740.5/9–1150
The Secretary of Defense (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: This letter is in response to your letter of August 31, 1950 requesting the Department of Defense views on the admission of Turkey to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Your letter specifically asked consideration of the question of whether we are now or will in the foreseeable future be in a position to provide sufficient military support to justify our permitting Turkey and Greece to enter the NATO.
I recommend that:
- (a)
- The United States now support the granting of associate status to Turkey and Greece in order that their representatives may participate without delay in coordinating planning.
- (b)
- As soon as the defense of the member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is reasonably assured, the United States consider raising the question of full membership for Turkey and Greece in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- (c)
- Serious consideration not be given at this time to granting Iran either consultative or associate member status in the North Atlantic treaty Organization.
It would appear that no particular organizational and administrative difficulties would be involved in this associative arrangement. Probably the most important problem in connection with planning would be that of security. However, I believe that adequate safeguards can be established.
From the military point of view, I would interpose no objection to the United States, the United Kingdom, and France joining to give informal assurances to Turkey that a Soviet attack against it would probably mean the beginning of global war and that the United States, the United Kingdom, and France would act accordingly.
I am enclosing the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,1 in which I concur.
Sincerely yours,
- The memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, September 9, is scheduled for publication in volume v.↩