Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Paul Hoffman, Eric Johnston, and Edward W. Barrett

Please COPY Return to DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation rom Secretary office DATE: April 26, 1950 5:00 p.m. SUBJECT: Film Projects for ECA and the Cold War CHARGE 1054 5 and RECORDS AND PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary Mr. Paul Hoffman, Administrator of ECA Mr. Eric Johnston, President of the Motion Picture Association of America Mr. Edward W. Barrett COPIES TO: S OII:IMP 1-1493 Mr. Hoffman reported that he had had talks with Barry Bingham and Eric Johnston regarding two projects: (1) enlisting professional help to make short documentary-typ films on ECA, utilizing counter - part funds in foreign countries; and (2) mobilizing the motion picture industry in this cold war much as was done in the last war. On point (1) above, they had worked out all that was needed. On point (2), he said Eric Johnston had been most cooperative, but indi- cated that help would be needed. This help would consist of: (a) Being sure that our Embassies abroad would not block the distribution of effective anti-Communist films made in this country. Eric Johnston pointed out that they had had trouble along these lines abroad in previous cases. He. cited the case of "The Iron Curtain", whose distribution was blocked by our Embassies in France, Norway and other points because our people felt that it would stir up too much hostility toward the U.S. On this, the Secretary indicated that he thought we should wire each of our Embassies at the appropriate time telling them we wanted cooperation on the distribution of such films. (I am undertaking to ascertain the exact history of "The Iron Curtain" and the difficulties in France and elsewhere. (b)