Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, European Security and the German Question, Volume III, Part 1

740.5/10–551: Memorandum

The Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Perkins) to the Under Secretary of State (Webb)¹

secret

[Washington,] October 9, 1951.

Subject: Atlantic Command

Situation on the appointment of an American Admiral to the North Atlantic Command is as follows. The British, from prestige reasons arising out of Churchill’s attack on the idea of having an American Atlantic Commander², do not wish to announce the North Atlantic Commander until such time as a Britisher has been named Supreme Commander for the Middle East.

Doc Matthews and I discussed this with the Joint Chiefs before Ottawa. They agreed at that time that the establishment of the Middle East Command with the British Commander in the hope of saving the Egyptian bases was of overriding importance and therefore that they were prepared to delay pressing for the announcement of the North Atlantic Commander until such time as the Middle East Command was announced. We do not know when the Middle East Command may be announced, but certainly that should be worked out before the Home meeting of the NATO Council. Admiral Wright is thoroughly familiar with this and Admiral Fechteler was present at the meeting of the Chiefs when the matter was discussed.³

1. Sent through the Executive Secretariat and initialed by Webb. This memorandum was in response to a telephoned inquiry from Secretary of Defense Robert Lovett as to the status of the Fechteler appointment. Lovett “said that for some months there had been a lot of argument between the British and ourselves about command of the North Atlantic. Admiral Fechteler was the American appointee; he is now Chief of Naval Operations and Admiral McCormick would normally be in command.” Lovett complained that the “matter doesn’t seem to be making progress; that he doesn’t know whether it is a case where we are delinquent with General Eisenhower, or whether the British have said they want to talk about it at Rome,” during the Eighth Session of the North Atlantic Council in November. In response, “Mr. Webb promised to check to see what is holding the situation up.” (Memorandum drafted in the Office of the Under Secretary of State, October 5, 740.5/10–551)
2. See telegrams Depto 546 and 5528 from London of February 22 and April 20, pp. 475, 510.
3. A marginal note reads: “Mr. Webb phoned Mr. Lovett’s office with this information at 6 p m, Oct. 10,1951, RGB.”