Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, National Security Affairs, Volume II, Part 1

PPS files, lot 64 D 563, “NSC 79, 1952”

Memorandum by the Counselor (Bohlen) to the Director of the Policy Planning Staff (Nitze)

top secret

Washington, December 19, 1952.

Paul: I understand Louis Halle is making certain revisions in the NSC 79 draft in the light of the discussions which we have had and those with the Secretary.¹ When that is completed, which I understand will be at the beginning of next week, we might get together on the whole business. There is, as I see it, apart from the question of the substance of the new draft, one chief point for decision— namely, what form of NSC action are we shooting for at this stage. In this connection, I am attaching a memorandum which has been prepared for me giving the record on this 79 project. You will note that it originated with a JCS request for more clear-cut U.S. objectives than could be found in either 20/4 or NSC 68. I feel therefore that the paper that we submit at this stage and the course of action to be followed thereafter in the NSC must have some relationship to the original purpose for which the project was listed. My suggestion would be that once we have agreed on the substance of the present memorandum that it should go to the Steering Committee in relation to the 79 item for consideration as to whether or not in the light thereof a policy paper for NSC Council adoption could be worked out. If the decision is that it should be, then I would suggest that it be returned to State (to S/P) for development since as you will see from the composition of the originating committee set up in 1950 there are many agencies represented thereon who would not be able to contribute much to a policy paper on this subject. Another alternative would be for us to suggest that an interdepartmental committee of State, Defense and CIA be set up to develop a policy paper from this draft. A third, which I will admit that I favor, would be a discussion and elaboration by the Steering Committee or a special group of the Halle draft not with a view to developing a policy paper but to examining further the elements of the problem treated in the Halle draft. Of course, there remains the transmission of this paper for information with a suggestion that the item be cancelled as unsuitable at this time for a NSC policy decision.

The foregoing are merely suggestions which you could be thinking over prior to the meeting next week when the revised paper is finished.

C.E.B.

[Enclosure]

Memorandum Prepared in the Department of State²

top secret

[Washington, undated.]

1. NSC 79 project started with a memorandum dated 22 August 1950 to the Secretary of Defense from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This memorandum called for “clear-cut United States objectives in the event of war” to serve both as a basis for military planning, “both prior to and during hostilities, in order to provide that our military efforts are directed toward the winning of the ultimate peace as well as to the winning of the war.” Such a statement should also insure that our military operations will be supported by our allies and the American people. It stated further that neither 20/4 or NSC 68 were adequate for the purpose. The Joint Chiefs recommended that such a statement be developed in the NSC. The Secretary of Defense forwarded this memorandum to the Executive Secretary of the NSC and supported the request of the Joint Chiefs.

2. On September 6 the Senior Staff (a) approved a memo to the National Security Council advising it of the Staff’s decision to prepare for consideration by the Council a draft report on the subject to include both a statement of war objectives in the event of global war and such related questions as a statement of the conditions that the U.S. would be willing to accept for a peaceful settlement with the USSR and its satellites; (b) constituted the following ad hoc group of assistants to undertake preliminary work on the project: Department of State—Mr. Paul Nitze, Chairman, Department of Defense—Mr. James T. Hill, NSRB—Mr. T. G. Lamphier, Jr., Treasury Department—Mr. C. D. Glendinning, Joint Chiefs of Staff—Rear Admiral Leslie C. Stevens, Central Intelligence Agency—Mr. DeForest Van Slyck, NSC Staff—Mr. S. E. Gleason; (c) agreed that after preliminary exploration of the problem by the ad hoc group, the State Department Policy Planning Staff should prepare the first draft of a report in the light of the discussion by the ad hoc group.

3. On October 2 the Senior Staff “agreed to establish November 15, 1950 as the target date for completion of a report on the subject for consideration by the National Security Council.”

4. On October 6, 1950 the Steering Group under Mr. Nitze’s chairmanship met for the first, last and only time.

5. On February 23, 1951 the Senior Staff “Discussed the status of the NSC 79 project, agreed that it should be divided into two projects, as follows, and that the second project should be completed as a matter of priority: (1) A statement of U.S. and allied war objectives in the event of global war. (2) A statement of the conditions that the United States would be willing to accept for a peaceful settlement with the USSR, including a plan for the reduction and regulation of armaments and armed forces.”

6. In July of 1951 the Council and the President approved NSC 112 entitled “Formulation of United States Position with Respect to a Regulation, Limitation and Balanced Reduction of Armed Forces and Armament.”³

7. Some time in the fall of 1951 a note was taken in the Status of Projects of the fact that Council’s action and the work in Paris at the General Assembly on NSC 112 was a partial response to that part of 79 calling for a statement for “conditions for a peaceful settlement with the USSR.”

8. Some time last spring Jimmy Lay suggested carrying in the Status of Projects the statement that these NSC 79 projects were awaiting reexamination by the Senior State Member with a view to expediting their completion or proposing their cancellation.

1. This draft has not been further identified.

   The NSC 79 project was initiated on Aug. 25, 1950, with a JCS paper entitled “U.S. and Allied War Objectives in the Event of Global War”. That paper, designated NSC 79, was circulated to the National Security Council and subsequently referred to the NSC Senior Staff for preparation of a final report. For text of NSC 79 and related documentation, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. i, pp. 390 ff.

   In a memorandum of Apr. 28 to Nitze, Bohlen noted that the NSC 79 project had been “carried on the NSC books for over a year” and had “been the subject of frequent inquiries especially by the Defense Members of the NSC Staff.” In a reply the following day, John Ferguson, the Deputy Director of the Policy Planning Staff, stated that there was a feeling among the Staff “that this project should not be cancelled, difficult as it is to prepare a thoroughly satisfactory paper” and Ferguson promised that the Policy Planning Staff would discuss the project at an early meeting and report to the Senior Staff soon. Ferguson added that “I am fairly sure Paul [Nitze] will want to take another crack at this matter and I think we should raise it with him and see whether the time has not come to make one more effort to draft a paper.” The two memoranda here referenced are in PPS files, lot 64 D 563, “NSC 79”.

   On Sept. 24, Acheson, Bohlen, Nitze, and several other officials of the Department of State discussed the problem of outstanding projects before the NSC and the discussion swiftly focused on “NSC 79 ‘Conditions for a Peaceful Settlement with the USSR’ and ‘United States and Allied War Objectives in the Event of Global War’”. Following a lengthy comment by Bohlen on the difficulty of drafting a satisfactory report on these topics, Acheson “said that, while he had no sympathy with those on the NSC Staff who placed undue stress on the importance of a paper for its own sake and, while he recognized the obvious difficulties involved in drafting a paper on war aims, nonetheless, it might be advisable to set down such a series of alternative objectives.” Nitze “agreed to undertake the responsibility for attempting to draft such a statement of objectives but pointed out that he would need the Secretary’s personal help in such a project” which Acheson promised to give. The discussion was summarized in a memorandum for the files by Christopher Van Hollen, Sept. 24, 1952 in S/S–NSC files, lot 63 D 351, NSC 79 Series.

2. The source text does not indicate the identity of the drafting officer nor the date on which the memorandum was drafted.
3. For documentation on NSC 112, see Foreign Relations, 1951 vol. i, pp. 443 ff.