Office of the Historian

13. Minutes of a USIA Executive Committee Meeting1

Minutes No. 4
Washington, March 31, 1969

GENERAL SUBJECT

  • Apollo 11; IMV Feature Films; Services for Foreign Press

MEMBERS PRESENT

  • Henry Loomis
  • Ben Posner
  • Hewson Ryan
  • John O’Brien
  • Ben Ellington

A. Mr. Loomis said the Agency should plan to go all-out on exploitation of Apollo 11 with no unreasonable restraints because of budgetary or bureaucratic considerations. He emphasized the need for speed in getting products to the field.2 He pointed out the need for keeping under review contingency planning in connection with Apollo 11. While not taking final action on IOP’s proposal for a worldwide telecast, Mr. Loomis said we should not be competitive with the U.S. commercials but should extend help to selected foreign telecasters.3

B. Other items:

1. Mr. Loomis reported that he discussed with the Assistant Director for IMV the Director’s decision to hold up action temporarily on the future production of Agency feature-length films. Mr. Loomis said the Director had raised three basic questions about Agency feature [Page 27] films: our capability to produce them, distribution, and whether we could be competitive with Hollywood. Mr. Loomis asked Mr. O’Brien to prepare a paper on The Seventh Generation4 taking into consideration the views of IMV, IOP, and the areas and the possibilities for effective distribution.

2. Mr. Loomis said he thought we should take a look at the services we offer to the foreign press in New York and Washington and asked Mr. Ryan to examine all aspects, including a possible “country plan” for New York.5

3. Mr. Loomis said he wanted Mr. Ellington to be present at all meetings at which reorganization of the Agency was discussed.

John O’Brien6 Executive Secretary
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 306, Executive Committee, E/CLS Files, ExComm, Entry UD–112, Box 1, Chron Files—Meetings 1 thru 4. No classification marking.↩
  2. Attached but not printed at Tab A is “Apollo 11—Agency Guidelines, Planning Paper No. 1,” submitted by IOP/P to the Executive Committee on March 28. The proposal outlined the coverage and handling of the Apollo 11 mission, scheduled to launch in July, listing approved projects, those in preparation, and others under examination.↩
  3. According to the proposal (see footnote 2, above), IOP/P proposed that, with regards to the broadcast: “a. Investigation of the feasibility of the first truly worldwide telecast, in which the astronauts in Houston (either during their quarantine period or immediately after) would discuss their experiences via satellite hookup with young people on all continents. One or two young people speaking in the presence of a young studio audience would participate from each location. The Agency would have to work this out with U.S. and foreign networks and could probably recuperate some of the costs. The dramatic use of space satellites in marking the first major milestone in the exploration of space would be highly symbolic. So would be also the concept of the first ‘envoys of mankind to the moon’ reporting to representatives of the ‘space generation’ of all mankind. Total costs of such a telecast are estimated at $85,000 for a one-hour show (including preparatory travel by the producer), but it will require much preliminary work to find out what the actual cost that the Agency itself would have to bear would be. For this preliminary work, the Executive Committee’s approval of the project in principle is required.” (Ibid.)↩
  4. Reference is to USA: The Seventh Generation, the 1960s USIA feature-length film that traced a cohort of Americans from birth to death.↩
  5. An unknown hand placed a bracket in the right-hand margin next to this point.↩
  6. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩