The
Office of Policy Coordination (
OPC) was a
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
covertA covert operation is a military, intelligence, or political activity carried out in such a way that the identity of the sponsors of the operation is concealed or kept secret...
psychological operations and
paramilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having the same status...
action organization. Originally an independent office, it was merged with the
Central Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government.It is an independent agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior United States policymakers....
(CIA) in 1951.
OPC was created in 1948 under the
United States National Security CouncilThe White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the President of the...
document NSC 10/2. The OPC's directors included representatives of the
StateThe United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc. in other countries...
and
DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
departments and the CIA, who largely administered and supplied the office.
State Department official
George F. KennanGeorge Frost Kennan was an American advisor, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers.In the late 1940s, his...
was the key figure behind OPC's creation.
The
Office of Policy Coordination (
OPC) was a
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
covertA covert operation is a military, intelligence, or political activity carried out in such a way that the identity of the sponsors of the operation is concealed or kept secret...
psychological operations and
paramilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having the same status...
action organization. Originally an independent office, it was merged with the
Central Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government.It is an independent agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior United States policymakers....
(CIA) in 1951.
OPC was created in 1948 under the
United States National Security CouncilThe White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the President of the...
document NSC 10/2. The OPC's directors included representatives of the
StateThe United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc. in other countries...
and
DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
departments and the CIA, who largely administered and supplied the office.
State Department official
George F. KennanGeorge Frost Kennan was an American advisor, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers.In the late 1940s, his...
was the key figure behind OPC's creation. The OPC's
executive directorAn executive director is the senior manager of an organization, company, or corporation. The position is comparable to a chief executive officer or managing director...
was
Frank WisnerFrank Gardiner Wisner was head of Office of Strategic Services operations in southeastern Europe at the end of World War II, and the head of the Directorate of Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1950s....
, a former
OSSThe Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency .-Origins and activities:...
figure in
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
and later an assistant secretary of state for refugee affairs.
The OPC grew rapidly during
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
. In April 1951, President Truman established the
Psychological Strategy BoardThe Psychological Strategy Board was a committee of the United States executive formed to coordinate and plan for psychological operations. It was formed on April 4, 1951, during the Truman administration. The board was composed of the Under Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of Defense,...
in order to coordinate all government psychological warfare strategy.
In 1952, the office came under CIA control and was merged with the Office of Special Operations to form the Directorate of Plans.