92. Editorial Note
At the 435th meeting of the National Security Council on February 18, 1960, the Council took up as the first item a briefing by General Lemnitzer and Dr. York on technological developments in non-lethal weapons and military doctrine for their possible use. Dr. York described several such weapons, including tear gas and agents causing temporary paralysis, discoordination, Q-fever, and encephalitis. General Lemnitzer outlined several possible scenarios for their use in hypothetical wartime situations. Dr. York noted that the U.S. stockpile of chemical and biological agents was one-fourth that of the Soviet Union, and that most of the Soviet agents were lethal. Dr. Kistiakowsky stated that the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) about a year previously “had concluded that research and development in this field should be continued since the prospects were definitely bright.”
At the conclusion of the discussion, President Eisenhower said “one great difficulty occurred to him in connection with the use of incapacitating agents. While the use of such agents was a splendid idea, if we tried to use them in a humane manner, our enemy would probably charge us with germ warfare and then would proceed in retaliation to use lethal chemical and biological weapons.” The President further pointed out a lack of U.S. defensive equipment for such warfare. “The President said chemical and biological weapons had considerably less discrimination than a bullet.” Dr. Kistiakowsky, supported by Allen Dulles, urged that a sharp distinction be made between chemical warfare, such as tear gas, which had been accepted throughout the world in police actions, and biological warfare, which had not. General Twining agreed with the President concerning retaliation, and stated that if the United States intended to use incapacitating agents it should publicize their non-lethal effects to the greatest possible extent. (Memorandum of discussion by Boggs; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records) See the Supplement.