Documents / FOIA release
This Top Secret study by the Interdepartmental Coordinating Group on Germany and Berlin, dated July 12, 1961, and released by the Central Intelligence Agency, answers NSC Directive No. 58 of June 30, 1961. It sets out courses of action for the Berlin crisis but does not judge their merits. It covers imminent presidential decisions, a three-phase timetable running to January 1, military preparations and mobilization, covert action, economic sanctions, public information, negotiating positions and checkpoint procedures for East German personnel.
“The Advance”7 pages
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detracting from the juridical basis of the Western case. We should also emphasize that the threat to Berlin is of Soviet manufacture. A suggested list of themes to be employed by Western spokesman and information media is appended to this report. It might be noted that these themes have already been circulated to our missions in the NATO countries and to our posts in Belgrade, Bern, Moscow, New Delhi, Stockholm and Vienna. ## 1. Background Pamphlet on Berlin A background pamphlet should be produced setting forth the basic historical facts of the Berlin situation and presenting a well-reasoned explanation of Western policy on the Berlin issue. This publication should be widely distributed to opinion-molding groups in the American community, such as newspaper editors and publishers, radio and TV commentators, foreign policy associations, world affairs councils and similar organizations interested in international developments, key officials of the AFL-CIO, the principal religious groups and other non-governmental organizations with which the Department of State maintains liaison. The pamphlet should also be sent to all members of both houses of the Congress. (Action responsibility: State.) As soon as the pamphlet is completed, it should be appropriately adapted and reproduced in foreign language versions for selected distribution by USIA through its overseas posts. It might be noted that this was done in the case of the pamphlet entitled, The Soviet Note on Berlin - An Analysis. (Steps to implement this action are already underway. Mr. Ernest Lindley, now assigned to S/P in the Department of State, is preparing the first draft). ## 2. Preparation of Feature Articles on Berlin Efforts should be made to stimulate the publication of feature articles on various aspects of the Berlin issue by both newspapers and periodicals. (Action responsibility: State, USIA.) (Note: This action has already been initiated by both agencies.) 3. Expanded
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 163 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.