795B.5/1–3051
The Secretary of Defense (Marshall) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: With reference to your letter of 5 December 1950,1 in which you raised the question of obtaining additional ground force contingents for service in Korea, it is the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that increased active participation in Korea by other Member States has the advantages of adding to the United Nations character of the action in Korea, and of welding the Member States more closely together in opposition to Communism wherever it may occur.
It is the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that renewed pressure be exerted on Member States to furnish ground forces for Korea in accordance with the following general policy:
- a.
- The criteria previously laid down, to permit ready integration of forces into the over-all military effort in Korea, should govern.
- b.
- Great Britain and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries on the European continent should not be pressed to furnish additional forces. However, effort should be made to obtain additional forces from British Commonwealth countries, other than Great Britain.
- c.
- Except as indicated in paragraph 2 b [b] above, determined efforts should be made to obtain increased commitments from those countries already having forces in Korea.
- d.
- Except as indicated in paragraph 2 b [b] above, determined efforts should be made to obtain commitments from non-Communist UN members which have not yet offered acceptable forces, and are considered capable of so doing.
Faithfully yours,
- For text, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. vii, p. 1411.↩