"Swords into plowshares" radio program memos

              Sept. 3, 1968
TO; R. Chatten FROM: AJSilverman
SUBJECT: "Swords Into Plowshares"
This memo provides a frame of reference for the projected FY '69 50-part dramatic series on military civic action, with the working title "Swords Into Plowshares". Under the broad objective of supporting and encouraging national development this series should l) encourage civic action undertakings by LA military; 2) develop civilian attitudes receptive to military civic action; 3) demonstrate the US role in economic and social development through support of civic action; A) demonstrate useful, non-political military activity; 5) demonstrate military/ civilian cooperation on all levels, from rural-based unit with local citizens to high command with private business.
Military civic action is defined as the use of military forces on projects useful to the local populations at all levels, in fields such as education, training, public works, agriculture, transportation, communications, public health, and others which contribute to the economic and social development of the country and also serve to improve the standing of the military with the civilian population. Objectives of civic action activity are both long and short-range, and fall under three major divisions:
1)	economic and social development (nation-building, to some);
2)	improv/ement of the image of the military and the central government with the population; and 3) improvement of local military-civilian relations. The role of civic action in countering subversion and insurgency is primarily one of preventing insurgency by eliminating conditions which favor it.
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The LA nations have developed a variety of administrative structures; to supervise and coordinate civic action efforts. A common pattern is a national coordinating committee, at the cabinet level, including the ministries of defense, public works, health, education,! and agriculture. Projects or activity begin in several ways: the national committee may initiate an idea, individual ministries may initiate an idea, individual military units may suggest a project, and local associations, e.g. a town, a farmers association, a labor union, may request a project. Emergency activity, such as disaster relief, epidemic elimination, etc. is based on individual emergency.
The following list of examples is intended as a guide to suggest individual programs. All examples cited are actual projects which have been accomplished by one or more of the LA nations. The list is broken down by category.