Office of the Historian

S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63D351: NSC 68 Series

Report to the National Security Council by the Executive Secretary (Lay)

top secret
Washington, September 30, 1950.

NSC 68/2

Note by the Executive Secretary to the National Security Council on United States Objectives and Programs for National Security

References: A. NSC Action No. 3611
B. NSC 68;2 NSC 68/1; Annexes to NSC 68/13
C. NSC 20/44

At the 68th Council meeting, with the President presiding (NSC Action No. 361), the National Security Council, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Acting Economic Cooperation Administrator, the Director, Bureau of the Budget, and the Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, considered draft reports on “United States Objectives and Programs for National Security” (NSC 68 and NSC 68/1), and:

a.
Adopted the Conclusions of NSC 68 as a statement of policy to be followed over the next four or five years, and agreed that the implementing programs will be put into effect as rapidly as feasible, with the understanding that the specific nature and estimated costs of these programs will be decided as they are more firmly developed.
b.
Deferred action on NSC 68/1 pending a revision of that report to be prepared by the NSC Staff for Council consideration not later than November 15, 1950.
c.
Noted the President’s instructions that there should be no public discussion of this program, and specifically no public quotation of figures, until the appropriate time as determined by the President.

The President has this date approved the Conclusions of NSC 68 as a statement of policy to be followed over the next four or five years, and directed their implementation by all appropriate executive departments and agencies of the U.S. Government.

Accordingly, the Conclusions of NSC 68 are circulated herewith for appropriate action.5

James S. Lay, Jr.
  1. The substance of NSC Action No. 361 is contained in the present report.↩
  2. Ante, p. 234.↩
  3. NSC 68/1, “United States Objectives and Programs for National Security,” a report to the National Security Council by the Executive Secretary, September 21, and its annexes, are not printed. For revisions thereof, see NSC 68/3 and its annexes, December 8 (extracts), pp. 425 and 432, respectively, and NSC 68/4, December 14, p. 467.↩
  4. See footnote 3, p. 359.↩
  5. The enclosure consists of the conclusions of NSC 68, April 14, p. 234, with a small number of minor variations in form.↩