Office of the Historian

PPS files, lot 64 D 563, “Atomic Energy–Armaments 1952–1953”

Memorandum by the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Lay) to the NSC Senior Staff1

top secret
[Washington,] March 12, 1953.
  • Subject:
  • Armaments and American Policy

References:

A.
Memo for Senior NSC Staff from Executive Secretary, same subject, dated February 4, 19532
B.
NSC Action No. 7253
C.
Record of Meeting of Senior NSC Staff, March 2, 1953, item 34

It will be recalled that the National Security Council at its 134th meeting directed the Senior Staff, with the assistance of Dr. Vannevar Bush, to report to the Council on possible means of carrying out the recommendations of the Department of State Panel of Consultants on Disarmament, as contained in the report circulated by the reference memorandum of February 4. The Senior Staff constituted an ad hoc committee to prepare an initial draft report for consideration by the Senior Staff with the advice and assistance of Dr. Bush.

The following officials have been designated to serve on the ad hoc committee:

  • State—Gordon Arneson (Chairman), John Ferguson
  • Defense—Charles P. Noyes
  • AEC—Roy B. Snapp
  • CIA—William P. Bundy
  • PSB—Horace S. Craig
  • Executive Secretary—Philip H. Watts

To initiate preparation of the report called for by the Council, “Armaments and American Policy, is being scheduled as item 1 on the agenda for the meeting of the Senior Staff on Monday, March 16, 1953 at 2:30 p.m.5 Dr. Bush and the ad hoc committee are being invited to participate in the meeting on this item.

James S. Lay, Jr.
  1. Copies were transmitted to Dr. Vannevar Bush of the Panel of Consultants and to the members of the Ad Hoc Committee designated in this memorandum.↩
  2. Lay’s memorandum transmitted to the NSC Senior Staff the Report by the Panel of Consultants, p. 1056.↩
  3. For NSC Action No. 725, see footnote 6, p. 1114.↩
  4. The record of meeting indicates that the Senior Staff “Discussed procedure for preparing the reports called for by NSC Action No. 724–b and constituted an ad hoc committee, composed of State, Defense, AEC, CIA and PSB representatives (with Civil Defense participation as required), to consult Dr. Vannevar Bush and prepare an initial draft report for consideration by the Senior Staff with the participation of Dr. Bush.” (S/P–NSC files, lot 62 D 1, “Planning Board Meetings 1953–1954”)↩
  5. See summary of meeting, infra.↩