Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950–1955, The Intelligence Community, 1950–1955

119. Memorandum From President Truman to the Chairman of the Psychological Strategy Board (Smith)¹

Washington, June 21, 1952.

SUBJECT

• Organization of Psychological Strategy Board

I have been giving consideration to the organization of the Psychological Strategy Board and particularly to the question of whether the directive of April 4, 1951,² establishing it should be amended. In addition to the recommendations of the Board’s first Director and the recommendations of the Board included in your useful and constructive memorandum of May 16,³ I have had the report of a study undertaken at my direction by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget.

It is my view that, as you recommend, no change in the directive of April 4, 1951, or in the organization of the Board should be made at this time. The Board’s decision to rotate the chairmanship, with the Director taking his turn as presiding officer is consistent with the intent of the directive of April 4, 1951.

Adjustments in the relationships of the Director with the National Security Council and of the Board with the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended in your memorandum similarly can be made within the framework of the existing directive and are consistent with it. I shall speak with the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council relative to the former. Appropriate representation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the Board can be arranged by the Secretary of Defense.

I believe that it would be helpful to me if the Board could suggest occasions when I might become more directly informed of its work, particularly of its evaluation of the national psychological effort, through a meeting with the Board, the Director and the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council.

I am transmitting the report of the Director of the Bureau of the Budget on the organization of the Psychological Strategy Board for study and appropriate action by the Board.⁴ The report emphasizes the primary usefulness of the Board as an instrument for more effective planning through the organized utilization of the resources of the participating agencies. The report further stresses the need for increased emphasis upon the Board’s responsibilities for forward planning and in the evaluation of the total national psychological effort. I particularly commend these sections of the report to the attention of the Board.

Harry S. Truman

⁵

1. Source: Truman Library, Papers of Harry S. Truman, Confidential File. Top Secret, Security Information. A June 13 memorandum from Bureau of the Budget Director F. J. Lawton to President Truman indicates that the proposed memorandum to Smith had been discussed with Souers, Lay, and Smith, and that all were in agreement with it. (Ibid.)
2. See Document 60.
3. Not printed. (Truman Library, Papers of Harry S. Truman, Confidential File)
4. Attached but not printed is the April 21 report entitled “The Psychological Strategy Board: Selected Aspects of Its Concept, Organization and Operations.”
5. Printed from a copy that indicates Truman signed the original.