GRAY ASKED BY PRESIDENT TO HEAD NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE BOARD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003300140001-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 25, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 9, 1951
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Ref 3bQ M,P80R01731R003300140001-4
June 9,1951
page 1:2
Gray Ased by President tQ Head
New Psychologtcal.Selene 'Board
1 y tcah[ e:fi 11. WAUGONI' R T ~ t,
lane, formgy_`-secretary of ~h.l
,king and offior ;rrf an hfticlfI;
report on for'eL n ?ecctno.rnic,,,pollry,
has been asked'by F9rc~`(dcriy 1 tt-~
ney }taycliolvgical
man to direct a
warfare board wjpffir ?I formed
to devise strategy a'{(aliis Russian
ommunl tni in all b'ut military ep-
crations.
tTniversity of North Caroljia, Is
regarded t'. -the President anA.
11 alher high A ministration n data
" L
aJ having e
for coordlnntlttg'euch many-sided
programs as the one for which lie
is now being -nought. -- fi-"
The new agency will be an tndi-
pendent unit but will operate
through the aeUvttes of the State
. d1,Defenaa Departments and the
Central Intelligence ,Agency and
report to the National Security
Council.
Assigned as directors of the new
boartl_ would be James Z. Webb,
Under' tecretarr of State: Robert
A. -Lovlt:.t, Deputy Secretary of
Gordon Gray
Tht Ktw Ynrt'Tamer (WUhlnr!^n Eurtrtt
Defense;. and Lieut. Gen. Walter
Bedell,. Smith, 'director of the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency.'
The division of rer.ponsibility for
Continued on rake s, Column S,
10"..t nor r.f tity AI~lrEi 11+4'',1 i~d"~
l,u a !t"lI!1 tro,li,7o
uLlr
111UMAN A'S'I'S G1RAY,
'.TO HtAi NEW UNIT
the charttn# of atraieglc nftenaiven
in the propsgsnda, pi,litlcel` nod
ecifnomta fields- -%%hich together
i "psychological viartal'r". -
.Van behind rrrrsideni Trumen'e re-
cent dreialon to create a separate
and conti'gliing agency Or r that
purpose. t
A Natfona} Peycimlogiral rai-
egy Boatel was creat,od within the
Secretary of Stela foe Public Af-
fairs, who wart named thairuian.
Thay:board operated ljiterdeport-
mettally, with full repretientation
given to the Defense Department,
the o.... .:hle.(s of :41aff and the
Central Inlrtllgence. %gt.n4.y and
"halainn" rrpieeerilatton to the
F;4onamla Cortpeiatlan Adrninie-
tratlon.
The board-h" operated almost,
exclusivel.y'In thi information and
propagand'ii1ie1d;, how.eveg';'Mnd did
not protide the stiff l darshlp
for .a genuine psyhhoIpgfcal war-
fare operation sough. noW by the -;--E-
Administtfttibri.
The new board, it lit, idr.ratoorl:
will reprfee.nt a. comprorfilee nn
propcinali.t sii4 nitted, by' the ..State
an,, Defenit Departments rnAny
wee(Sa ago WIcn,Mr'rwnin asked
for a ; btgh powered str ite*y.plan-
hing .tg4nc5'
The .$'tatt .$~"Arnm 'nt.` felt that
Its oaa n pfi .4gical, strategy
board, wltb powers, would
meet the r i ulrt erit, The Defense
Departrn,ent; bpwEYer, proposed a
separate agency. , -'
The choice pt4 the President re-
moves the b$apd t'pofn the exclusive
control' of , onyy s Able department
but-given tlle,,Wiireaui meal directly
concerned an,-equal voice In Its,
direction and planning actlvitlea.
he boar*l'i own staff Is ex-
ptcted to be a email On, according
t~ well-lnfirniEd souri?ea. , When
pollcy is to be made or operation
;planned for a specific job or
geograph)cal area, It waa'said, the
expe ' rta hf the three departments
will be c:ailei In for consultation.
A nrwhl,nper pUhfhLr r and 113(114,:
x1jilifitl owner Mt
N. C., as will no's fatilv_rr'alty pica
Idrnt.; 'Mr. tlray'htj 914() piacilrrdj
hiw in New Ynf,k -('tly. Ito enII10lyd
11
In the Army Mr'.,a ptlvalr In 13111}.1?
1042, and to i; ,u captain tui!ypui
rivetaeaM sett,; nlrr Nrs. lie
was. ntttitr~ lwWnrtntnnl tart ter} rk t
fhr Attnt l i1 anti ,y;rretaa.y lit
1A49, f+1 the age hf 411.
jet, t u ay stgrte4lz as 'ter rotary
pf the Ar_riiy In April, lU:+l)~ but
before a iontln, his. hfiveralty of-
fire lit thefvaIt he iii4L opted a sf P.?
ctal posit o;ft n>, ill asalntant to'
Krenitlct ttin~art islwl t]el1 to the)
tank i,t `t+tur>r'InertdThj' `a long' -
range lortkKn4 economic aid pro-1
gram. t~ ._ 41
Approve rlaellalaselrlQOA AR39~;Q =` [ P80 '- '~R003300140001-4
tho Provident-'s prnposal: If. b.e I .
dress,, officiate feel that the Gov'
 Approved For Relea$' i40 1 /Ur-Rla&&B& R01731 R003300140001-4
June 11,1951
page 8:4
Security het- U
Grain
Some Key Agencies Lag,` but ?Wf1
Presses Reorganization in Three Fields
for natlonaft sec? city= the Defense occurred in the I . fhe pose',
p sible complete reorgan?za'i;n of.
DePartmept and Chc.agencles most
this board is now being $tL':~-d co
closely aTlled~wi }j It -hss_ ma*
high levels and a new. chain ian
episodic, brig generally 4jgaay anc~ and other personnel soon may be
major, progrmss' ai'rce Tess it to- named. ,
ward the dcv lojnnen tlif a smooth- Jr-. the psychological warfare
ly working AFechanism. field, the : - for some group to,
Basic v enkn;fe9 In numerous formulate on d coordinate policies',
fields still exist, and two key ag~n- has long been felt. The State De
cles the Tgint S,viefs of Slaff and pariment, the Central Intelligenceil
the National Security Council- Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
atilt are the subject of much argti- the Army Department, the Departiment and erne criticisms. But inent of the Air Force, and to a';
major 'encrl;y has been devoted, lesser extent, the Department of
since General pf the Army George the Navy, either have had increas-1
C Marshlfund Itoher-, A. Lovett Ingly active psychological warfarP11
assumed ofj~%?e as Secretary and sections, or have been "interested
Deputy Secretary of Defense, re- parties."
pectivcl~, to the reorganizing, lm- The State Department long has
proving or creating of agencies in had the Voice of America- and'
lhreq specific directions--the hiu- other activities In the psychologi_
-
the _
_.
n
R
B
d
_
.
_- _
, tit"
t
II qo11]
oa
De ,clopment Board and psycholog- Army has a secret group of grow-
h
as a
icaf warfare, ing importance; the Army
Before the Korean war, and r sychological warfare section un-
its ' first 'stages. the ,Munitions der Brig. Gen. Robert A.McClure,l
fii still its functions adequately. Its and the Air Force has assigned an
relationship with other Govern- officer to active efforts In this
meat. agencies- -notably with field. So far, the Navy 'is "inter-
Charles E. Wilsnn:9 Office of De- ested" but has no active operating
tense Mobilization--were obscure. section.
It had been immersed in too much To coordinate the efforts of these
detail,. and had ovcrccntralized tt9 disparate groups, a psychological
gener l direction and control of the warfare board composed of Deputy
service',procurement and opera- Secretary of Defense Lovett, Under
Lions. - Secretary of State James T,, Webb.
Many of these weaknesses now and Ueut. Gen. Walter Bedell
have been remedied, although the Smith. Director of the Central In-
board's problem still is great, telligence Agency, was created by
greater in some ways than in executive order of the President
World 'War II, since the nation's last April 14.
mobilization today is partial and Its function is the formulation
selective rather than `all-out and and promulgation of orer-all na-
across-the-board. ttonal psychological objectives and
. The Research and Development the coordination and evaluation of
Board, on the other hand, is still the policies and programs of the
at loose ends, and the bright hopes various psychological warfare op-
of . Its post-war Inception never erating agencies. In other words,
have been fulfilled. Its organizes- the board Is not envisaged as an
tion.of committees with numerous operating agency itself; it is more
panels and joint panels may be a board of. directors. It reports to
compared to a can of angle worms, the National Security Council.
and most of its part-time scien- It was disclosed three days ago
tific personnel, experienced in their that President -Truman had asked
.field, have found it impossible, Gordon Cray to direct the board.
meeting just once a month, to keep Mr. Gray, now president of the
in touch with all the innumerable University of North Carolina, for-
details. merly was Secretary of the Army
Government and allied industrial and the author of a major report
research has become so broad that ia-9t year on foreign economic
it has been hard to find completely Polley-
disinterested civilians, that is, men When a directpr is appointed and
whose civilian jobs do not also- when he establishes his staff, it
elate them in one way or another will require some months before a
with various Govern ment-spon- Proper formulation and evaluation
bored research projects. The corp- of our psychological objectives and
n' Ittee system-with reprenfnta- progr%r[nna can be accomplished,
then the director will
tives of all three services on most and Wen
commlltees and with most commit- almost certainly be faced with
tee r mhers representing in- what ham be/.n, to date, a growing.-
teremted parties-also makes for rivalry betivten various agencies
-delayed decisions or no decisions. in this field, and some attempts
The consequence has been that at "empire-building."
the Research and Developpment li greatest job will be to make
floxrd has limped along, despite e tarn that the right hand of Gov-
efforts to inligoratis it, and a num. a ment knows what the left hand
bee of resignations of part-this or Is doing.
wr.
Approved For Release 2003/01/30 : CIA-RDP80ROl731 R003300140001-4
 Approved For Release 203/01/30 : CJJ -RDP80R01731R003300140001-4
The ew York 'Nimes
July 19,1951
page 26:2
TAKES NEW P T
Former. Army -See retary'f ea'ds
Psychological Slratkgy Unit
WA 8 HINGTON, July 14'
d n n t itt v,`tornr rr Srr,1 ri A ry n( fhr
Army nnrt nnw . prrAlde,r of t hi,.
t!nf:`r(ril} of North ('ernlirtA. NVar
_mwnrn in.t(Anv ar +3ir-rlnr of th^
~ttrtt' I'A}rhnlll,ic-al :StrMIAPv Donr+t.
iPrrrf