What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, reference CIA RDP 80 R 01731 R 000800140005 8, dated twelve October, nineteen fifty-four. It is notable because it outlines the coordination of psychological warfare research and the request for a Central Intelligence Agency representative at inter‑agency conferences. The document is hosted on The Black Vault at archive.org. PROVENANCE The memorandum was approved for release on three June, two thousand three, under a Freedom of Information Act request. The declassification authority is the Central Intelligence Agency’s Executive Review Board. The full text is available from the Black Vault entry at https://archive.org/download/cia-rdp-80-r-01731-r-000800140005-8/CIA-RDP80R01731R000800140005-8djvu.txt and the canonical PDF at the same URL. THE DOCUMENT MEMORANDUM FOR: DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE SUBJECT: Coordination of Psychological Warfare Research 1. The Office of the Chief of Psychological Warfare is responsible for the planning of psychological and guerrilla operations for the Army in the event of war. In the preparation of these plans it is essential that organized background information be prepared in support of such plans. Generally speaking, the Office, Chief of Psychological Warfare relies on the National Intelligence Surveys for intelligence and guidance. However, the National Intelligence Surveys are obviously too bulky both in content and in make‑up for use by the lower Psychological Warfare echelons in the field. While whole sections of the National Intelligence Surveys are directly useful, there are certain sections, particularly those dealing with sociological, cultural, and attitudinal matters, which must be specifically tailored and/or expanded for effective Psychological Warfare use. The Office, Chief of Psychological Warfare is aware that the National Intelligence Surveys were developed to serve all government agencies with the most complete intelligence available in the most useful form. However, as indicated above, there are special requirements, peculiar to the conduct of psychological and guerrilla warfare effort, which necessitate the organization of basic intelligence in a special format. 2. In order to meet these special needs for psychological warfare and guerrilla warfare, operational funds for this purpose have been made available to the Office, Chief of Psychological Warfare by the Chief of Staff, United States Army. The Office, Chief of Psychological Warfare plans to use all available resources within the government as well as qualified non‑governmental research agencies. The Office, Chief of Psychological Warfare is currently developing and organizing plans for all areas of the world which are or may become strategically important for military activities. These plans will be used by personnel in the field who must be provided with fairly abbreviated intelligence, tailored to psychological warfare and guerrilla warfare use for rapid…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

CIA Rdp 80 R 01731 R 000800140005 8

◆ BLUF — The short version

COLD OPEN This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, reference CIA RDP 80 R 01731 R 000800140005 8, dated twelve October, nineteen fifty-four. It is notable because it outlines the coordination of psychological warfare research and the request for a Central Intelligence Agency representative at inter‑agency conferences.

Date: JUL 17 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA Rdp 80 R 01731 R 000800140005 8 about?: COLD OPEN This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, reference CIA RDP 80 R 01731 R 000800140005 8, dated twelve October, nineteen fifty-four. It is notable because it outlines the coordination of psychological warfare research and the request for a Central Intelligence Agency representative at inter‑agency conferences.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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CIA Rdp 80 R 01731 R 000800140005 8

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