144. Letter From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to the Director of the International Communication Agency (Reinhardt)1
I keep hearing that Problems of Communism is losing staff, that it is falling behind in publication schedules and that there is now consideration of reducing it from a bimonthly to a quarterly. This publication represents a unique form of collaboration between the private academic [Page 410] research community and the U.S. Government—something which your agency in its new incarnation is intended to encourage. Communist governments and movements all around the world are facing more, and more serious, problems than ever before. It is in our interest to encourage debate and discussion of these problems everywhere in the world, but especially in Communist-dominated countries and within Communist groups elsewhere. There is no better vehicle for doing this than Problems of Communism. It would be a bargain if it cost several times its current budget. It should continue to appear as a bimonthly and it should have the support it requires to be as lively and topical as its staff can make it. If you are encountering difficulty in providing needed support for this valuable publication on which I would be able to help, please let me know. I want to feel assured that it is not only going to continue its present level of excellence and timeliness, but becomes even better.
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Horn/Special (Henze), Box 1, Chron File: 8/78. No classification marking. In an August 3 letter, Reinhardt responded to Brzezinski: “In the context of ZBB, consideration was given to publishing the magazine with less frequency, as consideration was given to many other undesirable, indeed, unpalatable, but possible alternative ways of operating. In this case, as in others, the decision was made not to alter the periodicity, in recognition of the value of the publication.” (Ibid.) Henze sent Brzezinski copies of both Brzezinski’s July 31 letter to Reinhardt and Reinhardt’s August 3 reply under an August 8 covering note, stating: “While he [Reinhardt] says he fears you have had faulty information about Problems of Communism’s situation, he goes on to insist that there are no real problems and that everything is fine with the magazine. This, of course, is not what we have been hearing from a variety of sources for a long time. But the basic thrust of his letter is positive—and he is very categoric about maintaining that he recognizes the importance of the publication and is giving it full support. This is what we wanted from your letter—a firm commitment to maintain the quality and frequency of this publication.” (Ibid.)↩
- Brzezinski wrote “Zbig” above his typed signature.↩