General Charles Douglas (C. D.) Jackson (March 16, 1902 – September 18, 1964) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

government propagandist and senior executive of

Time Inc Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Il ...

. As an expert on

psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and M ...

he served in the Office of Strategic Services in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and later as Special Assistant to the President in the

Eisenhower administration Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as the 34th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1953, and ended on January 20, 1961. Eisenhower, a Republican from Kansas, took office following a landslide victory ...

Life and career

Jackson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. After graduation from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1924, he entered the private sector. In 1931, Jackson took a position with

Time Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...

In 1940, he was President of the Council for Democracy. From 1942 to 1943, he served as special assistant to the Ambassador to Turkey. From 1943 to 1945, he served with the OSS. From 1944 to 1945 he was Deputy Chief at the

Psychological Warfare Division The Psychological Warfare Division of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (PWD/SHAEF or SHAEF/PWD) was a joint Anglo-American organization set-up in World War II tasked with conducting (predominantly) white tactical psychological warf ...

SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF ...

. After the war, he became Managing Director of Time-Life International from 1945 to 1949. He later became publisher of Fortune Magazine. From 1951 to 1952, he served as president of the

anticommunist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

Free Europe Committee. He was a speech writer for Dwight Eisenhower's successful 1952 presidential campaign. He was assigned to be Eisenhower's liaison between the newly-created CIA and the Pentagon. From February 1953 to March 1954, Jackson served as adviser to the President on psychological warfare. He worked closely with the

Psychological Strategy Board The Psychological Strategy Board (PSB) 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 Un ...

and was a member of the

Operations Coordinating Board The Operations Coordinating Board (OCB) was a committee of the United States Executive created in 1953 by President Eisenhower's Executive Order 10483 and tasked with oversight of United States covert operations. Eisenhower simultaneously gave sec ...

. He was also a member of the Committee on International Information Activities, which was known, after its chairman,

William Harding Jackson William Harding Jackson (March 25, 1901 – September 28, 1971) was a U.S. civilian administrator, New York lawyer, and investment banker who served as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.(Reference: "The Central Intelligence Agen ...

, as the Jackson Committee. During 1953 and 1954, Jackson was key in establishing the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defi ...

and ensuring American participation. He attended meetings of the group in 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964. Jackson was a defender of

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

, stating, "Over the years, Radio Free Europe has never, in a single broadcast or leaflet, deviated from its essential policy, and did not broadcast a single program during the recent Polish and Hungarian developments which could be described as an 'incitement' program." He later served in a position at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. From 1958 to 1960, he served as a speechwriter and White House manager after the departure of

Sherman Adams Llewelyn Sherman Adams (January 8, 1899 – October 27, 1986) was an American businessman and politician, best known as White House Chief of Staff for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the culmination of an 18-year political career that also incl ...

and the death of John Foster Dulles. In 1960, he was publisher of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine. Jackson became acquainted with

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor, who, after early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), defected from the Soviet underground (1938) ...

at Time Inc. He developed a harsh opinion of Chambers as a psychopath. During the first two years of the Eisenhower administration, Jackson urged strong action by the President in dealing with personalities like Senator Joseph McCarthy and Chambers. In Jackson's opinion, they were damaging the anticommunist cause with self-serving and unstable behavior.

, Chief of Staff urged a more moderate, political approach, which the President followed. After

Abraham Zapruder Abraham Zapruder (May 15, 1905 – August 30, 1970) was a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer who witnessed the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. He unexpectedly captured ...

took the famous film in Dallas on November 22, 1963, Jackson purchased it on behalf of Time/Life to "protect the integrity of the film." Upon viewing it on Sunday morning, he ordered it locked in a vault at the Time/Life building in Manhattan.

References

External links

Papers of Marie McCrum (Secretary to C.D. Jackson), Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Charles Douglas 1902 births 1964 deaths Military personnel from New York City Princeton University alumni Psychological warfare theorists United States Army generals

Life and career

See also

References

External links