Executive Secretariat Files
Memorandum by the Executive Secretary of the National
Security Council (Souers)
Washington, February 18,
1949.
Subject: Coordination of Policy Respecting Delivery of Aid
to China
At its 34th meeting the National Security Council noted the attached
memorandum by the Secretary of Defense on the subject and agreed to
recommend to the President, with respect to the President’s decision
concerning the delivery of military aid to China, as indicated in Reference
A,45 that the President direct that this decision be
implemented by all appropriate Executive Departments and Agencies of the
U.S. Government under the coordination of the Secretary of State.
The President has this date approved the above recommendation and accordingly
directs that his decision concerning the delivery of military aid to China,
as indicated in Reference A, be implemented by all appropriate Executive
Departments and Agencies of the U.S. Government under the coordination of
the Secretary of State.
[Annex]
Memorandum by the Secretary of Defense (Forrestal) to the Executive Secretary of the National Security
Council (Souers)
Washington, 17 February
1949.
Subject: Coordination of Policy Respecting Delivery of
Aid to China
- 1.
- In your memorandum of 8 February 1949, you informed the
National Security Council that the President has decided that,
in order
[Page 489]
not to
discourage continued Chinese resistance to Communist aggression,
shipments of military aid should not be suspended or terminated,
but no effort should be made to expedite deliveries.
- 2.
- I believe that responsibility for giving guidance in carrying
out this policy should be clearly fixed, in order that there may
be full coordination of the way in which the policy is
implemented by the various branches of the Government. At the
present time, the several departments of the National Military
Establishment have to interpret independently their
responsibilities for implementing the program of aid to China.
This is also true of the other branches of the Government,
including the Treasury Department (with respect to certain
procurement) and Commerce Department (with respect to export
licenses), which are also involved in implementing the program.
As a result, difficulties arise with respect to interpreting the
way in which the program should be carried out.
- 3.
- In order to remedy these difficulties and to prevent conflicts
of interpretation from arising in this situation, which is
changing so rapidly and may give rise to emergency problems, I
wish to recommend that, in accordance with normal National
Security Council procedure, the Secretary of State coordinate
the implementation and interpretation by all appropriate
executive departments and agencies of the U.S. policy respecting
delivery of aid to China.
