Office of the Historian

324. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Sprague) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)1

Washington, April 19, 1957.

Dear Mr. Murphy: Thank you for your letter of 11 March concerning Antarctic claims. The Department of Defense has given your proposal careful study and we recognize that some form of international control may be useful. We are also in substantial agreement that the assertion of a claim by the United States is now timely. It is our belief, however, that there are valid reasons for considering assertion of a claim broader than that outlined in your letter.

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Since this question was considered by the Planning Board on April 12 and will be before the NSC on 2 May, I would suggest that the resolution of our respective departmental views be left for that machinery. This will provide an opportunity for all agencies including our two Departments to be directly represented in further consideration of this question.

Yours very truly,

Mansfield D. Sprague2
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 702.022/4-2657. Secret.↩
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩