Office of the Historian

313. Notes of Meeting of the Special Committee of the National Security Council1

Washington, June 21, 1967, 6:30 p.m.

THOSE PRESENT

  • Katzenbach, Acting Secretary of State
  • McNamara
  • Wheeler
  • Helms
  • Clifford
  • W.W. Rostow
  • McG. Bundy
  • Vance
  • E.V. Rostow
  • Battle
  • Harry McPherson
  • Harold Saunders
  • [name not declassified], CIA

The President came in at 6:50 p.m.

George Christian came in at 6:55 p.m.

1. Informal discussion:

UAR trying to buy food for cash. Russian wheat problem. Katzenbach sees no objection. Cargill—$10 m.—UAR has asked to buy.2

2. Emergency relief:

  • —Swedish appeal in UN.
  • —What can we do now to avoid permanent commitment to status quo.
  • —Responsibility to those holding political authority.

EVR: Work through UNWRA.

[Page 531]

—WWR: Regional increment 60%.

—McNamara: We shouldn’t put up 70%. Put it on regional basis.

—McGB summary:

  • —Less than 70%
  • —Regional response
  • —Not get out in front

—Battle: decrease share

—Refer back to Dept. for a framework in which our contribution would be well down.

  • —Outside vs. regional contribution
  • —US vs. US [ USSR?] non-regional
  • —Short-term nature of commitment

Plus soundings on the Hill.

McGB: Signal Israelis?3

3. Military:

  • Go over paper4 at next meeting
  • McN: Against Libya.5

4. Egyptians & French:

  • —Not something we need to rush in on.
  • —Get it around that De Gaulle not going to be our mediator.

5. Jordan:

  • —Hussein. LBJ wld. see.
  • —On Am. TV.

General policy guideline:

Moderate the moderates.

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Minutes and Notes. No classification marking. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room at the White House. Notes are the handwritten notes of Harold H. Saunders. The President joined the meeting from 6:50 p.m. until 7:06 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) Bundy’s memorandum for the record, June 21, states: “1. The President agreed to see King Hussein if he comes to the United Nations. 2. The President agreed that we should let it be known quietly that we do not consider General De Gaulle an acceptable mediator of a Mid-East solution.” (Ibid., National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Minutes and Notes)↩
  2. The following appears at this point in Saunders’ notes in a box, apparently added later in the discussion: “President said: ‘I’m going to be easily raped by anyone who wants to pay cash. I’ve been giving it away for so long… .’”↩
  3. In a statement released on June 27, the President announced that the United States would join with other nations in a special effort to provide emergency assistance in the Middle East and announced the establishment of a reserve of $5 million from contingency funds for this purpose. He stated that he had directed U.S. participation in the appropriate UN emergency programs of food and medical relief and that the U.S. Government was offering $100,000 for use by the International Red Cross to assist victims of the conflict. (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1967, Book I, p. 660)↩
  4. Not further identified.↩
  5. Helms’ notes of the meeting say on this point: “DOD opposed to arms shipments for Libya—OK on Morocco and Jordan.” (Central Intelligence Agency Files, DCI Files: Job 80–B1285A, Box 11, Folder 12, DCI (Helms) Miscellaneous Notes of Meetings, 1 Jan 1966–31 Dec 1968)↩