No. 553
Editorial Note

The death of Generalissimo Stalin was one of nine topics taken up at President Eisenhower’s Cabinet meeting on the morning of March 6. The minutes of that meeting record the matter as follows:

“1. Contingency Planning: The Stalin Situation. The President told the Cabinet that no specific plan for Government action or policy had been developed in advance, despite continuous talk since 1946 about the possibility of Premier Stalin’s death. He commented that this situation indicated again the need for services such as Mr. Cutler and Mr. Jackson will perform, and he urged full cooperation with them.

“The President reported briefly on the preparation of his statement to the Russian people.” (Eisenhower Library, Cabinet Minutes)

The President’s “statement to the Russian people” is presumably the statement issued by the White House on March 4, Document 548.