Office of the Historian

Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file

Memorandum by the Staff Secretary to the President (Goodpaster)

top secret
[Washington, undated.]

Notes on Meeting With the President

0900 1 December 1954

Others present:

  • Secretary Wilson
  • Admiral Strauss
  • Admiral Radford
  • General Loper
  • Colonel Goodpaster

Admiral Strauss, Secretary Wilson and Admiral Radford discussed with the President the proposals relating to deployment and custody of atomic weapons contained in the attached letters from Admiral Strauss and Secretary Wilson respectively.1

The President indicated that he viewed the problem in distinct parts: actions within the United States, where security should be possible to maintain; action in those foreign areas in which we already have necessary permission; and action in additional foreign areas where new permission must be sought. The latter would be the most difficult. Admiral Strauss indicated that deployment to a considerable number of sites in the United States is envisaged. He thought the Joint Committee should be advised.

[Page 1577]

The President thought the plan of dispersal was acceptable. He thought the Joint Committee could be informed without undue risk of loss of secrecy.

The President indicated that dispersal arrangements should not be limited to fission weapons. He examined a copy of the letter to him from Secretary Wilson which indicated the numbers of weapons involved, and stated that he found the proposal satisfactory.

The President indicated that before transferring custody of weapons, AEC and Department of Defense must agree that the Defense Department is technically ready to handle them. He also stated that before additional weapons are deployed in foreign areas, the approval of the Secretary of State must be obtained (as envisaged in Mr. Wilson’s letter to him).

He instructed Admiral Strauss to prepare for his signature letters giving effect to his decisions. Toward the end of the morning, Admiral Strauss provided these letters which the President signed at about 12:30. The signed originals were handed to a representative of Admiral Strauss by the undersigned.

Copies are attached.2

A. J. Goodpaster

Colonel, CE, US Army

  1. The letter from Admiral Strauss is not printed. Secretary of Defense Wilson’s letter of Dec. 1 reads in part as follows:

    “Dear Mr. President: The Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended and I have approved, as essential to an improved position of military readiness, the deployment of additional numbers of atomic weapons to our overseas bases and the dispersal of atomic weapons to certain operational bases in the United States. The purpose of increased overseas deployment is to make possible the integration of atomic weapons into the operations of our deployed forces without imposing the logistic effort, delays and transportation hazards involved in shipments from central storage in the United States. The purpose of on-base storage in the United States is to permit our combat forces to react instantly to attack or warning of attack without the serious delays incident to the trans-shipment of weapons and other complex arrangements necessitated by reliance upon central storage. In addition to enhancing our position of readiness, further overseas deployment and dispersal within the United States will greatly decrease the over-all vulnerability of the stockpile to enemy attack.” (Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file)

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  2. The copies of the letters from President Eisenhower to Secretary Wilson and Admiral Strauss, dated Dec. 1, are not printed.↩