600.0012/12–1154
The Secretary of Defense (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: As a result of National Security Council Action Number 899 on September 9, 1953, representatives of the Departments of State and Defense and of the Atomic Energy Commission have been working on a review of NSC 112, the United States Policy on the regulation, limitation and balanced reduction of armed forces and armaments.1 A draft study which represented tentative Department of Defense views on this subject was transmitted to representatives of the Department of State and the Atomic Energy Commission on July 7, 1954, and a slightly revised edition was transmitted on August 27, 1954.2 The Department of Defense working group has given careful consideration to the State Department’s staff studies of November 9, 1954, and November 29, 1954. Comments on the State Department studies have been furnished to the State working group.3
On the basis of the studies and conferences of the working groups thus far, it has become apparent that there is a major and probably irreconcilable divergence in basic concepts and principles and in the application of principles between the State and Defense working groups. The Atomic Energy Commission staff has submitted to the working groups in both Departments its views on the technical aspects of the problem of international control of atomic energy. The Atomic Energy Commission staff study and its conclusions have received substantially divergent application in the respective studies of the two Departments’ working groups.
In the meantime a formal Department of Defense paper consistent with the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been prepared. The paper is also consistent with the thinking of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs). I recognize the importance of this matter and the difficulties of achieving complete agreement since it involves both military and political points of view and decisions. In the interest of saving time, I am inclosing herewith this paper.4 I am also referring it to the Secretaries of [Page 1584] the Military Departments for their careful personal review and recommendations, and will be prepared shortly to express what might be called a formal Department of Defense position in regard to this important matter. I believe that the principals of the Special Committee appointed by the National Security Council to review NSC 112 should meet as soon as practicable to consider this problem. It is my hope that a single, agreed position could be arrived at prior to the National Security Council meeting now tentatively scheduled for 6 January 1955, but in the event this could not be done, I suggest that each principal should submit to the National Security Council either a unilateral report or such comments as he may wish to make on any report submitted by one of the other principals.5
I am sending an identical letter to the Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission.
Sincerely yours,
- See the memorandum of discussion at the 161st meeting of the NSC, Sept. 9, 1953, p. 1210.↩
- The 148–page study of Aug. 27 is not printed. (S/P–NSC files, lot 62 D 1, “Armed Forces and Armaments”) The draft of July 7 has not been found.↩
- The Department of State study of Nov. 29 is in S/S–NSC files, lot 66 D 95, NSC 112. The Nov. 9 study has not been found. However, comments on it by Loper of Defense (Nov. 22) and Hall of AEC (Nov. 26) are in file 330.13/11–2254 and 330.13/11–2654.↩
- The enclosure is not with the source text. A copy of this letter in the Disarmament files, lot 58 D 133, “NSC Papers 1953–1955” is accompanied by a note indicating that the formal Defense paper referred to here was being further reviewed in Defense prior to the establishment of a fully cleared Defense position.↩
On Dec. 30 Dulles wrote Secretary of Defense Wilson as follows:
↩“My Dear Mr. Secretary: I have your letter of December 11 regarding the report to the National Security Council on disarmament.
“I suggest that members of the Special Committee meet in my office on January 4 at 3:00 p.m., in order to consider how to present this matter to the Council at its meeting on January 5th.” (600.0012/12–1154)