Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Eastern Europe; Soviet Union; Eastern Mediterranean, Volume VIII

State–PSB files, lot 62 D 333, “PSB Meetings”

No. 571
Memorandum of an Informal Meeting of the Psychological Strategy Board, Washington, March 19, 1953¹

top secret

Washington, March 19, 1953

Place: Office of the Under Secretary of State

Present:

• Messrs. Jackson, Smith, Kyes, Dulles, Stassen, Phillips, Morgan.

• Agenda Item 1. The March 13th revision of the draft plan² on Stalin’s death was further revised as follows:

  a. Version B of the Aims (Part I, para. 5b) was chosen.

  b. A summary was read and generally agreed to of changes for Parts I and II proposed by the State Department. The full written text of these changes is to be supplied to me for incorporation in the next draft.

  c. The old Part III is to be deleted and a general paragraph substituted indicating that political, military and economic actions also are to be conducted consistently with the plan and related to it. The suggestions in the old Part III are to be filed for reference, however.

  I was instructed to incorporate all changes in a new draft of the plan and circulate it to the Board for vote-slip action.

• Agenda Item 2. The draft “Staff Support for PSB Implementation of NSC Action 734d(3)” (attached to my memorandum of March 17³) was approved with the following changes:

  a. Paragraph C2 to read: “It will do this by serving as a continuous channel by which action on the psychological exploitation of the situation is coordinated and expedited.”

  b. Paragraph C3a. to read: “WGS will supervise preparation and coordination of supporting psychological plans and projects for operations implementing the strategic concept set forth in Part I.”

[Here follows discussion of agenda items 3 and 4 regarding East Germany and the frequency of Psychological Strategy Board meetings.]

1. Prepared by George A. Morgan, Acting Director.
2. The Mar. 13 revision of the draft plan is not printed. The 28-page paper was similar to the final version circulated as PSB D–40, Apr. 23. (PSB files, lot 62 D 333, “PSB Documents”) The exceptions are indicated.
3. Neither the original draft paper on staff support nor Morgan’s memorandum of Mar. 17 is printed; for the approved version of the paper on staff support, circulated as PSB D–40/1, Mar. 19, see infra. Regarding NSC Action No. 734–d–(3), see footnote 11, Document 566.