242. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President1
SUBJECT
- Disarmament
I refer to the June 11, 1957, revised United States position on the first phase of disarmament.2 I recommend that subparagraph (a) of paragraph 7, which reads “The Parties not subject to Paragraph 6 above agree not to manufacture nuclear weapons,” be eliminated and that the other subparagraphs be re-lettered accordingly.
This recommendation is based on our belief that “Fourth Powers” such as France will find it difficult to accept a provision such as this which sets them off from the three which now have nuclear weapons. In the June 11 position the United Kingdom, U.S.S.R. and the United States will be able to continue to produce nuclear weapons until a nuclear control system is set up, rather than being enjoined from producing these weapons from the effective date of the agreement, as is proposed for others. In our view the combined effect of an agreement not to test weapons and not to use new fissionable material for weapons purposes after the cut-off date will in fact adequately take care of the “Fourth Powers” problem, and paragraph 7a is unnecessary.
The above view is concurred in by Chairman Strauss, by the Department of Defense, and by the Director of CIA.3
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Secret.↩
- Document 237.↩
- A notation on the source text in the President’s handwriting reads: “approved. D.E.”↩