PSYCHOLOGICAL OFFENSIVE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003500150018-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 29, 2003
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: September 13, 1950
• Content Type: MEMO

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Y DEPMIT .LENT OF STATE
'1ASHINCTON
COI'IDICL
September 13, l9;_
Certain American Diplomatic and Consular Officers.
The Secretary of State irform:s the officers in charge of the
fact that the Department is seekin/ additional funds from Congress
for the Information and Educational.. Exchange Program in order to
meet new conditions resulting from the aggressive activities of th13
Soviet Union.
The proposal for supplemental appropriations for USIE during
the fiscal year 1951 is predicated upon certain assumptions vrhich
the Department believes to be valid. The proposal is also an
expression of a revised philosophy in dotermini.ng the functions of
this program in the conduct of foreign policy. This revised
philosophy in turn specifies an entirely new approach in determining
methods of USIE operation in that it keys them to critical needs in
priority ratios,
In preparing the proposal for USIE expansion, the Department
noted the follovrings
1. Propaganda activities of the USSR now border on open
psychological warfare against the I'Vee World and are a major
threat to the foreign policy objectives of the United States.
2. The political, economic a;d military means undertaken by
the United States and i :s allies eon obtain maximum results only if
the psychological effect of these programs is beneficial to, arri in
support of, their objectives,
3. a psychological offensive based on truth is essential if the
United States is to succeed in its foreign policy objectives.
State Dept. review completed
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4, It is necessary for the United States to build up its
strength in this field immediately just as it is necessary to build
UP the strength of political., economic and military programs.
5o The effort must be directed initially toward creating
psychological strength and resistance to communism and Soviet
imperialism in the areas and countries of most immediate critical
concern to the foreign policy objectives of the United States,
?'he proposed ex4andea t~ror are is thus not lus repainn of
nor?na USIE o rations as hitherto conducted0 It to
of a ffort. tea achiezre s cific m ? re-~
of hitting designated is founded upon the he n necessity
targets on a priority basis, rather than of
more general dissemiiution of information,
In selecting the targets, the Department first specified that
twenty eight countries constitute an "area of concern". These rmre
then grouped into four zones, each characterized by a different
degree of domination by, or su.7ceptibility to the influence of,
world cormunism.
Within each of the twenty..eight countries, priority target
groups most important to the achievement of our foreign policy
objectives were specified. Priorities were then placed on the most
effective means of reaching these groups among the various media
available radio' motion pictures, press and publications, informa-
tion libraries and exchange of persona,
The Department intends to direct the full impact of the expanded
psychological offensive at the four zones of concern. Two of these
zones are the satellite or captive countries and the Soviet Union,
itself., and in respect to them the increased effort will be primal-ily
in the field of radio activities conducted from outside the coup
(The problem in Korea presents a special case and is being treated es,
separately,)
The other two zones are (1) those countries which could become
the next targets of Communist aggression and (2) those countries where
the'danger of the disaffection of large groups is present or most'
probable.
There are twenty-one countries in the latter two zones. They
arer
Afghanistan, Austria, Burma, Ceylon, Finland, France, 1,estern
Germ any, Greece, India, 'rndo.China, Indonesia, Iran.. Italy,,
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Japan, Elalaya, Pakistan, Philippines, Trieste,, Turkey,
Thailand and Yugoslavia.
In each of these twenty-one countries, the Department intends
there should be an enlargement at the 11ission of discretionary
action, under the direction of the Chief of .tission, and extending
to all USIE officers in the country, as to specific USIE program
operations necessary to carri- out a successful psychological
offensive, This enlarged discretionary action may extend to aartivitfus
disassociated from USIE, if necessary.
This instruction is itself authority to the Chiefs of "Iiss.on to
exercise the enlarged discretionary action.
The Department believes that it can achieve its objectives in
the psychological offensive by relying more extensively upon the
firsthand knowledge and special skills of the personnel in its posts
and especially of the Public Affairs Staffs. Thus it is hoped that a
greater degree of imagination and initiative be exelcised in the use
of indigenous sources and channels to achieve expanded production of
materials, more direct dissoraination toward priority targets and
increased specialized activities in respect to labor, students, in.
tellectuals, etc.
The Department expects to utilize funds from the supplemental
appropriation, if and whon it is provided, to increase consider*bly
the contingent expense and alien salary allotments for USIE activities
in the twenty-one countries. Other additional allotments will be made
to provide the necessary administrative support both in the twenty-one
countries and in the Department,, and this will include support *ecessa y
for acquisition of additional space facilities. Further, the Departme.It
will allot additional funds to provide for more American personnel en.
gaging in USIE activities in the twenty-one countries.
No supplemental appropriations have been requested from Cozress
for USIE operations in countries other than the twentyei ; t grouped
in the four zones of concern, However, though the operations in those
countries are contemplated under the regular 1951 appropriation at oral;
a minimum holding operation level, if the supplemental, appropriation
is provided they can be augmented by the availability of a eubstantial:.y
larger amount of basic media material prepared primarily for use in this
four zones of concern. Lioreover, there is a physical limitation on tl sa
extent to which USIE operations can be expanded in the fiscal your 195..
Thus, a calculated risk is being taken with countries for which the
time factor does not seem as urgent at this time. In preparing for tho9
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1952 budget, the Department is already taking into account the ad-
visability of expanding activities in other countries on a priority
basis.
The Department recognizes that in the spaco of a few weeks
political, exigencies may require the revision of the geographical
composition of the zones of concern and also that the various priori
targets may shift and that target media priority relationships !iay
change. Consequently, the contemplated program will be kept fluid
in nature.
The Department now desires;, that, with the above background and
explanation in mind, the Chiefs of 'fission and those responsible und it
them for public affairs activities in the twenty-one countries need
above begin at once, even before Congressional action is taken on th~f
requested appropriation, to review all special problems arising from
the need for a psychological offensive in those twenty-one countr..ce
The Department also desires the Officers in Charge in countries o.he
than the twenty-one listed to apply to their present and future USIE
operations the now principle of directed effort toward specific tar i is
to the extent possible under the limited 1951 regular appropriations
Careful forward planning at each mission is as essential to sue-
as
planning in the Department,
The objective As to hays drawn up raady
for implementation such specific programs of action In each country
i
th
f
n
e
our zones of concern as are necessary to roach priority tar
groups with the least noticeable fanfare but with th3 maximum
effectiveness,
If the requested supplementary appropriation is provided., the
challenge will be to act promptly to achieve widest -)ossible invest:
of the increased funds.
The Department desires the Chiefs of r. ission, or principal offic yrs.
assisted by their Public Affairs Staffs, to forward by air as soon an
possible summaries of contemplated projects with estimated costs and
recommendations for their execution. The Department has noted propo is
already submitted by many posts in this respect and has taken them 4111"o
account in preparing the requested supplemental appropriation. Hower r,
the Department will require specific summaries and estimates on pro;jt..ts
that are pertinent to conditions prevailing at the present time or soh >n
the funds become available,
The Department is addressing this instruction to most post3 wha .
there are USIE activities. The Department desires that the Chigafs of
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Mission in each country direct a coordinated USIE program throtgaout
the country' integrating into a single program the soparate USIE
activities of all the posts in the country. This coordination. anti
integration should begin with the planning of projects requested in
this instruction.
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P
Y
This instruction is being sent to the following Foreign Service 1x ste
VISSLOM
Djakarta
Praha
Dublin
Pretoria
Addis Ababa
The Hague
Rangocn
Amman
Helsinki
Reykjavik
Ankara
Jidda
Rome
Athens
Kabul
Bologna
Baghdad
Karachi
Saigon
Bangkok
Lisbon
Phnom Penh?
Beirut
London
Cambodia
Belgrade
Luxeobourg;
Seoul
Bern
riadrid
Stockholm
Brussels
Manila
Taipei.
Bucharest
(Davao
Tangier
Budapest
Iloilo)
Tehran
Cairo
Monrovia
Tel Aviv
Canberra
Moscow
War saw
Colombo
Now Delhi
weUington
Copenhagen
Oslo
Vienna
Damascus (Aleppo)
Paris (Lille)
Tokyo (Sobev Na.& ) 7v.
Sapporo, Yokoa=r)
CONSULATES
Calgary
Vancouver
Basra
Curacao
Victoria
Belfast
Edmonton
Windsor
Bergen
Georgetown
Winnipeg
Bilbao
Godthaab
Birmingham
Halifax
Accra
Bomba;T
Kingston
Adelaide
Bordeaux
Martinique
Aden
Bradford
Niagara Falls
Alexandria
Brisbane
Paramaribo
Algiers
Calcutta,
Quebec
Amsterdam
Capetown
Regina
Antwerp
Cardiff
St. John
Amara
Casablanca
St. Johns
Barcelona
Cebu
Toronto
Basel
Cherbourg
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CONSULATES (Con't)
Cork
Dacca.
Dakar
Dames-Salaam
Dhahran
Durban
Edinburgh
Elisabethville
Florence
Geneva
Genoa
Gibraltar
Glasgow
Groteborg
Haifa
Hanoi
Hong Kong
Istanbul
Fair
Jerusalem
Johannesburg
Kuala Lumpur
Lagos
Lahore
Le Havre
Leopoldville
Liverpool
Lourenco Marques
Luanda
Lyon
Madras
Malaga
Manchester
Marseille
Medan
Melbourne
Meshed
Milan
Mombasa
Nairobi
Naples
Newcastle-on-tyne
Nice
Nicosia
Noumea
Oporto
Palermo
Patras
Perth
Part Elizabeth
Port Said
Rabat
Rotterdam
Salisbury
Salonika
Salzburg
Seville
Singapore
Southampton
Strasbourg
Surabaya
Sidney
Tabriz
Tananarive
Tenerife
Trieste
Tripoli
Tunis
in
Valencia
Valletta
Venice
Vigo
Zagreb
Zurich
C0 ANT
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