Office of the Historian

116. Minutes of a National Security Planning Group Meeting1

Washington, December 15, 1987, 2–2:45 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Covert Action Update

PARTICIPANTS

  • The Vice President’s Office

    • The Vice President
    • Craig Fuller

  • State

    • John Whitehead
    • Michael Armacost
    • Curtis Kammen

  • Treasury

    • Secretary James Baker

  • DOD

    • Secretary Frank Carlucci
    • Richard Armitage

  • OMB

    • James Miller

  • CIA

    • Judge William Webster
    • [name not declassified]

  • JCS

    • Admiral William Crowe
    • Vice Admiral Jonathan Howe

  • Justice

    • Charles Cooper

  • White House

    • Howard Baker

  • NSC

    • Colin Powell
    • Paul Stevens
    • Nicholas Rostow
    • Barry Kelly
    • Mary Henhoeffer

Minutes

The President opened the meeting and made the following points:

[Omitted here are discussions unrelated to the Soviet Union]

Judge Webster: [Omitted here are discussions unrelated to the Soviet Union.]

—As I noted in my address2 to the nation following the summit, I appreciate the support the American people have given to our policy of aiding Freedom Fighters around the globe.3 Without a strong covert action capability, much of this support would not be possible.

[Omitted here are discussions unrelated to the Soviet Union.]

—Given last week’s summit, Mr. President, I’ll begin with the most topical part of my presentation—our media and influence program [Page 682] aimed at the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Gorbachev’s glasnost policy has created a new environment, in the Soviet Union promoting a freer flow of information and even fostering an internal debate about major domestic issues. We are trying hard to exploit this new environment and I brought along a prime example of the kind of work we are doing in this regard. This is an edition of the Soviet dissident magazine GLASNOST which is published monthly in Moscow and barely tolerated by the regime. It is, however, denied access to newsprint and normal means of distribution. [5½ lines not declassified]

—I’m told, Mr. President, that one of the articles in this particular edition is a review of the Phil Donahue television show on which Vladimir Posner, the now well-known Soviet propagandist and spokesman, was the featured guest. The author remarks wistfully that it would be nice if the Soviet Union had a few Donahues of its own who could get away with making critical or even outrageous remarks about their government’s leaders and policies. [9½ lines not declassified]

—I’ve brought along a few other examples of our work in this area:

• [1 paragraph (5 lines) not declassified]

• This next item is a gift for you, Mr. President, that I think you can consider comes from the Polish people. These are souvenir stamps printed by Solidarity and sold to the Polish people in order to raise money for Solidarity activities. [1½ lines not declassified] (The President and the Statue of Liberty are featured on the stamps.)

The President: I’m on a stamp and so is the other woman in my life.

Judge Webster:

—In August, Mr. President, you signed an MON increasing the size of the Soviet program [less than 1 line not declassified]. This was the recommendation of the NSPG review of covert action programs in April 1987 and will permit us both to exploit the greater openness afforded by glasnost and the technological revolution which has come to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

[Omitted here are discussions unrelated to the Soviet Union.]

  1. Source: Reagan Library, NSC Intelligence Files, System IV Files, Box H381, 40776–40800. Top Secret; [handling restriction not declassified]. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. For the text of Reagan’s radio address of December 12, see Public Papers: Reagan, 1987, vol. II, pp. 1515–1516.↩
  3. Reference is to March 31 and April 7 meetings of the Planning and Coordination Group (Reagan Library, 1988 SYS IV RWR INT 40326–40348)↩