67. Memorandum From the Director of the United States Information Agency (Murrow) to Secretary of State Rusk1
Our experience at the Paris NATO meetings earlier this month2 has brought us to serious concern at the inadequacies of U.S. press handling at such international meetings. Roger Tubby, Arthur Sylvester and I discussed the problems involved and I would like to offer the following suggestions that we believe essential to a more effective presentation of the U.S. position.
There is no way to prevent U.S. and foreign newsmen from learning by one means or another what takes place at a multinational conference. To try to conceal the main lines of ministerial discussion has persistently proved impossible.
Reporters must write. They will write what they get whether its source is U.S. or foreign. If they get little, their speculation will compound public confusion. If they get nothing from the U.S. side, they will parrot the line of our conference partners.
U.S. acquiescence in ground rules that lead to “no background for the press” has repeatedly resulted only in obfuscating the U.S. position but has never hampered our treaty partners from quickly and clearly making known their position.
We must assume a permanent posture that the press be informed, within security limitations, of the U.S. position. We must not agree with our allies to conceal the main lines of the proceedings because it is contrary to our principle that the people have a right to know, because it results only in confusion in press reporting, and because long experience has shown that the U.S. is the only government to abide by such agreements. There will be opposition to this posture from our allies; it is essential, however, that we take a position of leadership in this respect as well as in that of policy determination.
The mechanics of communicating the U.S. position are not complex. They require:
That the principal U.S. briefing officer be present at all sessions even though no subsequent briefing is to be made;
[Page 182]That USIS public affairs officers, who are intimately familiar with the press of their countries, have opportunity for an adequate fill-in on a continuing basis from the principal briefing officer;
That overnight intelligence be systematically collected (USIS officers can provide précis of what the other delegations are saying and how the press is reacting) and be evaluated for presentation to the Secretary’s morning staff meeting;
And that background press briefings be held, occasionally before, but always during and after such conferences by senior U.S. officers so that we can seek to direct and nourish press coverage rather than try to correct distortions afterwards.
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, Director’s Subject Files, 1961, Entry UD WW 142, Box 7, Government Agencies—State, Department of, 1961 Aug–Dec. Confidential. Drafted by Murrow; cleared by Sylvester and Tubby. Harris initialed for both Sylvester and Tubby. A copy was sent to Salinger.↩
- The NATO Ministerial meeting was held December 13–15.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩