PSB files, lot 62 D 333, “Record of Meeting”
No. 742
Memorandum of Informal Meeting of
the Psychological Strategy Board on August 5, 1953, by the
Acting Director of the Psychological Strategy Board (Morgan)
Place: Office of the Director of Foreign Operations Administration
Present:
- Messrs. Jackson, Smith, Kyes, Dulles, Stassen and Morgan.
[Here follows discussion of future United States problems in the satellite states. Psychological Strategy Board relations with the United States Information Agency, and a study of the decline of United States prestige abroad.]
Agenda Item 4. German Developments
The Board considered a number of suggestions for action. It felt that a second note to Moscow1 might be over-doing it at this time, and that for the coming week the following would suffice: (1) the High Commissioner’s offer to release for the purchase of food East German funds now frozen; (2) a strong line on RIAS attacking East German repressive measures as a crime against the people; and (3) the scheme to encourage East Berliners to pass food parcels on to Germans in the East Zone (“Every German help a German.”). Messrs. Dulles and Kyes also agreed to inquire for suggestions on how to discourage East German police and paramilitary personnel from taking part in repressive measures. The Board agreed further that the current procurement of food for the German operation should continue in order to keep the stockpiles high, and that a certain proportion of the food for East Germany should not be consigned directly to the German Federal Republic in order to retain for the U.S. a free hand to meet contingencies. In addition, it was agreed that press clamor for greater use of the “Made in America” label in connection with this program should be firmly resisted. In general the Board felt that a change of pace might be more desirable than a steady build-up in the exploitation of satellite unrest. With this thought in mind, it directed the PSB D–45 Working [Page 1639] Group2 to inquire into the possibility of shifting the main action to Poland or some other satellite country.
[Here follows discussion of an Executive order on the Operations Coordinating Board and other business.]
- In telegram 441 to Bonn, Aug. 4, the Department of State had transmitted to Conant for comment a revised draft note (see footnote 2, Document 732, for a description of the original draft note, and telegram 290 from Bonn, Document 733, for its disposition) to the Soviet Government emphasizing the need for food in the German Democratic Republic and requesting the removal of travel restrictions for Soviet Zone residents to facilitate food distribution. (862B.49/8–453)↩
- PSB D–45, “Interim U.S. Psychological Strategy Plan for Exploitation of Unrest in Satellite Europe,” June 29, 1953, is not printed.↩