Office of the Historian

11. Memorandum for the Record1

Washington, May 4, 1964.

SUBJECT

  • Meeting at Department of State—4 May 1964—to Discuss National Policy Papers

OFFICIALS PRESENT

  • CIA:
    • Mr. Helms
    • [name not declassified]
  • State:
    • Mr. Rostow
    • Mr. Yager
    • Mr. Ford2

The meeting was called at the request of Mr. Rostow to discuss National Policy Papers.

Mr. Rostow suggested that the completion of a given National Policy Paper would be a good time to review the CIA ops program in that area with the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau, insofar as such program supported the National Policy Paper. Mr. Helms agreed to this since this is in accord with our present procedures.

Mr. Rostow also suggested that at the time of the completion of a National Policy Paper, it would be a good opportunity for complete stock taking of our (CIA-State) position in this area. Mr. Helms agreed and said that we have been doing just that in the Clandestine Services with annual operational program reviews and believed it was a good idea.

Mr. Rostow then brought up the Comprehensive Country Programming System saying he believed this would complement the National Policy Papers and was the logical means to check the application of money, assets, and manpower to carry out objectives in the National Policy Papers.3

Mr. Helms agreed that we would cooperate but did not expect the Comprehensive Country Programming System to surface our personnel or operations. Mr. Rostow assured him that this was not the intention, and that security would be preserved.

Mr. Rostow said that in the National Policy Papers there is some concern about the mention of the Agency (CIA) by name, but he saw no problem here. Yager or Ford said that James Critchfield referred to USIB [Page 18] Agency in the [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] papers but that working groups were using a formula paragraph suggested by CIA members.

Mr. Rostow saw no reason why this could not be worked out satisfactorily. Mr. Helms agreed.

[name not declassified] said that CIA had agreed on a position which either [name not declassified] or Mr. Cooper would discuss with Mr. Ford or Mr. Yager at a later date. The position, briefly stated, is that CIA actions would be outlined only in covert annexes but not in the main paper.

[name not declassified]
[title not declassified]4
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DDI Files, Job 80S–00004A, National Policy Papers; Procedures, 1961–1969. Secret. Prepared by [name not declassified] of CIA’s Directorate for Plans.↩
  2. Joseph A. Yager, a member of the Policy Planning Council, and John W. Ford, Executive Secretary of the Council.↩
  3. For a fuller discussion of the Comprehensive Country Programming System and its relationship to National Policy Papers, see Document 22.↩
  4. Printed from a copy that indicates [name not declassified] signed the original.↩