National Security Policy


1. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation. Top Secret; Personal and Private. Initialed by Herter. A note on the source text indicates Dulles saw the memorandum.


2. Memorandum of Discussion at the 350th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on January 7.


4. Memorandum of Discussion at the 351st Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Boggs on January 17.


5. Memorandum of Discussion at the 352d Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on January 22.


8. Memorandum of Discussion at the 355th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Gleason and J. Patrick Coyne, NSC Representative on Internal Security, on February 14.


9. Memorandum of Discussion at the 356th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Gleason on February 28.


10. Memorandum of Discussion at the 358th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only Drafted by Gleason on March 14.


11. Paper by the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Cutler)

Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, Records of the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs. Secret. A marginal note by Cutler reads: “5:30–7 discussed with P[resident] March 20 with Herter, Goodpaster, Sprague, Killian, Strauss, Cutler. Strongly approved by him. RC”.


12. Memorandum of Discussion at the 359th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Gleason on March 21.


15. Note by the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Cutler)

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Administration Series. Confidential.


16. Memorandum of Discussion at the 361st Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Gleason on April 4.


17. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Cutler) to President Eisenhower

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Administration Series. Confidential.


18. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Eisenhower Library, Staff Secretary Records, Nuclear Exchange. Top Secret. Drafted by Goodpaster on April 9. Another memorandum of this conversation by Smith is in Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 67 D 548, Military Issues 1958–1959.


19. Letter From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Cutler) to Secretary of State Dulles

Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, Project Clean Up, Nuclear Policy. Top Secret. A copy was sent to Goodpaster. The source text is attached to a brief summary, also by Cutler, of the meeting described in Document 18. See the Supplement.


21. Memorandum of Discussion at the 363d Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on April 25. On May 8, the Council heard as Agenda Item 6 a presentation by Drs. Killian and Kistiakowsky comparing U.S. and Soviet ballistic missile development. (Memorandum of discussion by Gleason, May 9; ibid.) See the Supplement.


22. Paper by the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Cutler)

Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, Staff Secretary Records. Top Secret. Prepared for use at the May 1 NSC meeting; see Document 23.


23. Memorandum of Discussion at the 364th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on May 2.


24. National Security Council Report

Source: Department of State, S/SNSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5810 Series. Top Secret.


25. Memorandum of Discussion at the 367th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason.


27. Memorandum of Discussion at the 370th Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Prepared by Gleason on June 27.


28. Briefing Note

[Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, Special Assistant for National Security Affairs Records. Top Secret. 2 pages of source text not declassified.]


29. Memorandum of Conference With President Eisenhower

[Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries. Top Secret. Extract—3 pages of source text not declassified.]


30. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McElroy to the National Security Council

Source: Department of State, S/PNSC Files: Lot 62 D 1. Top Secret. The source text is incorrectly dated June 18. A July 21 memorandum of transmittal from Lay to the Council is in the Supplement. McElroy sent a copy of this memorandum to Dulles under cover of a July 18 letter, in which he stated there was “plenty of flexibility” in NSC 5810/1 to “let us adjust our balance of forces as may be desirable. At the same time, by retaining the present language we do not suggest to any of our allies that there is any retreat in the offing from our past policy of firm resolution to use all required military force for whatever may be the situation that must be met.” McElroy concluded by expressing his hope that the Departments of State and Defense would reach a common view by the time of the July 24 NSC meeting on the subject. (Department of State, S/SNSC Files: Lot 63 D 351) See the Supplement.