Management of Public Diplomacy Relative to National Security: National Security Decision Directive No. 77
by Ronald Reagan
January 14, 1983
UNCLASSIFIED
90767
WASHINGTON
January 14, 1983
NATIONAL SECURITY DECISION DIRECTIVE NUMBER 77
DECLASSIFIED/RELEASED ON 5/1/96
BY D. VAN TASSEL, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RELATIVE TO NATIONAL SECURITY
I have determined that it is necessary to strengthen the organization, planning, and coordination of the various aspects of public diplomacy of the united States Government relative to national security. Public diplomacy is comprised of those actions of the U.S. Government designed to generate support for our national security objectives.
A Special Planning Group (SPG) under the National Security Council will be established under the chairmanship of the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Membership shall consist of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, the Director of the United States Information Agency, the Director of the Agency of International Development, and the Assistant to the President for Communications or their designated alternate. Other senior White House officials will attend as appropriate. Senior representatives of other agencies may attend at the invitation of the chairman.
The SPG shall be responsible for the overall planning, direction, coordination and monitoring of implementation of public diplomacy activities. It shall ensure that a wide-ranging program of effective initiatives is developed and implemented to support national security policy, objectives and decisions. Public diplomacy activities involving the President or the White House will continue to be coordinated with the Office of the White House Chief of Staff.
Four interagency standing committees will be established, and report regularly to the SPG. The SPG will ensure that guidance to these committees is provided, as required, so that they can carry out their responsibilities in the area of public diplomacy. The SPG will further periodically review the activities of the four permanent coordinating committees to insure that plans are being implemented and that resource commitments are commensurate with established priorities.
The NSC Staff, in consultation with the regular members of the SPG, will provide staff support to the SPG and facilitate effective planning, coordinating and implementing of plans and programs approved by the SPG. The NSC Staff will call periodic meetings of the four committee chairmen or their designees to ensure inter-committee coordination.
Public Affairs Committee: This coordinating committee will be co-chaired by the Assistant to the President for Communications and the Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. This group will be responsible for the planning and coordinating on a regular basis of U.S. Government public affairs activities relative to national security. Specifically, it will be responsible for the planning and coordination of major speeches on national security subjects and other public appearances by senior officials, and for planning and coordination with respect to public affairs matters concerning national security and foreign policy events and issues with foreign and domestic dimensions. This committee will coordinate public affairs efforts to explain and support major U.S. foreign policy initiatives.
International Information Committee: This committee will be chaired by a senior representative of the United States Information Agency. A senior representative of the Department of State shall serve as vice chairman of the committee. The body will be responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing international information activities in support of U.S. policies and interests relative to national security. It will assume the responsibilities of the existing "Project Truth" Policy Group. The committee shall be empowered to make recommendations and, as appropriate, to direct the concerned agencies, interagency groups and working groups with respect to information strategies in key policy areas, and it will be responsible for coordinating and monitoring implementation of strategies on specific functional or geographic areas.
International Political Committee: This committee will be established under the chairmanship of a senior representative of the Department of State. A senior representative of the United States Information Agency shall serve as vice chairman of the committee. This group will be responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing international political activities in support of United States policies and interests relative to national security. Included among such activities are aid, training and organizational support for foreign governments and private groups to encourage the growth of democratic political institutions and practices. This will require close collaboration with other foreign policy efforts -- diplomatic, economic, military -- as well as a close relationship with those sectors of the American society -- labor, business, universities, philanthropy, political parties, press -- that are or could be more engaged in parallel efforts overseas. This group will undertake to build up the U.S. Government capability to promote democracy, as enunciated in the President's speech in London on June 8, 1982. Furthermore, this committee will initiate plans, programs and strategies designed to counter totalitarian ideologies and aggressive political action moves undertaken by the Soviet Union or Soviet surrogates. This committee shall be empowered to make recommendations and, as appropriate, to direct the concerned departments and agencies to implement political action strategies in support of key policy objectives. Attention will be directed to generate policy initiatives keyed to coming events. Close coordination with the other committees will be essential.
International Broadcasting Committee: 'This committee will be chaired by a representative of the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. This committee will be responsible for the planning and coordination of international broadcasting activities sponsored by the U.S. Government consistent with existing statutory requirements and the guidance established by NSDD 45. Among its principal responsibilities will be diplomatic and technical planning relative to modernization of U.S. international broadcasting capabilities, the development of anti-jamming strategies and techniques, planning relative to direct radio broadcast by satellite and longer term considerations of the potential for direct T.V. broadcasting.
Each designated committee is authorized to establish, as appropriate, working groups or ad hoc task forces to deal with specific issues or programs.
All agencies should ensure that the necessary resources are made available for the effective operation of the interagency groups here established.
Implementing procedures for these measures will be developed as necessary.
Ronald Reagan