133. Memorandum for the Record1
SUBJECT
- Minutes of the Meeting of the 303 Committee, 22 August 1967
PRESENT
- Mr. Rostow, Ambassador Kohler, Mr. Nitze, and Mr. Helms
- Admiral R. L. Taylor was present for all items.
- Mr. David Murphy was present for Item 1.
- Mr. Rolfe Kingsley was present for Item 2.
- Mr. Jacob Esterline was present for Item 3.
- Mr. Archibald Roosevelt was present for Item 4.
- Mr. Joseph Smith was present for Item 5.
[Here follows discussion of agenda item 1, concerning programs for the Soviet Union.]
2. Italy—Covert Action Program for FY-1968
The wind-down of covert political support to Italian parties ahead of schedule was enthusiastically welcomed by the committee. The paper was approved as submitted.2
[Here follows discussion of the remaining agenda items on programs for Latin America and Africa.]
- Source: Department of State, INR Historical Files, 303 Committee Files. Secret; Eyes Only.↩
- The [text not declassified] paper for the 303
Committee, August 4, stated the following regarding the wind-down of
covert political support:
“The point has been approaching rapidly in recent years where the continuation of a large-scale covert action program in Italy would no longer have pertinence. Currently, socialist unification has been achieved and the Christian Democratic Party (DC), [1 line of source text not declassified]despite continuing financial problems, is at least for the time being well united behind its incumbent political secretary. Domestic funds are available if [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] political groups make sufficient efforts to tap them. In addition, the amount of covert assistance the United States is prepared to offer in light of other more pressing commitments no longer equates with the amounts needed to have other than peripheral impact on the Italian political scene.” (National Security Council, Special Group/303 Committee Files, Subject Files: Italy)
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