Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Senator William Benton

MARS CONFIDENTIAL 797 AMA ARCHIVES SERVICE" RECORDS NATIONAL AND 66 Harch 16, 1951 In the course of his discussion with Benator Benton at lunch today, the Secretary reported that Senator Bonton had handed him a copy of the same peorganization proposal which Mr. l'oster left with the Secretary yesterday afternoon. This is the papor which proposes a reorganisation of the Department, along the lines of the Defenso Department reorganiza- tión, into separate departments of political affairs, economic affairs and information. Under this proposal each department would have a separate budget, separate administration, independent channels of com- minication, and separate personnel and foreign corvice aet-ups. The Secretery said that ha had taliced to Benton very sarnestly and very frankly about this type of proposal, making in particular the following pointes 1. Mr. Benton should first of all take a vory deternined offort to find out Juat exactly what the public affairs area is doing today. Purther invostigation along the lines of the Sonator's recent trip to IND in Nes York would convince him that the organization had totally changed since Senator Denton was in the Department and that it was doing an important and effectivo job. 2. The Senator should roalise that there ware sevoral dif- ferent theorios for handling the public relations job and should attempt to understand and evaluate them. There are ways of accomplishing our objectives other than the American advertising technique; in fact, it was frequently more effective to get foreign groupa to do things for us instead of trying to do then all in our own name. The Secretary Baid that nen who could sell things to Americans could not necessarily soll them to the Hindus and the task of achieving an effective psychological progran wan groater than simply plastering the American flag around the world. 3. Benator Benton ahould make a caroful investigation of just what the Defense Department reorganiaation had involved and what its situation tras noa. The Secrotery auggested that the responsible peaple in the Defenne Department would in all probability not sot their organisation structure forward as a model for any kind of reorganization. 4. The Senator DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, CONI IDENITAL By NLT- HC NARS Date 6-24-66