Office of the Historian

29. Memorandum From Paul Henze of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1

Washington, January 23, 1979

SUBJECT

  • CIA’s Soviet and East European Book and Publications Program (S)

[name not declassified] of CIA has just sent me (without going through Turner) an extremely interesting report prepared by [name not declassified] on the book distribution program targeted at the Soviet Union (TAB B).2 It demonstrates that the Soviet program is maturing and showing increase of effectiveness in depth. [name not declassified] principal theme is the way in which responses from the Soviet Program are beginning to exhibit the same patterns as the East European program did at an earlier period in its development. The report provides encouraging evidence of the sophistication and refinement of this program and demonstrates that we have here an undertaking on which we can build and expand almost indefinitely. I recommend you leaf through the first few pages and note the passages I have underlined in red. (S)

In the light of this highly positive report, it is distressing, as I mentioned to you in a recent Evening Report,3 to discover that Turner has accepted OMB’s unimaginative dictum on this program—ruling out any further expansion in 1980 or beyond. A program such as this contributes as much to our national defense as any of our weaponry—besides which its costs are chicken feed. The SCC endorsed your recommendation for continued expansion in the summer of [Page 98] 19774 and this recommendation has never been altered. To smoke out Turner (who has probably not actually given this program any serious thought) I recommend you send him the attached memorandum (TAB A)5 asking for a status report. When that comes ([name not declassified] will ensure that it makes the points we need made) we can take up the issue of reprogramming funds to cover continued expansion. (S)

RECOMMENDATION

That you sign the attached memorandum to Turner (TAB A).6

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Horn/Special, Box 3, Chron File: 1/79. Secret. Sent for action.↩
  2. Attached but not printed is a January 22 memorandum from [name not declassified] to Henze to share with Brzezinski. The memorandum noted: “The program is moving forward in a most positive way [text not declassified]. Thanks to your ability to keep the funds flowing.” The report was not attached and not found. On October 18, 1978, two days after Cardinal Woytyla was elected Pope, [name not declassified] had called Henze to tell him that “among the recipients of [name not declassified] book mailings to Eastern Europe had been Cardinal Woytyla.” Henze informed Brzezinski that [name not declassified] had been sending the Cardinal “considerable quantity of material in both Polish and English, including Kultura and Kronika articles” and that [name not declassified] received a postcard from the Cardinal thanking him for the mailings. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Horn/Special, Box 2, Chron File: 10/78)↩
  3. In a January 19 Evening Report to Brzezinski, Henze reported that Turner had accepted [text not declassified] in the Soviet and East European book program for the 1980 fiscal year. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Horn/Special, Box 6, Evening Reports File: 1–6/79)↩
  4. See Document 17.↩
  5. Attached but not printed is an undated draft memorandum from Brzezinski to Turner requesting a report on the accomplishments to date of the Eastern Europe Book Publishing and Distribution Program and a summary of plans for future implementation of the effort.↩
  6. Although a signed copy of the memorandum has not been found, a subsequent memorandum indicated it was sent on January 26. See Document 32.↩