Editorial Note
At a meeting on July 16 between Secretary of State Acheson and Secretary of Defense Marshall and their advisers (see Acheson’s memorandum, July 16, page 836), agreement was reached regarding the preparation of a joint memorandum for the President on policy with respect to the problems of the defense of Europe and the German contribution thereto. A first draft of the proposed memorandum was prepared by Jessup and cleared by Acheson, Matthews, Perkins, Cabot, Nitze, and Geoffrey W. Lewis, Deputy Director of the Bureau of German Affairs, by July 20. Jessup sent a copy of this draft to Frank Nash of the Department of Defense in a letter of that day (740.5/7–2051). In a memorandum for Secretary Acheson on July 25, Jessup reported that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and intermediate-level officers of the Department of Defense did not disagree either with the substance [Page 848] or the wording of the draft memorandum, and no difficulties were expected from high-level Defense officials. Jessup indicated with approval, however, the feeling of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that approval for the memorandum should be obtained from the membership of the National Security Council. (S/P–NSC files, lot 62 D 1, NSC 115)
The final text of the joint memorandum of July 30 (infra) which contained only a few revisions of the draft of July 20, was presumably prepared as a result of consultation between State and Defense Department officials. In a memorandum to Secretary Acheson on the morning of July 30, Jessup observed that the joint memorandum had been signed by Acting Secretary of Defense Lovett in the absence of Secretary Marshall and was ready for delivery to President Thuman at noon of that day. Jessup pointed out that in accordance with an understanding reached with the Department of Defense, Secretary Acheson, when he presented the memorandum to President Truman for approval, was to suggest an informal procedure for securing the concurrence of other members of the National Security Council. (740.5/7–3051) An informal clearance procedure had previously been utilized in connection with NSC 82, September 11, 1950. (See Foreign Relations, 1950, volume III, pp. 273 ff.)
President Truman approved the joint memorandum of July 30 during a meeting with the Secretary of State at noon of that day. Jessup reported the Secretary of State’s account of that meeting in a memorandum of July 30 to Nitze:
“The Secretary told me that the President had read the memorandum on ‘Definition of United States Policy on Problems of the Defense of Europe and the German Contribution’ signed by Mr. Lovett and the Secretary. The President immediately initialled it as approved. The Secretary suggested to the President that he would probably wish NSC approval through the informal procedure of a memo of decision which was utilized in the case of NSC 82. The President agreed but nevertheless gave the Secretary the signed copy of the memorandum with his initials of approval.” (S/P–NSC files, lot 62 D 1, NSC 115)
James Lay, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council, promptly undertook special handling of the memorandum of July 30. National Security Council Record of Action 516, August 1, 1951, described the result of the special concurrence procedure as follows:
“The other Council members and the Secretary of the Treasury concurred in the reference memorandum on the subject by the Secretary of State and the Acting Secretary of Defense. The Assistant to the Director of Defense Mobilization also concurred on the assumption that there will be included in the terms of the German settlement arrangements for harnessing, under appropriate safeguards, German production for the benefit of the mobilization effort of the free world.”
[Page 849]On August 2 the President, after consideration of the joint memorandum of July 30 and the concurrence recorded in NSC Action 516, formally approved the memorandum and directed its implementation by all appropriate executive departments and agencies of the United States Government under the coordination of the Secretary of State (memorandum of August 2 from Lay to the Secretary of State: S/S–NSC files, lot 63 D 351, NSC 115). The text of the joint memorandum of July 30 together with the substance of NSC Action 516 and the President’s response thereto, together with the texts of telegram Alo 208, July 18 from General Eisenhower to Secretary of Defense Marshall and Secretary Acheson (text contained in telegram 382, July 18, from Paris, page 838) and telegram Def 96731, July 19, from Secretaries Marshall and Acheson to General Eisenhower (page 842) were circulated to the National Security Council as document NSC 115, August 2, 1951, not printed (S/S–NSC files, 63 D 351, NSC 115).