INITIAL EMERGENCY ACTION FOR OVERT PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE REPORT BY THE STATE-ARMY-NAVY-AIR FORCE COORDINATING SUBCOMMITTEE FOR SPECIAL STUDIES AND EVALUATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00022R000400110014-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 15, 2004
• Sequence Number: 14
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Relea2004/10/08 : CIA-RDP84-00022R000110014-4
S E C R E T
E N C L 0 S U R E
INITIAL EMERGENCY ACTION FOR
OVERT PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
Report by the
State-Army-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Subcommittee
for Special Studies and Evaluations
THE PROBLEM
1. To define the initial emergency action to be taken in
the field of overt psychological warfare in the event of war or
threat of war as determined by the President; provided that no
national wartime agency for 'overt psychological warfare, or nucleus
thereof, shall have been established.
FACTS BEARING ON THE PROBLEM
2. - SWNCC 304/1 approved 29 April 1947, Appendix
II u
states
117. The Subcommittee on Psychological Warfare (PWC)*
shall be responsible for the:
"a. Preparation of national plans and implementing
directives relating to the employment of psychological
warfare in time of war (or threat of war as determined
by the President), and for transmission of subject plans
to SWNCC. **
"b. Preparation of plans for orderly and effective
organizational transition of the P.W.C. from peacetime
to wartime status, and for transmission of these plans
to SWNCC.**
"+c. Coordination of implementation of approved plans
and directives as specified in a, preceding, in the
absence of. a national wartime organization for psycho-
logical warfare.
* Now the Subcommittee for Special Studies and Evaluations (SSE)
` Now the State-Army-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee
(SANACC)
SANACC 304/17 - 101 -
Enclosure
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rrd. Guidance and supply of necessary information,
including implementing requirements therefor, concerning
national psychological warfare plans to appropriate
policy offices of the State, War and Navy Departments
and to the Director of Central Intelligence, and to
authorized coordinating agencies of other Departments
of the Government of the United States.
'r
SANA-6199, 13 August 1948, modified the Charter of the
SANAC Subcommittee for Special Studies and Evaluations (SSE),
directing the Subcommittee "to confine its studies and plans to
overt psychological warfare, for use in time of war or threat of
war as determined by the President."
3. No national agency for planning and coordinating wartime
overt psychological operations in support of j oi.nt war plans or
national policy is now in existence. Under. the policy guidance
of the State-Army-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee, the
Subcommittee for Special Studies and Evaluations is the only unit
within the Executive branch of the Federal government presently
charged with planning and coordinating responsibilities for such
operations.
4. The Interdepartmental Coordinating Staff, established
within the Department of State under the provisions of NSC-4*2
assists in obtaining the most effective utilization and coordina-
tion of all federal foreign information facilities in accordance
with the intent of Public Law 402 (80th Congress). The Inter-
departmental Coordinating Staff is not charged with planning in
peacetime for the conduct of overt psychological warfare in
support of joint war plans.
5. The Department of State and the National Military Estab-
lishment currently operate information facilities which are
adaptable for immediate conversion to overt psychological warfare
activities in an emergency.
Paragra;:)h 8c, NSC-4 established a staff consisting of personnel
detailed from each appropriate department or agency (State, Army,
Navy, Air Force, CIA) to assist the Assistant Secretary of State
for Public Affairs.
SANACC 304/17 102 - Enclosure
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S E 0 R E T
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S E C R E T
ASSUMPTIONS
6. Armed conflict will be forced upon the U.S. without
warning by a foreign power or group of powers,
7. Appropriate authority will provide national policy
guidance for psychological warfare,
CONCLUSIONS
8. Under the conditions assumed above, and under the present
Charter responsibilities of the SANAC Subcommittee for Special
Studies and Evaluations, the absence of a national organization
for overt psychological warfare will require that the State-Army-
Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee immediately request appro-
3riate higher authority to designate formally' the Subcommittee as
the nucleus of the national Agency as approved in SANACC 304/6
and 304/12, and supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in SAdAUU
304/14; such Agency to function under policy guidance as provided
for in the SANACC 304 series.
9. Under the authority provided in paragraph 9 above, said
national Agency will coordinate the implementation of overt psy-
chological warfare plans and directives of appropriate Federal
departments and agencies,
10. Overt psychological warfare operational responsibilities
should be assigned to Executive Departments as follows:
a. To the Department of State responsibility for overt
psychological warfare activities outside of theaters of
military operations;
'p. To the National Military Establishment., under guid-
ance of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responsibility for overt
psychological warfare activities within theaters of military
operations.
RECOMMENDATION
11. It is recommended that the above Conclusions be approved
and appropriate agencies be advised.
SANACC 304/17 - 103 -
(Revised 3 January 1949)
S E 0 R E T
Enclosure
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S E C R E T COPY N0.
3 January 1949
STATE-AR"i:.Y-NAVY--AIH FORCE COORDINATING COMMITTEE
CORRIGENDUM
TO
SANACC 304/17 `--
INITIAL E..ERGENCY ACTION FOR OVERT 7- SYCHCLOG ICAL WARFARE
Note by the S,rcretarie s
At the request of the originators holders of SANACC 304/17
are requested to make the following changes therein:
a. Substitute the attached revised page 103 for pages
103 and 104 contained therein and destroy the superseded
pages by burning.
b. Change the notation "Pages 101-104, incl ", at, the
top of the cover page thereon to read "Pages 101-103, incl. ~-~,.~
25X1
Secretariat
S E C R E T
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