Editorial Note

As noted in the memorandum by Bohlen of May 19, entitled “U.S. Objectives and Programs for National Security,” (page 17) a Steering Committee of the Senior Staff of the National Security Council had been engaged since October 1951 in overseeing an ongoing reappraisal of national security objectives and programs by a drafting group of Staff Assistants in conformity with NSC Action No. 575–c. This general, ongoing reappraisal produced two separate studies designated NSC 135 and NSC 135/1, respectively.

NSC 135, a collection of eight reports by appropriate executive agencies on the status of the NSC 114 Series programs, submitted to the National Security Council between August 6 and 22, 1952, was entitled “Status of United States Programs for National Security as of June 30, 1952.” The eight reports dealt with (1) “The Military Program” (prepared by the Department of Defense), (2) “The Mobilization Program” (prepared by the Office of Defense Mobilization), (3) “The Mutual Security Program” (prepared by the Office of the Director for Mutual Security), (4) “The Civil Defense Program” (prepared by the Federal Civil Defense Administration), (5) “The Stockpiling Program” (prepared by the Department of Defense), (6) “The National Psychological Program” (prepared by the Psychological Strategy Board), (7) “The Foreign Intelligence Program” (prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency), and (8) “The Internal Security Program” (prepared jointly by the Interdepartmental Intelligence Conference and the Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security). A complete copy of this approximately 500-page NSC paper is in the S/SNSC files, lot 63 D 351, NSC 135 Series. For summary statements of four of these reports, see pages 21 ff. In a memorandum of August 19 to the National Security Council, James S. Lay, Jr. transmitted two further Annexes to the Psychological Strategy Board report as well as a further paragraph to the Central Intelligence Agency report.

At the same time, the drafting group of Staff Assistants to the Steering Committee of the Senior Staff of the National Security Council submitted its series of draft conclusions pertaining to a “Reappraisal of United States Objectives and Strategy for National Security.” These draft conclusions became NSC 135/1 of August 15, 1952, which was composed of two parts: a draft policy statement, printed on page 81, and a separate paper subtitled “Summary and [Page 57] General Conclusions” which the Senior Staff first tentatively accepted on August 12, then incorporated as part of NSC 135/1 at its meeting on August 14. The “Summary and General Conclusions” is printed on page 73. On August 22, 1952, a two-part Annex to NSC 135/1 was submitted to the National Security Council by its Executive Secretary. The first part of this Annex was entitled “The Bases of Soviet Action,” the second “Relative Political, Economic and Military Capabilities.” The Annex is printed on page 89.

The four papers which eventually comprised NSC 135/1 and NSC 135/1 Annex had been the subject of lengthy discussion, repeated drafts, and frequent refinements throughout the first eight months of the year. Although the assignment to reappraise national security objectives and programs had been formally assigned to the drafting group of Staff Assistants, documentation in Department of State files suggests that the drafting work on all papers save that dealing with “Relative Political, Economic and Military Capabilities” (Part II of the Annex) was undertaken by the Department’s Policy Planning Staff under the general supervision and direction of Counselor Charles E. Bohlen who himself assumed responsibility for drafting what became Part I of the NSC 135/1 Annex, “The Bases of Soviet Action.” Authorship of and/or responsibility for the drafting of the capabilities paper cannot be precisely determined from Department of State files.

Documentation on the entire exercise culminating in NSC 135/1 and its Annex is extensive. A number of papers selected for their summary and/or critical pertinence are printed below. Copies of the varied and numerous draft statements and related memoranda and criticisms which preceded the submission of draft conclusions may be found in PPS files, lot 64 D 563, “Review of NSC 68 & 114”, “NSC 68 & 114–135”, as well as in S/PNSC files, lot 61 D 167, “NSC 68–114” and “NSC 114”.