Editorial Note

A substantial portion of the documentation printed in the Foreign Relations series for 1949 concerns subjects of relevance to the national security. Documentation in the present compilation pertains to the formulation of high level, general policy. This material should be considered in connection with papers on specific issues and areas found elsewhere in the Foreign Relations volumes for 1949. The compilations noted below are of special interest with respect to the more general material printed here.

For documentation on United States policy at the United Nations with respect to the regulation of armaments and collective security, see pages 1 ff. Regarding United States atomic energy policy, see pages 419 ff. Documentation on the Berlin crisis appears in volume III, pages 643 ff. United States participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is treated in volume IV, pages 1 ff. For documentation on consideration of United States basic security interests in the Near East, see volume VI, pages 1 ff. Compilations on the occupation and control of Japan and on United States policy toward Korea are found in volume VII, as is material on policies of the United States with respect to the East Asian-Pacific area in general. For documentation on United States policy with respect to China, see volumes VIII and IX.

To locate documentation on United States policy regarding military assistance to individual nations or areas, see the indexes of volumes II, IV, VI, VII, and IX. Material on United States policy with respect to the acquisition of bases and military air transit rights in specific areas of the world may be found by consulting the indexes of volumes IV, VI, and VII.

The following publications in the Historical Series, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee contain executive testimony on national security questions by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, [Page 250] the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other administration officials during 1949: Reviews of the World Situation, 1949–1950: Hearings Held in Executive Session before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate (81st Cong., 1st and 2nd sessions) (Washington, 1974); and Military Assistance Program, 1949: Hearings Held in Executive Session before the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate (81st Cong., 1st session) (Washington, 1974).