Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Eastern Europe; Finland; Greece; Turkey, Volume X, Part 2

353. Memorandum of Discussion at the 430th Meeting of the National Security Council⁰

Washington, January 7, 1960.

[Here follow a paragraph listing the participants at the meeting and agenda items 1–4.]

5. U.S. Policy Toward Turkey (NSC 5708/2; OCB Report on NSC 5708/2, dated December 16, 1959)¹

Mr. Harr summarized the reference OCB Report on the subject, emphasizing the conclusion that the report had been transmitted to the Council in order to call attention to the fact that force levels have been lowered since the approval in 1957 of NSC 5708/2. The OCB also noted that the Departments of State and Defense believe that operational decisions taken since approval of the existing policy are not of such a nature as to require a review of the policy by the NSC. Mr. Gray said this OCB Report raised the question whether country papers should or should not have provisions relating to force levels. The policy on Turkey did have provisions for Turkish force levels. If the Council now decided not to review U.S. policy toward Turkey, it would be making a procedural decision to drop the provisions on Turkish force levels out of the paper, since those provisions were now obsolete. The President said he had less faith in the “numbers racket” in connection with Turkish force levels than in perhaps anything else. The force level figures did no more than indicate the amount of equipment which we should ship to Turkey. He was not very strong for including provisions on force levels in the policy paper on Turkey. Mr. Gray said it was correct that the purpose of the force level figures was to give a measure of the quantity of the military assistance which should be provided. Secretary Gates said the force level figures were rather misleading. Mr. Irwin said a more accurate guide was the JCS force levels. He felt detail as to Turkish force levels was not needed in the policy paper and pointed out that the reduction of four divisions in Turkish forces was in reality only a “paper” reduction of some five hundred men.

The National Security Council:²

a. Noted and discussed the reference Report on the subject by the Operations Coordinating Board.

b. Agreed that a review of NSC 5708/2 is not required at this time.

[Here follow the remaining agenda items.]

Marion W. Boggs

0. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Prepared by Boggs on January 13.
1. For text of NSC 5708/2, see Foreign Relations, 1955–1957, vol. XXIV, pp. 720–727. The OCB Report is printed as Document 352.
2. Paragraphs a–b constitute NSC Action No. 2171. (Department of State, S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council)