104. Memorandum From the Chief of the Policy Guidance Staff, United States Information Agency (Pauker) to the Assistant Manager for Policy Application, IBS (Clarke); International Press Officer, IPS (Sayles); Visual Information Specialist, IMS (Broecker); Information Specialist, ICS (Vogel); and Chief, Motion Picture–TV Contract Branch, ITV (Harris)1
SUBJECT
- The Two Sides of the Curtain
The Berlin Wall is an extension of the greater divisive barrier, the Iron Curtain, which epitomizes so much that is reprehensible in communism. This is a theme to which you have already given considerable attention. The importance of the theme is such, however, that it merits continuing reiteration by means of all the resources at your command, along the following lines:
(1) In output to audiences behind the Iron Curtain, and particularly for young people and intellectuals there, make ample use of materials designed to heighten awareness of how much they are denied—politically, spiritually, economically—compared to people in open societies;
(2) In output elsewhere, use materials designed to impress on the doubters and the confused the grim significance of the Iron Curtain—namely, that it is proof of (a) the failure of communism to satisfy basic human needs and aspirations, and (b) the inability of communism to spread without extinguishing self-determination wherever it goes.
The Director believes that a greater, sharper, concerted effort in support of these themes is desirable, within the context of that area of major emphasis which we call FREE CHOICE.2
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, Policy Guidance Files: 1953–1969, Entry UD WW 266, Box 315, Berlin (to 1964). No classification marking. Drafted by Pauker. Copies were sent to Murrow and Brady.↩
- See Document 42.↩