Psychological Strategy Board

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The Psychological Strategy Board was a committee of the United States executive formed to coordinate and plan for psychological operations. It was formed on April 4, 1951, during the Truman administration. The board was composed of the Under Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Director of Central Intelligence, or their designated representatives.[1] The board's first director was Gordon Gray, later National Security Advisor during the Eisenhower administration. The board was created in response to the growth of Office of Policy Coordination covert activities during the Korean War.[2]

Under Eisenhower, the board became a purely coordinating body. The board's function was reviewed by the Jackson Committee, chaired by William Harding Jackson, set up to propose future United States Government information and psychological warfare programs. The committee concluded that the board had been established on the assumption that psychological strategy could be conducted separately from official policy and actions, an assumption the committee disagreed with.[3] It was abolished September 3, 1953 by Executive Order, with its responsibilities being transferred to the Operations Coordinating Board.


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[edit] References

  1. ^ Staff Member and Office Files: Psychological Strategy Board Files. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.
  2. ^ Foreign Relations 1964-1968, Volume XXVI, Indonesia; Malaysia-Singapore; Philippines: Note on U.S. Covert Action Programs. United States Department of State.
  3. ^ U.S. President's Committee on International Information Activities (Jackson Committee): Records, 1950-53. Eisenhower Presidential Center website.