740.5/9–2153
No. 85
Memorandum by the Special Assistant
to the President (Cutler) to the Under Secretary of State
(Smith)
On September 20, the President read your memorandum to me, September 14/53,1 relative to the need at this time for delay in taking further action on the Volunteer Freedom Corps.
He accepted your views for the time being.
In conversation about the basic idea, he later suggested that perhaps, instead of our doing it as an American venture carried on in West Germany, the concept might be worked out as a West German venture carried on by West Germany in West Germany but financed by the U.S.A.
This is a novel turn to the idea, the pros and cons of which might be explored by OCB—if you thought it desirable—so that after testing a report could be carried back to the President. What do you think?
Is General Crittenberger being alerted to the decision as to further delay? This matter has been under the wing of PSB–OCB–CDJ in the past. I will do whatever you wish, in this regard.
- The memorandum opposed the view expressed by C. D. Jackson in a memorandum to Cutler, Sept. 8, that Conant should be instructed to take up once again with Adenauer the question of the VFC, now that the German elections were over. In his memorandum, Smith argued against issuing such instructions on the grounds that they could jeopardize the four-power conference then being discussed. (Secretary’s Letters, lot 56 D 459, “DOD—1953–54”)↩