the Central Highlands, and from bases in Cambodia toward Loc Ninh and An Loc northwest of Saigon. For the U.S. response to the offensive, see Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. XIV, Soviet Union, October 1971–May 1972, Documents 73–124, and ibid., vol. VIII, Vietnam, January–October 1972, Documents 47–130.