Office of the Historian

600.0012/3–1854

Memorandum by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Wainhouse) to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Lodge)1

top secret
[Washington,] March 20, 1954.
  • Subject:
  • Progress in Implementing the President’s December 8 Proposals
1.
Your memorandum of March 182 asks when action may be expected to implement the President’s proposals, particularly steps “to hasten the day when fear of the atom will begin to disappear from the minds of people…”. Action on this matter is progressing along two lines: private discussions with the USSR on the peaceful uses of atomic energy, and a U.S. governmental review of our basic policies on disarmament.
2.
The private discussions with the USSR on peaceful uses of atomic energy have progressed to the point where, as you know, the Secretary handed Soviet Ambassador Zarubin on March 19 a copy of our tentative views outlining the organization and functions of an International Atomic Energy Agency.3 I enclose a copy of this outline for your own information. Prior to its transmittal to the USSR, the outline was discussed with UK, French and Canadian representatives and their general concurrence obtained to the document. The details of this outline have not been made public.
3.
The review of basic disarmament policy is now taking place with the participation of the State Department, Department of Defense, Atomic Energy Commission and CIA. The most recent developments in connection with this matter are reflected in NSC Action #1035, dated February 11, 1954:

“U.S. Position With Respect to the Regulation, Limitation and Balanced Reduction of Armed Forces and Armaments (NSC Action Nos. 899–c and 959–a; NSC 112)4

a.
Noted an oral report by Mr. Cutler on the status of the work of the Special Committee appointed to review the current policy contained in NSC 112, with particular reference to the international control of atomic energy, pursuant to NSC Action No. 899–c.
b.
Noted the President’s desire that the above-mentioned Special Committee expedite the completion of its review of the policy contained in NSC 112 and report to the Council its findings and recommendations thereon.”
4.
We are informed that even with maximum expediting of this review, it will take several months before it can be completed.5
  1. Drafted by Bechhoefer and Meyers.↩
  2. Ante, p. 1376.↩
  3. For text, see p. 1372.↩
  4. For NSC Action Nos. 899 and 959, see footnotes 3 and 4, pp. 1212 and 1246, respectively; for NSC 112, July 6, 1951, see Foreign Relations, 1951, vol. i, p. 477.↩

  5. In a letter of Mar. 25, Lodge responded to Wainhouse as follows:

    “Dear Dave: I received your top secret memorandum of March 20th.

    “Frankly, it is not very enlightening and does not give me much that I can tell the Ambassadors here.

    “I think this President’s speech of December 8 made it perfectly clear that he was in a tremendous hurry to get this thing started. Nothing in your memorandum indicates any hurry or any intention to hurry.

    “Unless I hear any news from you to the contrary, I must merely give evasive answers and stalls when I get questions here.

    “In the light of the tremendous impression which the President’s speech made on December 8 this is rather a pitiful anti-climax.” (USUN files)

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