No. 618
Under Secretary’s Meetings, lot
53D250, Documents
Paper Prepared in the Department of
State1
secret
[Washington,] 9 March
1951.
Emergency Plan for Psychological Offensive
(USSR)
Attached are the basic papers for a planned psychological offensive
against the Soviet regime which have been prepared by an Ad Hoc Working Group formed by the Assistant
Secretary of State for Public Affairs as Director of IFIO. This plan
is founded on two assumptions:
- 1.
- That the reluctance of the peoples of the USSR to suffer
another war is a deterrent on the aggressive ambitions of
the Bolshevik dictatorship.
- 2.
- That it is within the capabilities of the United States at
the present time, and in spite of severe limitations on
means of approach to these peoples, to increase the force of
this deterrent.
The plan is within the framework of existing U.S. policy vis-à-vis
the USSR. Without waiting for possible future changes in policy,
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the intention in this
plan is to extract the maximum benefit from the existing
situation.
The plan is intended to sharpen and systematize the entire
psychological approach to the USSR. Planning has been done in close
consultation with the Voice of America, the principal agency capable
of putting it into overt execution.
It is intended that henceforth the Voice of America shall program its
output to the USSR generally within the framework of the objectives
and tasks set forth herein. Lists of suggested themes are appended
to the appropriate tasks. The lists are not exhaustive, and the
suggested themes are not designed as text for quotation in output;
they are designed only as hints for profitable lines of thought to
be followed in output, on the basis of adequate research and in
appropriate context.
Occasions will arise when, in its reportorial role, the Voice of
America will have to carry program material which does not
contribute to the objectives and themes specified in the plans. In
such cases these extraneous themes should be subordinated to the
main effort. It is understood that this will require a serious
revision in the current working procedure of the Voice of
America.
Such a plan as this cannot depend on the efforts of the Voice of
America alone. Extensive organization of research will be required.
In addition, there should be wide distribution within the government
of the basic papers in the plan so that this approach to the USSR
gets into the stream of official and semi-official public statements
and thus facilitates the work of the Voice of America.
[Attachment]
[Extract]
Paper Prepared in the Department of
State2
confidential
[Washington, March 3,
1951.]
Psychological Offensive Vis-à-vis the
USSR Objective, Tasks and Themes
U.S. psychological approaches to the USSR should be directed, in
general, toward the creation of future beneficial relations
between
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the two
nations. The present situation, however, calls for emergency
efforts to stimulate all psychological factors within the USSR
which may act as a deterrent upon the aggressive policies of its
rulers. For this purpose, therefore, all appropriate
psychological pressure shall be exerted to deter further
aggression on the part of the Soviet Union by:
- I.
- Emphasizing to Soviet rulers and peoples the reckless
nature of Soviet policy and its consequences.
- II.
- Establishing a reservoir of good will between the
peoples of the USSR and those of the free world.
- III.
- Widening the schism which exists between the Soviet
peoples and their rulers.
Necessarily implicit throughout these objectives, tasks and
themes is the suggestion to the Soviet peoples that an
alternative to the present regime can exist. It is not the
policy of the U.S. to advocate such an alternative. Consequently
no such suggestion should be made on any specific issue
(collectivization, democratic elections, etc.) without special
policy guidance. In all our output however, it should be
implicit that the eventual solution lies in a reassertion of the
human values which are the heritage of the Russian people, and
which Stalinism has repudiated.
In Support of Objective I: Emphasizing to
Soviet rulers and peoples the reckless nature of Soviet policy
and its consequences.
Tasks 1 and 2.
- 1.
- To establish the vast potential strength of the free
world, moral as well as material, in the minds of the people
of the USSR.
- 2.
- To make clear free world strength is based on the
determination and association of free men to defend their
homes and way of life against aggressors.
Suggested Themes:
- (a) The peoples of the free world regard Soviet aggression
as an attempt to enslave them and will resist such
aggression by force of arms.
- (b) The attempts of all tyrants to conquer the world have
always failed; future attempts will also inevitably
fail.
- (c) The free world has spiritual, human and industrial,
natural, economic, and technological resources as well as
the military potential necessary to defeat any attempt at
world conquest and experience and skills in their
use.
- (d) The tremendous potential of the United States which
supplied weapons to all nations, especially the USSR, who
fought against aggression in World War II is again being
marshaled to prevent further aggression.
- (e) The myth that the USSR won World War II without
significant military, economic and industrial help from the
West should be destroyed.
Task 3
3. To make clear that such strength is not being created for
aggression.
Suggested Themes:
- (a) There were no annexations of territory by the free
world as a result of World War II. On the contrary, many
nations have won their independence (India, Philippines,
etc.) through peaceful development and political
negotiations. (Caution: Do not confuse annexation with the
trusteeships and temporary occupations which have followed
World War II.)
- (b) The U.S. has no desire to possess nor control any
Russian (or Soviet) lands whatever.
- (c) In contrast to the Soviet Union, armies were disbanded
in the free world at the end of World War II. The free world
has started to rearm only as a result of the repeated
demonstrations of hostile intent and aggressive design on
the part of the Soviet government.
- (d) The free world desires only peaceful and friendly
relations with all nations and will go to war only to
protect its people, territory, and way of life from
aggression.
Task 4.
4. To establish the reckless and aggressive nature of Soviet
policy and to establish the inevitable disaster for the people
of the USSR inherent in their rulers’ quest for world
domination.
Suggested Themes:
- (a) Soviet ideology as taught by Stalin calls for an aggressive struggle by
the USSR against the so-called bourgeois states using armed
force if necessary.
- (b) Any quest for world dominion leads to war.
- (c) Stalin’s speech
of 1946 and “The History of CPSU (b)” and Stalin’s “Problems of Leninism” all portray
a philosophy which permits of no compromise and calls for
the destruction of all other systems of government, even
though they may have been created by and are defended by the
people governed.
- (d) Statements of possibility of peaceful co-existence
have been made only for the purpose of deceiving Soviet and
other peoples and for tactical advantage as taught by basic
communist doctrine. Emphasize that they have never appeared
as a basic communist tenet.
- (e) The free world recognizes the communist “peace”
campaign as a travesty when sponsored by a regime which aids
and abets aggression
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openly. It is intended to exploit the
people’s desire for peace in the selfish interests of the
Stalin
clique.
- (f) This “peace” campaign is specifically designed to
distort the motives of nations resisting communist
aggression; it is a device to immobilize the free world’s
resistance to Soviet aggression, direct or indirect.
. . . . . . .
