United States policy regarding hemisphere defense; provision of armaments and military assistance to other American republics 1

1. For previous documentation, see foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. iv, pp. 116 ff.


20. Memorandum Prepared by the Special Assistant for Inter-American Military Affairs, Office of Regional American Affairs (Spencer)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/1–2555. Confidential. Addressed to Sparks, Jamison, Atwood, and Newbegin.


21. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Hensel)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/4–155. Secret. An earlier version of this letter was attached to a memorandum from Holland to Murphy, dated March 23, summarizing the letter and recommending that Murphy sign it. (Ibid., 720.5–MSP/3–2355) In a memorandum to Holland, dated March 29, however, Jamison informed the Assistant Secretary that Murphy’s office had returned the proposed letter to Defense “with the comment that it would be preferable to delay its transmittal until we have had an opportunity to review Defense’s reply to our letter of November 15, 1954.” Jamison’s memorandum reads further as follows: “Although Mr. Murphy’s office indicated that the Defense reply was sent to Secretary Wilson for signature on March 24, it is now March 29 and we have yet to receive it. The attached letter raises new considerations not dependent upon a reply to the November 15 letter, specifically that related to additional aid for Guatemala and the related suggestion regarding combat engineering battalions. It is therefore recommended that you call Mr. Murphy and urge that he sign the letter. You might indicate that we have previously received informal assurances from Defense that a reply to our letter would be forthcoming but that these promises have never materialized.” A handwritten, unsigned notation on the memorandum indicates that the letter was sent back to Murphy. (Ibid., 720.5–MSP/3–2955)


22. Memorandum on Substance of Discussions of Department of State–Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting, the Pentagon, Washington, April 15, 1955, 11:30 a.m.

Source: Department of State, State–JCS Meetings: Lot 61 D 147. Top Secret. The source text bears the following notation: “State Draft. Not cleared with any of the participants.”


23. Letter From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Davis) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/4–2055. Secret.


25. Letter From the Under Secretary of State (Hoover) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Anderson)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/6–955. Secret.


27. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/10–755. Secret. Drafted by Sayre.


28. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Regional American Affairs (Cale) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/12–555. Secret. Drafted by Sanders.


29. Memorandum of a Conversation, the Pentagon, Washington, December 12, 1955

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/12–1255. Secret. Drafted by Sanders.


30. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, January 30, 1956

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/3–756. Secret. Drafted by Sanders. Attached to a memorandum from Sanders to Lyon, dated March 7. In the memorandum, Sanders stated that although a State–Defense “working group” to resolve outstanding problems in U.S. military relations with Latin America, as suggested by Hoover in July 1955, had not been formally established, such a group “in effect” did exist. It resulted from the meeting between Holland and Gray on December 12, 1955 (see Document 29), at which Gray asked McGuire to coordinate Defense’s views and then to contact Holland. To Sanders’ knowledge, however, McGuire had not conveyed Defense’s position, and this meeting of January 30 was a followup. (Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/3–756)


31. Memorandum on Substance of Discussions of Department of State–Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting, the Pentagon, Washington, March 30, 1956, 11:30 a.m.

Source: Department of State, State–JCS Meetings: Lot 61 D 147. Top Secret. The source text bears the following notation: “State Draft. Not cleared with any of participants.”


33. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Overby)

Source: Eisenhower Library, CFEP Chairman Records. Confidential.


34. Memorandum From Robert Sayre of the Office of Regional American Affairs to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Lyon)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/4–1856. Secret. A handwritten notation on the source text indicates that Lyon sent it to Holland for his information.


35. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/5–856. Secret. Drafted by Sayre and Sanders; cleared by Prochnow, Barnes, Lyon, Neal, and Bernbaum.


36. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Lyon) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/4–1156. Secret. Drafted by Sanders.


37. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5621/5–1156. Secret.


38. Circular Telegram From the Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic Missions in the American Republics

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/5–2256. Secret. Drafted by Sayre and initialed for the Secretary by Rubottom. Sent to Habana, Lima, Montevideo, Quito, and Santiago; pouched for information only to Bogota and Rio de Janeiro.


39. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/8–156. Secret.


40. Circular Telegram From the Secretary of State to All Diplomatic Missions in the American Republics

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 710.5/8–856. Secret; Priority. Cleared with Gray at the Department of Defense and signed for the Secretary by Rubottom. Pouched to Guatemala, Habana, Managua, Panamá, San José, San Salvador, Tegucigalpa, Port-au-Prince, and Ciudad Trujillo.


41. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/8–156. Secret. Drafted by Sayre; cleared by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Rubottom, Barnes, and Kalijarvi.


42. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5/10–2556. Secret. A handwritten note by Sayre in the margin indicates that no reply was required.


43. Letter From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Radford)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 102.201/4–1657. Secret. The source text, a copy of the original, was found attached to circular airgram 8533, dated April 16, 1957. The airgram informed the Embassies in Latin America that Radford was planning a trip in late April and the first 3 weeks in May.


44. Memorandum From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Under Secretary of State (Herter)

Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Latin America, January–May, 1957. Secret. Drafted by Sayre and concurred in by Richards, the Offices of the Special Assistant for Mutual Security Affairs and Assistant Secretary for Policy Planning, and the Department of Defense.

This memorandum is Tab D in a set of briefing papers drafted for the Under Secretary of State in preparation for an OCB meeting on March 27, when the subject of the naval ship program for Latin America was to be considered. Tab A is a letter from Sprague, March 26, infra . Tab B consists of excerpts from NSC 5613/1; see Document 16. Tab C is a letter, March 21, from Acting Director of the Bureau of the Budget A.R. Jones to the Secretary of Defense; see paragraph 3, infra .


45. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Sprague) to the Under Secretary of State (Herter)

Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Latin America, January–May 1957. Secret.


46. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Chief of the International Division, Bureau of the Budget (Macy)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/4–157. Secret. Attached to a memorandum from Rubottom to Murphy, April 1, recommending that Murphy sign the letter. The letter was drafted by Sayre on March 29, in response to a request from the Bureau of the Budget for the Department’s views on the subjects covered in the letter. It was cleared by Rubottom, Barnes, Sanders, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Policy Planning.


47. Letter From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Radford)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 102.201/4–257. Secret.


48. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Radford) to the Chairman of the Operations Coordinating Board (Herter)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/4–1757. Secret. Attached to a letter from Sprague to Herter, April 17, stating that if the enclosed memorandum “is not suitable for your purpose I will be glad to take the matter up further with Admiral Radford.” A memorandum to Rubottom from Spencer King, April 19, reads in part as follows: “Admiral Radford’s reply is disappointing and is inconsistent with Mr. Herter’s report to the OCB on April 10 in which he said that the Admiral had agreed to furnish country-by-country estimates upon request.” King further stated that he had suggested to Sayre that ARA prepare a letter from Herter to Sprague referring to Herter’s report to the OCB and requesting estimates on Argentina and Brazil.


49. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Sprague)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 720.5–MSP/4–1757. Secret.