PPS files, lot 64 D 563, “Review of NSC 68 & 114”
Memorandum by the NSC Staff Member in the Office of the Counselor (Walmsley) to the Secretary of State1
- Subject:
- Council Action on NSC 135/1, September 3.
With reference to your memorandum on the Council meeting yesterday,2 I should mention that Mr. Lay did not record the Council action on NSC 135/1 as “approved” by the Council, and that the President’s usual directive to the appropriate agencies to implement it will not be issued until further Council consideration. The President’s directive with respect to the re-examination and studies is, however, being issued to permit a start.
According to Messrs. Lay’s and Gleason’s summary minutes of the Council meeting,3 the objections raised by Mr. Lovett to the paper were illustrative. Whether Defense will propose changes additional to those brought up by Mr. Lovett, and whether the changes to be proposed by Messrs. Harriman, Wadsworth and possibly Gorrie, involve substance, may not be known until the Senior Staff reconvenes Tuesday, September 9. In the case of Defense, I am informed that Mr. Lovett has before him a great many written [Page 126] comments, including some rather biting ones from Messrs. Finletter and Pace who for different reasons object to the main implications of the Policy Statement. Mr. Finletter, of course, does not like perimeter actions while Mr. Pace wants to build up immediately along the Elbe regardless of the outcome of the reexamination.
Thus, it may be that substantive proposals will be made to the Senior Staff which will have to be brought back for examination in the Department; and even if a formal meeting of the Council is not necessary, at least the approval of each member through his respective agency’s channels may have to be sought before the paper is circulated with the President’s approval.