7. Editorial Note

Military planning discussions on Middle East defense began in London on January 18 among representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the British Chiefs of Staff, and the Turkish General Staff. The JCS representative was Admiral J.H. Cassady, USN, Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (CINCNELM). Bilateral U.S.-U.K. talks were also held. The tripartite phase of the talks was concluded on February 21.

Admiral Cassady reported on the military planning discussions at a State–JCS meeting on April 15; the memorandum on the substance of discussion at that meeting [5 pages of source text] was not declassified. (Department of State, State–JCS Meetings: Lot 61 D 417) Additional documentation on the talks is in Department of State, Central File 780.5, and in National Archives and Records Administration, JCS Records, CCS 381 EMMEA (11–19–47) sees 19 and 22.