Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, National Security Affairs, Volume II, Part 2

S/S–NSC files, lot 66 D 95, “Jackson Committee”

Memorandum for the National Security Council by the Executive Secretary (Lay)¹

top secret

Washington, July 20, 1953.

• Subject:
• Report by the President’s Committee on International Information Activities dated June 30, 1953² (except Chapter 7)

• Reference: NSC Action No. 836–d³

1. This report is made in accordance with NSC Action No. 836–d: “Referred the balance of the report (the above-referenced report except Chapter 7) to the NSC Planning Board for consideration and subsequent report to the Council by July 17.”

2. The Planning Board makes the following recommendations to the Council:

a. That action be deferred on Report Recommendation No. 1 (“The necessary measures should be taken to provide net estimates of political, economic and military capabilities”) pending receipt of the report by the Continental Defense Committee which will include recommendations relative thereto.⁴

b. That Report Recommendation No. 20 (“Current consideration of this problem (electromagnetic warfare) by the NSC should be vigorously pressed”) be noted as consistent with action taken or planned by the Council on this subject.

c. That all other Report Recommendations, excluding those relating to Chapter VII, be referred to the Psychological Strategy Board for such implementation by the responsible departments and agencies as is deemed appropriate, reporting back to the Council in sixty days on progress made in this regard.

d. That further consideration be given by the Psychological Strategy Board to Report Recommendation No. 9 (“Russian language programs should be carried by RIAS addressed to Soviet occupation troops in East Germany”) in order to insure that its implementation shall not compromise the position of RIAS.

e. That, in connection with NSC Action No. 799–d,⁵ the Psychological Strategy Board give attention to Chapter VIII of the Report.

f. That the Planning Board prepare and submit a draft Directive, for Council approval, defining the purpose, responsibilities, and relationships of the United States Information Agency in accordance with the pending Reorganization Plan.⁶

James S. Lay, Jr.

1. Copies also sent to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of Central Intelligence.
2. Ante, p. 1795.
3. For NSC Action No. 836, see footnote 14, supra.
4. For documentation on continental defense, see pp. 1 ff.
5. For NSC Action No. 799, see footnote 4, p. 1174.
6. For documentation on this subject, see pp. 1591 ff.