Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, National Security Affairs; Foreign Economic Policy, Volume I

Secretary’s Daily Meetings, Lot 58 D 609¹

Summary of Meeting With the Secretary of State ²

[Extract]
secret

[ Washington ,] May 3, 1951.

Participants:	Mr. Acheson
	Mr. Matthews
	Mr. Nitze
	Mr. Cabot
	Mr. Barrett3
	Mr. Armstrong4
	Mr. Reinhardt5
	Mr. Harriman
	Mr. McWilliams
	Mr. Battle

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 2. Foreign Aid Bill

Mr. Harriman reported that Mr. Murphy⁶ is now beginning to work on the draft of the President’s message on the Foreign Aid Bill.⁷ Mr. Murphy’s thought is that there should be more emphasis on economic aid, especially to undeveloped areas, than the Bureau of the Budget has allowed. Mr. Murphy believes that it is a sound position for the President to go to the Congress with a substantial amount for economic aid for underdeveloped areas with justification that this is a good way to build a world free of war even though the amount may be cut.

After considerable discussion, it seemed to be the consensus that we should go up with a substantial amount of economic aid which we thought defensible.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Chronological collection of the records of the Secretary of State’s Daily Meetings with top Department of State officials for the years 1949–1952 as maintained by the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State.
2. Prepared by William J. McWilliams, Director of the Executive Secretariat.
3. Edward W. Barrett, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.
4. W. Park Armstrong, Jr., Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Intelligence.
5. G. Frederick Reinhardt, Director of the Office of Eastern European Affairs.
6. Charles S. Murphy, Special Counsel to the President.
7. For information on President Truman’s message of May 24 proposing the Mutual Security Program, see editorial note, p. 317.