Memorandum from Lieutenant General Hoyt Vandenberg to President Harry S. Truman

TOP SECRET NLT (PSF-Intell): NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AUTHORITY NEW WAR DEPARTMENT BUILDING 21st and VIRGINIA AVENUE N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. & August gift. OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE wot MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT: During the past two weeks there has been a series of developments which suggest that some consideration should be given to the possibility of near-term Soviet military action. 1. Soviet propaganda against the U.S. and U.K. has reached the highest pitch of violence since Stalin's February speech and follows a line which might be interpreted as preparing the Russian people for Soviet military action. a. It states that "reactionary monopolistic cliques" and "military adventurers" are now directing U.S. policy toward "world domination" through "atomic" diplomacy. The U.S. has abandoned the Rooseveltian policy which gave hope of collaboration with the U.S.S.R. and the other "freedom-loving people" of the world. b. It attacks the Anglo-American "bloc" as "dividing the field" throughout the world and gives a detailed account of Anglo- American "imperialistic" actions, including British troop movements to Basra and Palestine and U.S. military operations in China and attempts to secure outlying air bases. C. Embassy Moscow interprets the attacks outlined in a above as notice to the Communist Party in the U.S.S.R. that there is no longer any hope of friendly relations between the U.S.S.R. and the Western Powers. d. Tito, in his speech of 21 August on the international situation, raised the issue to a world-wide ideological plane when he stated categorically that there is no question today of two fronts: West- ern and Eastern. The question today is one of true democracy versus reactionaries throughout the world. In Soviet terminology this obviously means communism versus non-communism. 2. The Soviets have re-opened the Straits issue with a note to Turkey demanding exclusive control by the Black Sea Powers and joint Soviet-Turkish defense of the Straits. 3. Yugoslavia, after sending the U.S. a note protesting the violation of her sovereignty by daily flights over her territory of U.S. transport and military aircraft, has shot down two U.S. aircraft, and defended such action as justified. DECLASSIFIED ARCHIVES "NATIONAL SERVICE" RECORDS AND PROJECT NLT 76-15 BYNLT.HC NARS, Date 3-8-79 FOD CEGRET