258. Letter From the President to the Secretary of State1
Dear Mr. Secretary: As you know, I have announced my agreement with the Director of Defense Mobilization that there is reason to believe the present level of crude oil imports threatens to impair national security. Accordingly, Section 7 of the Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1955 requires me to “cause an immediate investigation” to “determine the facts.”
I have determined that such investigation should be made by a special Cabinet Committee consisting of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Labor. This committee for convenience will be known as the Special Committee to Investigate Crude Oil Imports. It will make its investigation [Page 694] and report its findings and recommendations a the earliest practicable date. The Secretary of Commerce will be Chairman.2
In carrying out this vitally important investigation, the special committee should view the national security in its broadest terms, and seek to balance such general factors as our long-term requirements for crude oil, the military, economic and diplomatic considerations involved in obtaining crude oil from various foreign areas, the maintenance of a dynamic domestic industry that will meet national needs in peace or war, and any special significance of imports in different regions of the country.
Sincerely,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 411.006/6–2657.↩
- The White House press release announcing the formation of the special Cabinet committee is printed in Department of State Bulletin, July 29, 1957, p. 209. Further documentation on the Committee is in Department of State, Central File 411.006.↩