Office of the Historian

251. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (Wright) to the Chief of the Interagency Coordinating and Planning Staff, Central Intelligence Agency (Childs)0

Washington, December 2, 1947.

SUBJECT

  • NSC Notes on Psychological Operations

Reference is made to your attached notes on Psychological Operations.1 That paragraph relating to the placing of a special panel of Army, [Page 639] Navy, and Air Force planners within CIA (or elsewhere), to give special attention to psychological operations to insure very close cooperation abroad—is very alarming.

All concerned must appreciate that this Agency is and must be the sole agency to conduct organized foreign clandestine operations. To sabotage this principle can only lead to chaos in this type of operation.

Whatever Agency is chosen to indicate the type of Black operations to be conducted, or the material and/or propaganda to be disseminated—the Central Intelligence Agency must alone be the Agency to determine how the material is disseminated. The pattern of our foreign operations will not permit supervision of these activities by other agencies if it is to be maintained as an efficient and secure operation and the conduct of Black psychological operations must fit into the over-all operational pattern.

It is possible that the actual situation is not known or appreciated by all members of the NSC staff. If you feel this is so I would be very happy to discuss it with them.

EKW

Brigadier General, USA
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/HS–74, Item 1. Top Secret.↩
  2. Not found. The memorandum appears to refer to discussions at the NSC staff level about the prospective NSC directive on psychological warfare.↩