Office of the Historian

PPS files, lot 64 D 563, “Review of Basic National Policy”

Memorandum to the National Security Council by the Acting Executive Secretary (Gleason)1

top secret
Washington, June 8, 1953.
  • Subject:
  • Restatement of Basic National Security Policy
  • Reference: NSC 1532

At the request of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense the enclosed views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with respect to the reference report on the subject are transmitted herewith for the information of the National Security Council in connection with its consideration of NSC 153 at its meeting on June 9.

S. Everett Gleason

[Enclosure]

Memorandum by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)

top secret
Washington, June 5, 1953.
  • Subject:
  • NSC 153—Restatement of Basic National Security Policy
1.
In response to the request in your memorandum dated June 4, 1953,3 subject as above, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have examined the draft statement of policy by the National Security Council Planning Board entitled “Restatement of Basic National Security Policy” (NSC 153) and submit the following views thereon.
2.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are in general agreement with those aspects of NSC 153 having military implications.
3.
With respect to subparagraph 8–e and the footnote at the bottom of page 6 of the draft statement of policy, the Joint Chiefs of Staff consider that the general objective “To prevent further expansion of Soviet bloc power…” should not be qualified by the [Page 373] limitation “in key areas.” Accordingly, they would favor the adoption of subparagraph 8–e as now phrased.
4.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff, from the military point of view, recommend that you concur in the adoption of the draft statement of policy contained in NSC 153.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
J. Lawton Collins

Chief of Staff, U.S. Army
  1. Copies to the Secretary of the Treasury; the Directors of Defense Mobilization, the Bureau of the Budget, and Central Intelligence; the Chairmen of the Atomic Energy Commission and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the Federal Civil Defense Administrator. A covering memorandum by Christopher Van Hollen of the Executive Secretariat to Philip Watts of S/P and six others, dated June 9, reads:“attached for information are the JCS comments on NSC 153, which was considered by the Council on June 9, at which time a copy of this document was given to the Secretary at the Council meeting.” For the memorandum of discussion at the 149th meeting of the NSC, June 9, see infra.↩
  2. See the memorandum from Bowie to the Secretary of State, supra.↩
  3. Not found in Department of State files.↩