800.24/8–648
The Secretary of the Army (Royall) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: Reference is made to my letter of July 24, 1948,1 in which I requested that the Department of the Army be furnished with a current revision of State Department document PCA/PD–11, dated August 20, 1947, subject: “Policy with respect to Relative Priorities for Receipt of U.S. Military Supplies.”1
Since the referenced letter was written, requirements for the member nations of Western Union, particularly France, have become imminent. Even though assistance programs in connection with these countries do not have final approval, it is necessary to accord them priorities with respect to other programs in order to facilitate requisite planning and to determine availabilities of equipment. Another development, since my June 24th letter, is the mounting of pressures in connection with the aid program to China.
As has been mentioned we do not yet have governmental approval for programs of assistance in connection with the Western Union nations. However, in view of the implications of the Vandenberg resolution2 [Page 602] and NSC 14/1 (The Position of the United States with Respect to Providing Military Assistance to Nations of the Non-Soviet World),3 approved by the President July 10, 1948, I feel that it is merely a matter of time until programs of assistance materialize in connection with the Western Union nations. As you know, NSC 14/1 provides that first priority for programs of military assistance should be given to nations of Western Europe.
From a military point of view, I recommend that priorities in connection with military assistance programs to foreign nations be assigned as follows:
- Group I. (a) Western Union nations, (b) Greece, (c) China—$125 million program,4 (d) Turkey.
- Group II. Iran $10 million program.5
- Group III. Argentina.6
The Department of the Army should have the right to vary the indicated order of priority under Group I where legal or practical considerations require it.
Sincerely yours,
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed.↩
- For text of Senate Resolution 239 (the Vandenberg Resolution), June 11, 1948, which expressed support for the association of the United States with regional collective defense arrangements, see vol. iii, p. 135.↩
- Of July 1, p. 585.↩
- For documentation on United States assistance to China under the $125,000,000 grant of the China Aid Act, see vol. viii, pp. 73 ff.↩
- For documentation on United States military assistance to Iran, see vol. v, Part 1, pp. 88 ff.↩
- For documentation on the position of the United States regarding military assistance to Argentina, see vol. ix, pp. 310 ff.↩