S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351: NSC 82 Series
Memorandum by the Department of State Member of the National Security Council Staff (Bishop) to the Ambassador at Large (Jessup)
Subject: U.S. Contribution to the Defense of Western Europe
At the Senior Staff meeting1 yesterday, November 14, Mr. Finletter2 raised what seems to me an extremely important point. He said that he felt it might be desirable for the Senior Staff to consider and make [Page 456] recommendations to the Council regarding the basic principles upon which determination should be made of the extent to which the United States will contribute to the defense of Western Europe. Mr. Finletter went on to point out that certain decisions are being made now in the Department of Defense regarding the contribution which the United States will make to the defense of Western Europe. At the same time, however, not only has there been no discussion of these decisions by the Senior Staff or by the Council itself, but also there has been no discussion by the Senior Staff or formulation by the NSC of the basic principles upon which to make such decisions. He added that he felt it was not necessary or appropriate for the NSC to go into the military question of the various force strengths but he did feel strongly that the contribution to be made to the defense of Western Europe by each of the various interested countries is a politico-military question. For example, in considering the extent to which the United States would contribute, we must also consider such matters as “Germany and Spain”. We must also go into the problem of the economic drain on the United States and determine whether this is a matter to be taken into account or whether it is controlling or only partially so.
Mr. Nitze suggested that the eight questions which the President had answered before the New York meetings3 pretty well answered the policy problem involved. Mr. Finletter did not agree with this and asserted that, for example, we have not faced up to the question whether the United States will make its contribution to the defense of Western Europe even though this contribution would cut into the amount of protection which the United States can give to its sea and air lanes. He repeated that he felt that we must determine the principles governing us in deciding upon the U.S. contribution. He also pointed out that budget ceilings arbitrarily imposed might actually throw out our present calculations. Mr. Finletter suggested that we might have to spell out “the really top priorities in our foreign policies.”
There was considerable discussion of a document approved by the Defense Ministers in their recent meeting (DC 284). I shall endeavor to get a copy for you.
There was also some discussion of tentative war plans and troop strengths. I was a little disturbed and I am sure Admiral Wooldridge5 [Page 457] was vastly more disturbed that they came so close to a discussion of actual war plans in the effort to give examples of the need for decision on politico-military principles. I do feel, however, that Mr. Finletter has raised an extremely important matter and I am confident that you will want to discuss it further in the Senior Staff.
- The Ambassador at Large was the Department of State member of the National Security Council Senior Staff Group, a group composed of high-ranking representatives of the Council membership and separate from the regular Council Staff. At the meeting under reference here, Policy Planning Staff Director Nitze apparently substituted for Jessup.↩
- Secretary of the Air Force Thomas K. Finletter.↩
- The reference here is to the joint communication of September 8 from the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense to President Truman, p. 273.↩
- Defense Committee Document on Medium Term Plan Force Requirements, dated October 28, 1950, not found in Department of State files. The paper was a combination of studies by the NATO regional planning groups on the forces needed from the various NATO participants to defend the North Atlantic Treaty Area.↩
- Rear Admiral E. T. Wooldridge was the member of the NSC Senior Staff representing the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he was also Deputy Director, Joint Staff, for Politico-Military Affairs.↩