Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The American Republics, Volume IV

718.5/12–1054

Memorandum by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)¹

top secret

Washington, 26 November 1954.

Subject:

• Military Support of Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance.

1. Reference is made to your memorandum, dated 23 November 1954,² subject as above, and the letters from the Under Secretary of State and Assistant Secretary of State attached thereto,³ wherein you requested the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on an urgent basis, regarding the deployment of U.S. aircraft to a location in close proximity to Costa Rica.

2. Specific plans are in existence in Headquarters, CINCARIB for the expeditious deployment of U.S. military forces to Costa Rica in support of U.S. obligations under Article III of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty). These plans have been reviewed by the Department of the Army but not by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. U.S. forces are capable of rapid deployment in the event the President should authorize U.S. armed assistance in Costa Rica. The Troop Basis of the Caribbean Command is under study by the Department of the Army with a view to improving the flexibility of U.S. armed forces to meet such requirements in CINCARIB’s area of responsibility.

3. With regard to the psychological aspects of deterring aggression the Joints Chiefs of Staff are of the opinion that the movement of 5 F–84 Thunderjets of the U.S. Air Force scheduled to arrive in Guatemala on 28 November 1954 for demonstration purposes will depict adequately the U.S. capability for rapidly moving its armed forces to any area in Central America. Thus, if this capability should be properly exploited through publicity and other means the Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that the desired deterrent effect could be achieved without the deployment at this time of additional aircraft to the Canal Zone.

For the Joints Chiefs of Staff:

Arthur Radford

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff

1. Transmitted to the Department of State under cover of a letter from Secretary Wilson to Secretary Dulles, dated Dec. 10, 1954. In the letter, Secretary Wilson stated that he had “reviewed the expressions contained in the attached memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and concur in their views.”
2. No copy of the referenced memorandum was found in Department of State files. JCS files contain a copy to which is attached an undated copy of a letter from Under Secretary Hoover to Secretary of Defense Wilson, not printed.
3. Reference is to the letters from Assistant Secretary Holland to Secretary of the Army Stevens, Aug. 4, 1954, and Under Secretary Hoover to Secretary of Defense Wilson, Nov. 20, 1954, pp. 855 and 860.