Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file
Memorandum of Discussion at the 192d Meeting of the National Security Council, Tuesday, April 6, 1954 1
eyes only
The following were present at the 192nd Meeting of the Council: The President of the United States, presiding; the Vice President of the United States; the Secretary of State; the Secretary of Defense; the Director, Foreign Operations Administration; and the Director, Office of Defense Mobilization. Also present were the Secretary of the Treasury; the Director, Bureau of the Budget; the Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission; the Under Secretary of State; the Deputy Secretary of Defense; the Secretaries of the Army and Navy; the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; the Chief of Naval Operations; the Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force; the Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps; the Director of Central Intelligence; the Assistant to the President; Robert Cutler, Special Assistant to the President; Robert R. Bowie, Department of State; Herbert Miller, Central Intelligence Agency (for Item 3); the White House Staff Secretary; the Executive Secretary, NSC; and the Deputy Executive Secretary, NSC.
[Page 1776]There follows a summary of the discussion at the meeting, together with the main points taken.
[Here follows discussion on item 1. “NSC Action No. 1074–a” (which dealt with United States policy toward Indochina).]
2. US. Objectives and Courses of Action in Korea (Progress Report, dated March 31, 1954, by the Operations Coordinating Board on NSC 170/12)
Mr. Cutler briefed the Council on the content of this Progress Report, and pointed out that it raised two questions. The first of these concerned paragraph 6 of the Special Annex to NSC 170/1,3 regarding measures to prevent or counter unilateral resumption of fighting by the ROK. The Progress Report suggested revision of this paragraph, and Mr. Cutler asked Secretary Dulles to express his views.
Secretary Dulles said that he had had no opportunity to read the Progress Report. After Mr. Cutler had refreshed Secretary Dulles’ memory, the latter suggested that our relations with President Rhee were drifting along reasonably well, and that he therefore saw no reason for changing paragraph 6 or for suggesting any new action by OCB. In summary, said Secretary Dulles, this represented the view that we do nothing at this time. He understood that President Rhee had recently been rebuffed by his own military people on the issue of unilateral action.
Mr. Cutler then invited the Council’s attention to the second point raised in the Progress Report, namely, the matter of the withdrawal of U.S. divisions beyond the two already being withdrawn or earmarked for withdrawal in the near future.
Secretary Wilson commented that the Defense Department proposed to make no further moves in the matter of redeployment of our forces from Korea until after the conclusion of the Geneva Conference. Secretary Smith pointed out that our divisions in Korea would constitute one of our most useful trading assets at the Conference, and Admiral Radford said that we could stop all actions looking toward further redeployment until at least June 1. Secretary Dulles expressed considerable anxiety over further redeployment of U.S. forces, especially if they were brought home and disbanded, in view of the looming problem of Southeast Asia.
The National Security Council:4
- a.
- Noted the reference Progress Report by the Operations Coordinating Board on the subject.
- b.
- Agreed that implementation of Annex A to NSC 170/1, which remains valid policy, should continue to be deferred for the time being, subject to continuous review by the Operations Coordinating Board.
- c.
- Agreed that implementation of paragraph 10–c of NSC 170/1 should not be pressed at this time.
- d.
- Noted that the Secretary of Defense was deferring all further redeployments of U.S. forces from Korea (except the two U.S. divisions being returned to the United States) until after June 1, 1954.
Note: The actions in b and c above subsequently transmitted to the Operations Coordinating Board as the coordinating agency for NSC 170/1.
[Here follows discussion on item 3. “The Soviet Atomic Energy Program to Mid-1957”.]