A/MS files, lot 54 D 291, “IIA, 1953”

Memorandum by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Administration (Scott) to the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Policy and Plans, United States International Information Agency (Connors)1

confidential
  • Subject:
  • Controversial Persons
[Page 1674]

I refer to your memorandum of February 20, 1953.2 I am advised that a complete authoritative list of Communists or fellow-travellers does not exist and that it would be virtually impossible to compile and maintain such a list.

A possible solution to your problem would be to have the several IIA offices request the Office of Security to make name checks of the authors whose works it is proposed be used. SY would then furnish to the responsible official the results of the name check and a decision could then be made upon the basis of the information disclosed. If this solution appears to you to be feasible, I would suggest that you get directly in touch with John Ford in SY to work out the details. One very important detail would be the extent of the name check coverage. This will depend entirely upon the amount of time available to SY to make the checks. I would urge that the fullest checks possible be made in order that all pertinent security information in the files of other security agencies could be made available for the use of IIA. If the volume of requests for name checks is to be large, it will be necessary that funds be made available to cover the costs of these checks.

  1. Drafted on Feb. 26 by Herbert F. Linneman, Deputy Director of the Office of Security, Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs. Copies to Bracken, Phleger, McCardle, and Harris of IIA.
  2. Supra.