740.5/10–651: Telegram
The United States Deputy Representative on the North Atlantic Council (Spofford) to the Secretary of State 1
priority
Depto 426. Personal for Cabot, Nash, Halaby and Gordon (limit distribution). Please refer Todep 213.2 Since the ECC cable of July 20 (Depto 88)3 recommending offshore procurement program, which was discussed and agreed upon in the joint ISAC-ECC meeting of July 30 (Todep 67)4 we have been concerned as to our progress toward getting ahead with this approach to the problem of increasing Eur production, which has been kicked back and forth between here and Washington since February. In the meantime, and particularly in the last few weeks, we have been receiving requests for information, suggestions and prodding from all quarters. As a result, and in line with our earlier action and obvious interest in the matter, we have had some preliminary staff work done and put the item on the agenda for the next ECC meeting to try to pull loose ends together here and to get off some coordinated recommendations. If these were to be of any use it seemed to me that they should be made earlier rather than later and preferably before final decisions are taken.
I am still of this opinion. I am not impressed by the argument that ECC consideration of the matter will “produce nothing but delay and confusion”. In the first place I doubt whether anything ECC can do would add to our rapidly growing stockpile of both these items; in the second place, you can always find your way out of the dilemma by disregarding the recommendations, for which precedent can be found.