Executive Secretariat Files
Note by the Executive Secretary of the National Security
Council (Souers) to the Council
[Washington,] December 27, 1949.
NSC 37/9
Possible United States Military Action Toward Taiwan
not Involving Major Military Forces
At the request of the Secretary of Defense, the enclosed views of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff on the subject are circulated herewith for the information
of the National Security Council and for the use of the Council in its
discussion of “The Position of the United States with Respect to Asia” (NSC
48/181) at the meeting scheduled for Thursday,
December 29, 1949.
[Annex]
Memorandum by the Joint Chiefs of
Staff to the Secretary of Defense (Johnson)
Washington, 23 December
1949.
Subject: Possible United States Military Action Toward
Taiwan not Involving Major Military Forces
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have assessed the military measures, short of
the dispatch of a major military force, which might be undertaken
[Page 461]
with respect to Taiwan in
furtherance of United States political, economic and psychological
measures now under way.
The following are the major conclusions arrived at as result of their
study:
-
a.
- A modest, well-directed, and closely-supervised program of
military aid to the anti-communist government in Taiwan would be
in the security interest of the United States; and
-
b.
- A modest program of military aid to the Chinese Government in
Taiwan should be integrated with a stepped-up political,
economic, and psychological program pursued energetically in
extension of present United States programs there.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff will, subject to your concurrence:
-
a.
- Direct the Commander in Chief, Far East, with the assistance
of the Commander, 7th Task Fleet, to make an immediate survey of
the nature and extent of the military assistance required in
Formosa in order to hold Formosa against attack; and
-
b.
- Based on the results of the survey, make recommendations to
you as to the military program.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff desire to point out that the recommended action
with respect to Formosa is a part of the overall problem of resisting
the spread of Communist domination in East Asia. It is recognized that
this is a piecemeal approach, as is their recommendation with respect to
assistance to Indonesia forwarded to you on 22 December 1949,82 but it is likewise a
matter of urgency. These separate but related projects point up the
necessity of early determination of an overall program for the solution
of the major problem.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
Omar N. Bradley
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
