No. 32
Editorial Note
On June 16 and 17, riots broke out among the workers in East Berlin and the Soviet Zone of Germany. When the implications of these riots were discussed during the meeting of the National Security Council on June 18, the possibility was raised that the unrest might spread to other Eastern European countries. A decision, subsequently designated NSC Action No. 817–e, was therefore taken to instruct the Psychological Strategy Board to submit as soon as possible recommendations for policies and actions to exploit the situation during the following 60 days. The memorandum of discussion at the June 18 National Security Council meeting is printed in volume VII, Part 2, page 1586. The discussion and policy directives encompassed by the three documents which follow all emanated from the June 18 instruction to the Psychological Strategy Board.