Office of the Historian

S/S–NSC files, lot 63 D 351, NSC 177 and 5405 Series

Memorandum to the National Security Council by the Executive Secretary (Lay)

top secret
Washington, January 12, 1954.

Subject:

  • United States Objectives and Courses of Action with Respect to Southeast Asia

Reference:

  • NSC 177

At the request of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ISA) 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 177 at its meeting on Thursday, January 14, 1954.

James S. Lay, Jr.

[Enclosure]

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

top secret
Washington, January 6, 1954.

Subject:

  • NSC 177—United States Objectives and Courses of Action with Respect to Southeast Asia.
1.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff submit herewith their views with respect to a draft statement of policy, prepared by the National Security [Page 361] Council Planning Board titled “United States Objectives and Courses of Action with Respect to Southeast Asia” (NSC 177), which is intended, if adopted, to supersede those portions of NSC 124/21 not previously superseded by NSC 171/1.2
2.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are in general agreement with the draft statement of policy contained in NSC 177. With respect to the two instances in which bracketed portions appear, the Joint Chiefs of Staff submit the following comments:
a.
The inclusion or omission of the bracketed phrase appearing in subparagraph 1–a is considered to be of no real consequence. However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff suggest that the thought might better be expressed by amending the sentence as follows: “. . . . in free world defense, in Europe and in North Africa as well as in the Far East.”
b.
The substance of the bracketed paragraph 46 is considered to deal with tactics of implementation rather than with basic policy. Moreover, it is questionable whether the proposed action would be effective in the attainment of over-all objectives with respect to Thailand. The Joint Chiefs of Staff therefore recommend that this paragraph not be included in the statement of policy.
3.
Subject to the foregoing comments, the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommend that you concur in the adoption of the proposed statement of policy contained in NSC 177.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
Arthur Radford
Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff
  1. Dated June 25, 1952, p. 125.↩
  2. NSC 171/1, a report entitled “U.S. Objectives and Courses of Action With Respect to Indonesia”, Nov. 20, 1953, is scheduled for publication in Part 2.↩